Maisha Tate has suffered her first failure since returning from retirement.
Former UFC bantam weightlifting champion women unanimously lost to Brazilian Vera at the UFC 198 main event on Saturday in Las Vegas. After 25 tough minutes, Vieira (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) won 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 on the judges’ scorecards.
Tate (19-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) feels it was a competitive fight and gives Vieira all the credit for the win.
“I thought it was really close, I wasn’t sure, to be honest,” Tate told Daniel Cormier during her post-fight cage interview. “I thought it was close and I knew there was a chance she would win. I did my best tonight and came up short. She’s the better woman, the hat takes off in her face. She’s great.”
Tate retired from MMA competition following her loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 205 in November 2016. She returned from retirement this summer with a TKO win over Marion Renault. She won a $ 50,000 “performance of the night” bonus for her efforts.
Even in the defeat, Tate really enjoyed the fight against Vieira.
“The real thing is to enjoy the journey,” Tate said. “It’s just a moment in time, guys. This is an opportunity for me to grow. I enjoyed the evening and it was an amazing rival. I can go home and kiss my two kids. Life is good, life is great. Thank you so much for supporting me. “
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