This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Vegas 43, Miesha Tate (19-8) fought for the second time since making her return. Standing in her way was top ten contender Ketlen Vieira (12-2).
Tate made headlines the week of the fight with her comments about UFC champion Amanda Nunes. Nunes of course defeated Tate to win her first title back at UFC 200 when she brutalized ‘Cupcake’.
Tate has pointed to the fact that she wasn’t in the right headspace at that time in her career. However, she believed she was the best version of herself entering Saturday night and she said she was going to be the one to take Nunes out.Â
However, before she could do that, she had to take out Vieira. Tate fought extremely aggressively on Saturday which is normally how she fights. However, she didn’t find the same success as she did when she returned earlier this year.
Vieira was very crisp with catching Tate as she came in. The former UFC champion looked bloodied and battered after the five-round fight. In the end, the judges gave the decision win to Vieira.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 43?
Now that Tate has suffered a setback, it’s time for her to reset. Had she won on Saturday, she might’ve been looking at a UFC title shot given her popularity in the sport and the lack of appealing challengers to Nunes.
However, Tate has to go back to the drawing board after this loss. She could be out for a while with a medical suspension potentially keeping her out up to six months with facial fractures from the fight.
When Tate does return, who should the UFC pair her against? Well, some have suggested that the promotion should pair her against Holly Holm (14-5) for a rematch. These two first fought back at UFC 196 when Holm was champion.
Tate rallied and choked out Holm in the final round to become champion. While this might be appealing, I’m not sure it makes a ton of sense given the fight that Tate just had. However, I wouldn’t put it past the UFC.
Another potential fight could be the loser of the Raquel Pennington – Julia Avila fight. The loser of that fight would be in a similar position as Tate and it would be a good fight for her either way.