After losing tonight (Sat., Nov. 12, 2016) at UFC 205 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Madison Square Garden in New York City, N.Y., to a game Raquel Pennington, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate has decided to retire from the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).
"I'm announcing my retirement, you guys," Tate told UFC color commentator Joe Rogan inside of the Octagon after the loss to Pennington (shown above). "I love ya'll so much. I've been doing this for over a decade. Thank you so much for being here. I'll love this sport for ever, but it's not my time anymore. It's the future's time."
Tate added that she is retiring based on UFC 205's results.
As one of the more popular female fighters in the sport today, Tate's presence in the bantamweight division will be surely missed. She's a proven champion who has deep ties with rival Ronda Rousey, but will now never have the chance at a trilogy fight. Outside of her memorable tilts with "Rowdy," Tate was able to claim the Strikeforce title back in 2011 with a submission win over grappling specialist Marloes Coenen.
Prior to UFC 205, "Cupcake" lost the divisional strap to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 via submission after putting Holly Holm to sleep at UFC 196. It was one of the more deflating championship turnarounds in divisional memory, but fans hoped Tate could channel her previous dominance. She could not and decided to hung them up.
For complete results from UFC 205: "McGregor vs. Alvarez," including play-by-play updates, click hereand here.
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