A determined, downright aggressive Tate came out firing in the fight, doubling up on her jab and landing repeated left hands on the taller, longer Santos. Yana would return fire, but through the opening minute, it was “Cupcake” Tate getting the better of things. The pace would, understandably, slow a bit as the round wore on, but Tate did keep the pressure up, and threaten to take the pack at one point. Tate worked the body in the clinch, fired kicks, and overall kept Santos guessing; Santos finally went after her won takedown, which Tate fought off. Santos found her rhythm in the back half of the round, doing damage to the legs and catching Tate coming in at times, making the round much closer than it looked from the outset.

Round two didn’t have the same red-hot start, and instead saw a number of exchanges, usually abbreviated, and grappling back-and-forths play out. Santos had the edge in volume as the fight wore on, and Tate was easily stuffed when shooting in on takedowns that were lower and lower percentage. Ultimately, it was a strong round for Yana Santos, who picked up where she left off at the end of the first.

A key takedown finally arrived for Miesha Tate about 90 seconds into round three. She planted Santos firmly on her back, with “Cupcake” sitting in half guard. Tate was able to land punches to the head as Santos rolled to her knees, thrashing wildly; that allowed Tate to take the back, locking on with a body triangle. Tate landed more shots to the head and tried to reposition, but just couldn’t get under the chin. Elbows to the side of the head came next from Tate, who still had the back, Santos on top of her. Tate couldn’t get the finish, but ended the round strong as they headed to the scorecards.

The judges saw it the same across the board after 15 minutes, with Yana Santos earning triplicate 29-28 scores.

Official Result: Yana Santos def. Miesha Tate by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Cory Sandhagen (17-5) will look to bounce back from a title eliminator loss to Umar Nurmagomedov last August. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak with victories over Song Yadong, Chito Vera and Rob Font. Now he’ll attempt to get back to the top against a former UFC champion.

Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4-1) is the former UFC flyweight champion who recently made his move up to 135 pounds. He fired off three straight wins to start his run at bantamweight with victories over Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Vera. Petr Yan dealt him his first loss at 135 in the UFC, but a win over Sandhagen puts ‘Figgy’ back into contender status.

In the co-main event Bo Nickal (7-0) will look to continue his undefeated professional MMA run. The former Penn State wrestling stand out comes off a decision victory over Paul Craig at UFC 309 last November.

Across from him will be Reinier de Ridder who made his move to the UFC after 9 bouts with ONE Championship. His UFC debut came last November where he submitted Gerald Meerschaert. He followed that up with a rear-naked choke win over Kevin Holland at UFC 311.

UFC Des Moines takes place this Saturday night from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. 

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Tate (20-9) announced on Monday that she will face Yana Santos (15-8, 1NC) at a UFC event on May 3, 2025. Though not officially announced by the promotion, the Fight Night card is expected to take place in Des Moines, Iowa.

“I’ve still got what it takes and if you doubt me, please stick around,” Tate wrote on social media in conjunction with the announcement.

Miesha Tate has not been in action since a December 2023 victory over Julia Avila. Coincidentally, Avila just lost to Jacqueline Cavalcanti at UFC Vegas 102 over the weekend, with Cavalcanti calling for a fight with Tate. With “Cupcake” now booked against Santos, that will have to wait, but it shows that the former bantamweight champ remains relevant to a division that has almost completely turned over since her title win in 2016.

Tate is ranked #11 in the UFC women’s bantamweight division, and holds wins over Bellator champ and UFC title challenger Liz Carmouche, UFC title challengers Sara McMann and Jessica Eye, Strikeforce champ Marloes Coenen (to claim that promotion’s bantamweight crown), and Holly Holm, who Tate defeated at UFC 196 to win gold in the UFC.

Yana Santos, formerly Kunitskaya, is a former Invicta FC featherweight champ who once challenged Cris Cyborg for the now-defunct women’s 145lb title in the UFC. She returned to bantamweight in 2018, after fighting in the weight class earlier in her career, and has compiled a 7-4 record since. Santos, who is married to former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos, is ranked #10 in the women’s bantamweight division.

The UFC’s May 3, 2025 Fight Night card currently features the following reported match-ups:

• Marina Rodriguez vs. Gillian Robertson
• Trevor Peek vs. Lee Jeong-yeong
• Cameron Smotherman vs. Serhiy Sidey
• Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez
• Miesha Tate vs. Yana Santos

The post Miesha Tate Announces Fight Against Yana Santos at UFC Card on May 3 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Fight Night card had a main event that felt a bit understated, overshadowed by a budding feud between co-main event lightweight Bobby Green and headliner Arman Tsarukyan. But Tsarukyan, who had been criticized by Green as “boring,” came through in a big way, knocking out Beneil Dariush in just over a minute at the Moody Center in Austin.

Boring? That electrifying finish capped off a night full of them. And with that in mind, White, the longtime UFC President and now CEO, opened up the pocket books, rewarding every finishing fighter with a Performance of the Night bonus.

Which means, alongside Tsarukyan, Jalin Turner will cash in for knocking out Bobby Green in the co-headliner. The biggest win of Turner’s career was unfortunately marred by a terrible stoppage by the ref, who stepped in so late it felt as if he had an axe to grind with the unconscious Green.

Sean Brady, Dustin Stoltzfus, and Miesha Tate also secured finishes on the night. But nothing was more surprising than back-to-back slam KOs, nearly identical, secured by Drakkar Klose and Cody Brundage.

Jared Gooden had the first finish of the night, a submission in a war with Brazilian welterweight Wellington Turman. And there was one other finish at UFC Austin — in a bout rewarded with Fight of the Night honors. That went to Ihor Potieria vs. Rodolfo Bellato, which saw Bellato earn a TKO finish late in the second.

Bellato did not double up on the bonus money, despite getting the finish. In total, eight Performance of the Night bonuses were awarded at UFC Austin, plus the Fight of the Night bonus. All bonus-winning fighters will pocket an additional $50,000 for their efforts, on top of their show/win money, outfitting pay etc.

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Taking time off to give birth to her daughter, and thanks to injury, Avila was returning to action for the first time in nearly two years. “Cupcake” Tate, meanwhile, was looking to get back in the win column after an unsuccessful move down to flyweight.

Tate came right out and punched her take into a takedown attempt, putting Julia Avila’s back to the fence. Avila seemingly thought of defending with a guillotine, but didn’t have it and Tate completed the attempt moments later. “Cupcake” soon moved to side control, then spun around, moved to north-south, then side control on the opposite side. After a bit of knee-on-belly, Tate again landed in north-south, and in the next transition took the back, getting one hook in.

Unable to get her second hook in, Tate settled for applying a neck crank. Avila didn’t seem to have much answer, and simply tried to survive. Which she did, in a sense— but Tate wound up in full mount with Avila on her back, trying to buck the ex-champ off. Tate mixed in a wee bit of ground n’ pound before taking the back, and though she was a bit high up, Tate recovered, got a body lock in place, and began dropping elbows. As Avila tried to cover up, Tate dropped more punches and elbows, alternating those with choke attempts. After five minutes, Tate had an argument for a 10-8 round, and Avila had to go back to the drawing board.

Julia Avila tried to come out firing in the second. Miesha Tate, however, quickly changed levels, got her hands on Avila, hoisted her up, and slammed her down. Avila looked for a choke off her back, but Tate freed herself, and went to work in guard. Not for long, as the transition to north-south followed, though Tate was warned for holding the fence. Tate began dropping hammerfists, hit the body, then went to the head some more, with a “Miesha” chant breaking out in the arena. Tate was just about in side control, and Avila, again, appeared to have no answer for Miesha Tate’s top game. From a knee-on-belly position, more ground n’ pound flowed for Tate, who transitioned to the back with about 30 seconds left in the round.

Another dominant round from the former champ, leaving Avila no choice but to find a finish in round three. Instead, she was taken down early once again. Avila was back up to her feet quickly this time— only to be planted on her back once more.

This time, Avila got to her knees. The problem being, Miesha Tate was on her back. Tate got under the neck, and this time, there was no mistake— Avila tapped to the rear-naked choke, and Miesha Tate had her most dominant win in years!

Official Result: Miesha Tate def. Julia Avila by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 1:15

The post UFC Austin: Miesha Tate Dominates, Submits Julia Avila appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ahead of her return to action against Julia Avila at UFC Austin, Tate (19-9) explained what it all meant to her.

“The USADA app, it’s a time-consuming thing, but I think it’s important. So whereabouts, right? I move around a lot, and so I’m constantly having to update that,” explained Tate, moments after being honored at the event’s media day. “But it’s worth it, because I want to know that who I’m fighting is having to do the same thing, and is clean.”

“This jacket for me, I know I’m accountable and I know I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. So this is, it’s a nice way to be recognized for the hard work.”

The public, added Tate, doesn’t always get to see that “we have to clock in 365 days a year. Regardless of where we’re going, what we’re doing, we have to be accountable for our time and our space. And I do appreciate that it’s mutually appreciated.”

Tate, who claimed bantamweight gold against Holly Holm at UFC 196 in 2016, was asked about those who claim they don’t care if an opponent is on PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) or not. That sort of self-belief is arguably as rampant in the sport of MMA as doping itself.

“I think that people who don’t regard how much performance enhancing drugs can make this an unsafe place, or that they would simply be able to just be better, they probably are a bit naive to how much performance enhancing drugs can make you into something that is beyond any realistic human capability,” replied Tate. “And when you’re talking about a full contact sport where you’re taking blows to the head and the body, as well as the veracity of submissions and things like that, I just think it’s not a good thing to have some people cheating and other people playing by the rules. It needs to be clean across the board. So for me, it’s definitely worth making sure that I’m accountable, so that the people that I’m fighting are also accountable.”

Watch the full UFC Austin media day appearance by Miesha Tate above.

The post Miesha Tate Honored for 50 Clean Drug Tests, Warns PEDs Create Something Beyond “Realistic Human Capability” appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I’m hoping to fight in October. That is, I’ve requested that, so we’ll see how it is,” Tate (19-9) told media outlets including Cageside Press ahead of Thursday’s UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Tate saw a former foe in Amanda Nunes wrap up her career recently, and hasn’t given up on a similar finish to her own fighting days. “I’m glad she got her fairytale ending, and I’m still working on mine.”

In fact, with one solid win, Tate believes she can end up back in a wide open title picture at 135 pounds.

“I’m still here, and I just want people to know that I’m still present in the bantamweight division. And I think one good win, that I can maybe at least drop my name in the hat as a contender,” said Tate. “My last two fights were a really dominant win, and a close loss to a top-five ranked Ketlen Vieira. And so why not? Another good win, a top 10 girl, and okay, maybe I can at least be part of the conversation.”

Tate of course is discounting her loss to Lauren Murphy last year, which came in the flyweight division. It appears her focus is back on bantamweight — and “Cupcake” would very much like to fight at home in Washington, perhaps in Seattle, next.

“They came there one time, and it was in the summer, and I knew that was going to be the biggest mistake because nobody in Washington state wants to be indoors on a nice summer day,” noted Tate. “Because we barely get any of that, it’s all rain.”

Tate also addressed Julianna Pena’s ongoing rivalry with the now-retired Amanda Nunes on Thursday. Tate knows Pena well, as they both reside in the Pacific North West — beyond that, Tate was a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 18 a decade ago, with Pena one of her fighters.

“I think she’s speaking from the frustration in her. And I know that she can be a very polarizing character, and some people love her, some people hate her, but at least you care— and I think that’s what she’s trying to [do], make a difference, she’s trying to make you care,” Tate said of “The Venezuelan Vixen” and her antics.

Pena has continued to call out Nunes, who retired at UFC 289 last month, for a third title fight. The TUF 18 winner was originally supposed to face Nunes atop the Vancouver card, until a rib injury forced her from the rubber match of the pair’s trilogy.

“She’s trying to get in Amanda’s ear and get that fight. The balls, the cahones on Julianna Pena are immeasurable. She’s just so bold. So she’s going to try to stir the pot and see if she can get any little glimmer of hope. And I don’t think you can blame her. Not only the legacy, but the money too. That’s a huge money fight. She broke her rib, it just sucks. Put yourself in her shoes, you’d be pissed too.”

The post UFC: Miesha Tate Hopes One Good Win Gets Her Into Title Conversation appeared first on Cageside Press.

Dama de Ferro MMA was the first to break the news.

After a one-fight stint at 125 pounds Tate (19-9) will go back up to the division where she made her name as champion.

Her one fight at flyweight was against Lauren Murphy last July where she dropped a decision. Prior to that fight she lost a decision to Ketlen Vieira in Nov. 2021, but that followed a TKO victory over Marion Reneau in July of the same year.

Bueno Silva (10-2) is coming off a submission victory at the UFC APEX in Feb. where she finished Lina Lansberg and then made her case on the microphone for a top contender fight, or a title shot.

Oh and she made a fun little pitch to Monster Energy for a sponsorship.

Mayra Bueno Silva (@MayraSheetara) really wants that @MonsterEnergy sponsorship. #UFCVegas69

🎥: @ELaw32

🔽🔽🔽
WATCH: https://t.co/TfXKgdLlVr pic.twitter.com/8xVYz9OJjM

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) February 19, 2023

Bueno Silva is on a 3-fight win streak and is currently ranked #10 just above Miesha Tate’s #11 ranking. A victory over a former champion would be a nice feather in the cap, and depending on how it ends, make a statement for her case in the title shot conversation.

No location or venue has been announced by the UFC as of this posting.

The post Miesha Tate vs. Mayra Bueno Silva Set For UFC Event On June 3 appeared first on Cageside Press.

That in and of itself is reason to celebrate. And of course, in MMA land, there’s bound to be some interesting costumes, given the sport attracts more than its share of colorful characters. 2022 is no exception on that front. So let’s get right to it — here are some of the best Halloween costumes from MMA fighters in 2022!

Casey O’Neill

UFC flyweight Casey O’Neill went to a video game classic — or action movie classic, if you prefer. It’s Lara Croft, and she pulls off the Angelina Jolie look pretty darn well if you ask us.

If you guessed tomb raider – you are correct pic.twitter.com/rZ2GexTI08

— Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) October 30, 2022

Taylor Guardado

PFL vet Taylor Guardado went the Teen Titans route, dressing up as Raven. A less common pick, so points for originality on that front.

https://twitter.com/taylorgordito/status/1586751508669865986

Mike Davis

Some things, you just can’t unsee…

Did I win #Halloween ? pic.twitter.com/pV0Jp3lMB0

— Mike “Beast Boy” Davis (@MikeDavisMMA) October 25, 2022

Pearl Gonzalez

Pearl Gonzalez, meanwhile, recreated Salma Hayek’s distinctive look from 90s Robert Rodriguez classic From Dusk Till Dawn. With a full video preview.

One of my all time favorite movies From Dusk Till Dawn..

What an honor to embody the Queen @salmahayek. 🔥

Full video coming soon 🎬#halloween #halloween2022 #salmahayek #dusk till #dawn pic.twitter.com/kSEsBWxzU3

— PEARL GONZALEZ (@PearlGonzalez) October 30, 2022

The UFC

The UFC itself chose to celebrate by promoting their five “freakiest” fights in MMA history (at least from their own video archives anyway). Not surprisingly, four of the five fights they single out come from Japan’s PRIDE.

Celebrate Halloween with 5 of the 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 fights in MMA history 🎃

[ Watch the full fights now on @UFCFightPass ] pic.twitter.com/G4xVueKrBk

— UFC (@ufc) October 31, 2022

Kay Hansen

Former UFC fighter and current Invicta FC roster member Kay Hansen turned heads again this year.

https://twitter.com/KayHansenMMA/status/1586105651024912384

Paige VanZant/Austin Vanderford

Paige VanZant and hubby Austin Vanderford went with a couples theme this year. Although usually, the cuffs go on the prisoner.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkUTpIqum8a/

Fans Dress Up As Mike Beltran

Before you say “But Mike Beltran’s a ref, not a fighter,” well, he did box back in the day, including in the Marine Corps., and trains in BJJ as well. So, close enough, and it’s pretty cool to see fans dressing up as one of MMA’s most prominent referees.

Thank you 🙏 for the love and it’s flattering to see these Halloween costumes. Maaaaaaan, even the “Stache” is on point. Amazing couples and of course Marcel @marcelsphoto (Professional MMA Judge) my Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 hermano from New York City. pic.twitter.com/RkXLZQ2wmG

— Mike Beltran (@RefMikeBeltran) October 31, 2022

Miesha Tate

Not sure if she’ll be in the new Super Mario Bros. movie, but Miesha Tate offers an interesting take on Luigi. Hey, no reason there can’t be some Super Mario sisters.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkV2uVApe8l/

Conor McGregor

The biggest name in the sport looks ready to take flight.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkZcxdVIHys/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=cda66660-4af9-42ce-a208-10aeab48e70a

Max Holloway

Max went with an anime theme this year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkYozE-J4Rc/

Valerie Loureda

Former Bellator fighter turned WWE star Valerie Loureda broke out the Lola Bunny outfit this year. For those who were unhappy that the Space Jam sequel toned down Lola, well, here you go.

Lola 😉 pic.twitter.com/qsczawiQ4j

— Valerie Loureda (@lolavicewwe) October 31, 2022

Derek Brunson

Disclaimer: Cageside Press shall not be held responsible should this turn out to be out-of-stock or not be a real costume in the first place.

If you’re a last minute shopper like myself . Lucky you , stop by Walmart or Party City to pick up your Blonde Brunson 👱🏾‍♂️ costume . Y’all know I got ya. Happy Halloween 🎃 pic.twitter.com/xWm4R7zGgr

— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) October 31, 2022

Chris Wade

This makes it nearly impossible not to sing the Spider-Man theme song in your head.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkUIplOLUog/

Gillian Robertson

Yes, we already shared Brunson’s take on this meme, but “Throat to Cuddle” is just too good.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkMcLA0pflb/

Stephen Thompson

Wonderboy summons Beetlebas? Ruttenjuice? Beetlerutten?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkUP2e6LqLF/

Megan Anderson

Former Invicta FC champ and UFC title challenger Megan Anderson is slaying it.

Happy Halloween 🎃👻🧙‍♀️#DemonSlayer #Nezuko #Halloween pic.twitter.com/Kz9gyGHLw6

— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) November 1, 2022

Phil Rowe

UFC welterweight Phil Rowe getting into the spirit. As for his inspiration, well, his nickname is “The Fresh Prince.”

Happy Halloween … shoutout to my OG WILLSMITH #Ufc #PhillyFresh #Willsmith pic.twitter.com/cr1VeCUOYo

— Philip Rowe (@phillyfreshmma) October 31, 2022

The post Trick or Beats: MMA Fighters Celebrate Halloween 2022 appeared first on Cageside Press.

On a night in which there were huge title implications in the main event, MMA being MMA, the answers we were waiting for were left unanswered as the main event ended in extremely unfortunate fashion.

Let’s take a look at what could be next for the losers on the night.

Brian Ortega

“T-City” came into the UFC Long Island main event as the second ranked featherweight on the roster, and one of three fighters in the division who have already had more than one crack at the title. All the talk going into this fight was whether Yair could find himself getting his hand raised, as it would be new blood for the current featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski.

Once again, spectators were shown just how unforgiving this sport can be. With just over a minute left in the first round, Ortega managed to get the fight to the mat, but found himself with his arm caught in between Yair’s legs, with the 29-year-old threatening a submission. Ortega’s right arm popped out in a quick scramble, ending the fight before it even had chance to get going.

With it likely that Rodriguez will fight either Josh Emmett or Volkanovski next instead of a rematch with Ortega, the next best thing for Ortega is Calvin Kattar.

Brian Ortega’s next fight: Calvin Kattar 

Michelle Waterson-Gomez

“The Karate Hottie” found herself on the wrong side of a submission to top strawweight prospect Amanda Lemos at UFC Long Island.

Despite the 36-year-old only earning 1 win in her last 5, her strength of competition should not be understated. Her three losses prior to Lemos all came against either the champion or top five contenders in the division. She is now in a difficult position in her career though, and I’d expect her next fight to be one of her last.

Waterson-Gomez’ next fight: Ariane Carnelossi

Muslim Salikhov

“The King of Kung Fu” last tasted defeat back in 2017. But since then, he has only competed six times. The consensus in this fight was that he may be able to sail to a decision victory over Li Jingliang. Despite that, he actually found himself KO’d in the second round by a perfect right cross from “The Leech.”

Salikhov could find himself fighting the winner of the welterweight bout between Nicolas Dalby and Claudio Silva this upcoming weekend in London.

Muslim Salikhov’s next fight: Winner of Dalby vs Silva 

Su Mudaerji

Coming into the weekend, fight fans had their focus on two fights in particular that they thought could be Fight of the Year contenders, those two being the main event and Burgos vs Jourdain.

The men’s flyweight bout on the night in fact ended up taking the title for possible round of the year. Round 2 of Schnell vs. Mudaerji had everything you could possibly want from one fight, never mind one round. After the fight, Mudaerji’s manager admitted that he came into the bout with an injury to his knee, a similar injury that prevented him from fighting Tim Elliot back in June last year.

You wouldn’t have known that in the fight though if it wasn’t for the knee sleeves as “The Tibetan Eagle” was lighting Schnell up from all angles. Mudaerji had the clear advantage on the feet, and he almost made a highlight of that in round 2, when he wobbled Schnell a total of six times.

Despite coming within touching distance of victory, Schnell rallied one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history, putting a stop to Su Mudaerji’s rise of the division. The 26-year-old’s stock will have risen regardless, and finally a match-up with Manel Kape may be on the horizon after being booked once before.

Mudaerji’s next fight: Manel Kape

Charles Jourdain

“Air” Jourdain’s stock has risen despite losing an extremely close decision to Shane Burgos this past weekend. In a fight that fans were expecting a back and fourth striking match, we saw “Hurricane” Shane utilize his BJJ acumen and his clear advantage in terms of size.

Jourdain came close to a finish in the final round with a barrage of punches in which Burgos absorbed, like he always does. No matter who Jourdain fights, you can always count on it to be fireworks.

A featherweight match-up I would love to see is Jourdain vs. Ilia Topuira with Topuira coming back down to the 145lb division.

Charles Jourdain’s next fight: Ilia Topuira 

Miesha Tate

After a 5 year lay off, Tate came back to the Bantamweight division hoping for a career resurgence. After a win over Marion Reneau and a loss to contender Ketlen Vieira, “Cupcake” Tate decided a move down was in order.

Lauren Murphy was the one to welcome her to the division, coming off the back of a loss to the champion, Valentina Shevchenko. Career resurgences were apparent, but unfortunately for Tate, they weren’t in her favour. A convincing loss to Murphy has resulted in fans questioning what could possibly be next for Tate?

I personally feel this is the right point in her career to hang up the gloves and sail on into the sunset, knowing that one day, she was a UFC champion. If she opts to stick around, she’ll be looking at a lower-ranked opponent next.

Tate’s next fight: Back half of the top 15 if she opts to continue.

The post What’s Next: UFC Long Island Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.