UFC Vegas 31: Miesha Tate doesn’t skip a beat in dominant performance over Marion Reneau in UFC return (Video)
Miesha Tate won her UFC return in style with a TKO over Marion Reneau at UFC Vegas 31.
Both Miesha Tate and Marion Reneau opened up with patient, efficient striking in the first round. Tate landed a big right hand on Reneau early in the round that appeared to wobble Reneau, but she was able to weather the storm and reset.
Tate then took the fight to the clinch, as she had done so many times before her retirement following UFC 205. She landed some brutal knees to the body. After landing a fast barrage of punches back on the feet, Tate finished the round with top position, avoiding up-kick attempts from Reneau.
In the second round, Reneau opened up with some solid right hooks that landed clean to Tate’s face. After a blatant cage-grab following a takedown attempt, Tate was able to get the fight back to the ground and use her high-level grappling to keep Reneau flat on her back for a good portion of the round and landed some nasty elbows that immediately opened her up.
Tate opened up the third and final round with a great sense of urgency, coming forward with some nasty jabs and right hooks that put Reneau in deep trouble. After recording another vicious takedown on Reneau, Tate finished the fight with brutal ground-and-pound from the top to secure the victory in her return.
It was a savvy performance from Tate, who certainly didn’t look like someone who took a long layoff away from the UFC octagon.
Like she never left 💯@MieshaTate gets the third-round finish in her return at #UFCVegas31 pic.twitter.com/hbFxh5qJvn
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 18, 2021
Miesha Tate returned to the Octagon after a five-year hiatus
After her last run in the UFC which included earning the bantamweight title at UFC 196 over Holly Holm, Tate opted to take some time away from the sport after back-to-back losses to Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington. At 34 years old, Tate returned to action still in the physical prime of her career against a savvy veteran in Reneau.
The 44-year-old Reneau had said she intended to retire regardless of the outcome heading into this fight with Tate. She had lost four straight fights by unanimous decision to opponents such as Yana Kunitskaya and former title challenger Cat Zingano.
With the win, Tate has the opportunity to make another run for the title in the UFC’s talented women’s bantamweight division.
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