Miesha Tate is the UFC’s new bantamweight champion after she choked Holly Holy unconscious via rear-naked choke in the fifth and final round in the co-main event of UFC 196 in Las Vegas.
Round One:
The co-main event woman’s bantamweight title fight is underway! Tate with a speculative kick upstairs that doesn’t find the target.
Holm with a side kick attempt that misses. Tate with a leg kick. Cautious approach from both ladies. Holm with a side kick to the body.
Leg kick from Holm is caught by Tate, but Tate manages to get her limb back before she’s taken down.
Left hand gets through for Holm. Another left for the champion and then she pushes Tate away. Oblique kick for Holm now.
Side kick to the body for Holm. Tate staying patient and moving on the outside. Double jab attempt from Holm. Tate with a body kick. Side kick to the midsection from Holm.
Approaching the final minute of the first round. Left hand lands for Tate. She overextends on a right hand. Holm misses with a counter.
High kick blocked by Tate. Tate with a head kick attempt of her own, but hits fresh air. Side kick to the body again from Holm.
Round Two:
Tate pushes forward with a couple of right hands that don’t land. Tate ducks under a punch and times a takedown nicely. Holm has her in half guard for now, but it’s a good spot for Tate. This is just where she wants this fight.
Now we’ll see what Holm has to offer on the mat. Tate with an elbow. Now a punch. Good control from Tate. Now the challenger lands some solid elbows to the body. Tate trying to back up towards the cage. Tate stops her from doing so. Still two minutes to work.
Tate isolates an arm and lands an elbow strike. Tate lets go of the arm but lands two hard elbows. Now Tate has Holm’s back as the champion turtles up on her knees. Tate has her hooks in and starts to work on flattening her out.
Tate going for the rear-naked choke. She doesn’t have the arm under the chin for now though. She readjusts and it’s much deeper now. She falls back with it and cranks on the choke, but Holm is hanging tough. Good defense from Holm and she manages to survive the round. Big round for Tate!
Round Three:
Onto the third and Holm will surely now be wary of being taken down again. Tate with a leg kick. Holm keeping her posture lower this round.
High kick attempt from Tate, but Tate saw it. Light leg kick for Tate. Kick upstairs from Holm. Side kick attempt from the champion. Left hand for Holm.
Tate misses a punch and Holm clocks her with a solid counter. Holm feeling out with the jab. She throws a punch, Tate ducks under and looks for the takedown again, but this time Holm stuffs it. That’ll boost her confidence.
High kick attempt from Holm is blocked. Hook kick attempt from Holm doesn’t pay off. Tate misses with a hook. Tate almost catches a kick from Holm and lands a punch instead.
Leg kick for Tate, punch for Holm. Oblique kick for Holm. Now a straight right. Holm with a short flurry, but Tate also lands a hook in return. Now another kick for Holm.
Tate in on a takedown attempt, but Holm brushes her aside this time and the challenger stumbles. Head kick attempt for Holm is blocked.
Round Four:
Holm trying to work kicks in the opening stages of the fourth, but Tate is keeping her distance. A side kick to the body lands for Holm.
Tate catches a kick and looks for the takedown, but Holm reverses her against the cage. Knees to the leg from Holm and then she shoves Tate away.
Right hand for Tate. Front kick attempt upstairs from Tate comes up short. Tate firing out the straight left. Holm remaining the busier of the two mid-way through the round. Tate could really use another takedown.
Holm just misses with a front kick to the head. Tate ducks a punch and lands a hook. Straight right from Tate and then into a takedown attempt, but Holm sprawls on top of her. She remains patient and then works back to her feet unscathed.
Punches miss from Holm and she eats a left hook. Short combo from Holm. Holm moves away from a potential takedown. Front kick for HOlm.
Side kick to the body from the champion as the round draws to a close.
Round Five:
Onto the final round. Tate bobs and weaves then lands a lefr hand. Oblique kick for Holm. Leg kick for Tate. Solid left hand from Holm as Tate lands a kick to the body.
A left, right and body kick from Holm. One of her better combinations this fight. Tate in on a takedown attempt, but Holm moves away from it.
Side kick for HOlm. Now a left hook. Tate looks to clinch up and presses Holm to the cage. Holm is able to reverse her and then gets away.
Holm tries for a high kick, but Tate landed the push kick first and knocked her off-balance. Tate almost catches a kick.
Body punch for Tate. Tate drags Holm to the mat. Holm fighting hard to escape, but Tate gets the champions back! Tate stands, but Holm is still latched onto her back. She’s sinking in the rear-naked choke. Tate tries to flip her off her back, but Tate hangs on as they hit the mat.
Tate has this locked up tight and Holm knows it, but she refuses to tap and she gets choked unconscious with 3.30mins on the clock. Tate is the new bantamweight champion!
Amazing stuff from Tate to get the finish and finally become a UFC champion. Quite something when you consider that not so long ago she was contemplating the possibility of retiring.
