Miesha Tate showed off some significant punching power tonight against Jessica Eye as she floored her twice and dominated the grappling exchanges to earn a clean sweep on the judges scorecards and set up a potential trilogy fight with Ronda Rousey.
Round One:
Eye starts landing her jab straight away several times. Tate with jab of her own now. Tate misses with a big right hand and Eye lands on the counter.
Tate thinks about the clinch, but then transitions to punches, but comes off second best in the exchange. Eye has the striking advantage early.
Series of jabs landing for Eye. Leg kick for Eye. Front kick attempt from Tate, but a combination of punches comes back in return from Eye.
Body kick for Tate. Tate starting to circle on the outside. Every time she tries to exchange Eye seems to just have her number, and here she goes again, seeming to hurt Tate with one punch in particular. Tate seems to be ok though.
Tate misses with a winning punch. Tate goes for the first real powerful takedown attempt of the fight, but it’s stuffed well by Eye.
Tate lands a solid jab that knocks Eye off balance a little. THey exchange again and a big right hand from Tate floors Eye. She immediately follows her to the mat and gets control on top as she looks for a finish. Eye seems to have her wits about her though and is still in the fight.
Tate working from half guard and she starts to land a flurry of powerful elbows…some of those straying close to the back of the head though. Ref seems ok with them for now. Eye lands some punches to the body from her back as the round ends.
Round Two:
Leg kick from Eye. Right hand scores for Tate and just avoids a counter. Tate winds up the right hand again, but misses this time. Tate wants to get that big punch again, but not finding the target this time. She goes for an uppercut.
Tate into the clinch now, but it’s not long before they break apart. Leg kick for Tate and Eye partially catches it. Tate lands a good right hand again.
Eye with a couple of leg kicks and Tate finds a home for the right hand again. Tate steps in with that right and it connects hard again, staggering Eye. Tate charges forward with more offense a few extra punches send Eye off-balance backwards to the mat.
Tate on top and Eye puts her in a submission attempt. Tate gets out of that and looks to work from Half guard. Tate trying for a one-armed guillotine choke. Eye hanging tough for now. Final 10 seconds of the round and Eye reverses, but Tate is cranking hard on this guillotine. Eye makes it to the end of the round.
Round Three:
Tate starts with a high front kick attempt that misses. Eye with a low leg kick. Eye wings that right hand again, but not landing this time. Kick for Tate and a punch. Now a leg kick. Tate into a takedown attempt, but Eye reverses out of danger. Eye with a leg kick. She lands it again.
Tate circles and then looks for a one-two combo, but Eye avoids. Tate avoids some jabs from Eye and then elands one of her own. Eye working behind her own jab.
Tate steps into a hard leg kick. Leg kick for Eye. She goes upstairs with a head kick, but it’s blocked. Jabs from Tate and Eye again feeling out that head kick.
Right hand lands for Eye. Two leg kicks. Tate walks through a bit of offense from Eye to try to land some of her own. Just as Eye looks to be upping the tempo Tate nicely times a takedown and gets it. Tate patient on the mat and works to Eye’s back and there’s a little over 90 seconds to go in the fight.
The action stalls a little then Tate lands a few heel kicks to the body and one seems to mistakenly stay to her opponents head. Tate with more kicks to the body and arm, and strangely the ref at that stage decides to stand them.
They go straight into it on the feet when they stand with Tate pressing forward with urgency. Tate pushes into the clinch against the cage, perhaps looking for one last takedown, but she takes a knee and punches from Eye as the fight comes to an end.
Decision
So, Tate discovered her punching power in this fight which also helped her transition the fight to the mat and earns her a decisive unanimous decision victory (30-27 x3).
