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Tate Faces Reneau in First Fight in Five Years

Former Champion a Slight Favorite Despite Lengthy Layoff

She’s back! After five long years, the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion returns as Miesha Tate returns to face Marion Reneau. Tate (18-7-0), despite the long layoff, enters this bout as a -145 online sports betting favorite against Reneau (9-7-1).

This will be a litmus test to see if Tate still has what it takes to be a legitimate contender in a totally different world of mixed martial arts from when she last competed.

UFC Fight Night: Marion Reneau vs Miesha Tate
Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFP
  • Date: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET
  • Venue: UFC Apex, Enterprise, NV
  • Watch on: ESPN+

Marion Reneau vs Miesha Tate

Weight Class: Women’s Bantamweight (135 lbs)
Rounds: Three (Co-main Event)
Odds: Miesha Tate -145, Marion Reneau +115

It was an announcement that came out of nowhere as Tate broke news that she was coming back to compete in the UFC. She’s matched up against Reneau, who is on the other end and is going into retirement after having lost four straight fights. Even though this is her first fight in a long time, this is already a must-win for Tate,

Tate: Back For More

The last time we saw Tate, she lost a one-sided decision against Raquel Pennington back in UFC 205. To put into perspective how long ago that was, Joanna Jedrzejczyk was still the strawweight champion and Conor McGregor was just about to win the lightweight title.

Tate, who had been competing in MMA as early as 2007, had accumulated so much damage due to her fighting style. She’s a wrestler who weathers her opponent’s onslaught and then grinds them out or finishes them in the latter rounds.

She beat Holly Holm as a sizable underdog by withstanding Holm’s attacks and then submitting her in the final minutes of the fifth. The hiatus will have healed Tate’s body and now, with a child, she has renewed passion and motivation for MMA. But she will be quite rusty.

Reneau: On Her Way Out

Reneau, on the flip side, has had enough of MMA and will be hanging up her gloves following this bout. It is easy to fade fighters who have already proclaimed they are on their way out but that doesn’t mean she’s easy prey.

“The Belizean Bruiser,” like Tate, is incredibly durable and has come from behind to win fights as well. Reneau has wins over Jessica Andrade and Sara McMann, both as underdogs. She is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and experienced in Muay Thai.

However, Reneau hasn’t won a fight since early 2018. If this was any other ranked bantamweight, Reneau would likely be close to a 2-1 underdog per the UFC odds. But against Tate, Reneau may just have enough left in the tank.

Fight Pick: Regaining Momentum

McGregor is out from the UFC temporarily and even if he has some lucrative opportunities when he returns, his absence leaves a void in the UFC. Tate can help fill that void and that’s why she needs to have a riveting performance against Reneau.

Tate, while not a superstar by any stretch, can be one of the UFC’s most marketable fighters. She was the co-headliner when McGregor fought Nate Diaz for the first time and she was the headliner for UFC 200, which sold over one million PPV buys.

Against Reneau, Tate finds an opponent who she can outwork and out-wrestle. But she’ll have to be careful as Reneau is dangerous wherever the fight goes. This can get dicey for “Cupcake,” who has not been active for half a decade. Tate will overcome a slow start to win the fight in the latter rounds. Vintage Miesha Tate.

Pick: Miesha Tate -145

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