Miesha Tate is set to return to action before the end of the year against Julia Avila at UFC Fight Night 233 on December 2nd.
The 37-year-old Tate hasn’t fought since she dropped down to flyweight last year for a fight with Lauren Murphy that didn’t go well at all, suffering a one-sided unanimous decision loss.
The former bantamweight champion had come out of retirement after an almost five-year absence in 2021 and things had started promisingly enough with a TKO win over Marion Reneau, with the caveat being that it was the final fight of her 44-year-old opponent’s career.
However, next up Tate faced Ketlen Vieira and clearly came off second-best in that one, which together with her very underwhelming performance against Murphy had led to doubts about whether she’d continue to compete.
It seems Tate isn’t done yet though and instead is moving back up to bantamweight for her next fight with the 35-year-old Avila, who is returning to action after a two-year layoff, during which time she gave birth to her first child, a daughter, in October of last year.
Avila’s last fight was a third round submission win over Julija Stoliarenko in June of 2021, which left her with a 3-1 record in the UFC so far, having also beaten Pannie Kianzad and Gina Mazany alongside a loss to Sijara Eubanks.
Tate vs Avila is one of the only fights so far announced for UFC Fight Night 233, which will also include Punahele Soriano vs. Dustin Stoltzfus.
