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Miesha Tate made a dominant comeback to mixed martial arts with a third-round TKO win over bantamweight veteran Marion Reneau at UFC Vegas 31 on Saturday, July 17.
'Cupcake' didn't look like she had been away from the octagon for five years as she opened up with efficient striking after finding her range. Tate's signature clinch came right after, and she finished the first round on top with a flurry of strikes.
The second round saw Miesha Tate unleash her excellent ground game on her opponent and keep Marion Reneau on the ground for the better part.
Miesha Tate went into the third round with jabs and hooks from the start, putting Marion Reneau in trouble right away. Another solid takedown was followed by some brutal ground-and-pound which eventually sealed the deal for Tate.
With the win, Miesha Tate became the first to knock out Marion Reneau inside the octagon, which is the goal she came into the fight with. She also broke Amanda Nunes' record for holding the most bantamweight wins in the combined history of the UFC and Strikeforce.
In the post-fight interview with Paul Felder, Miesha Tate said she was not just here to win a fight or two, but her eyes were set on UFC gold.
"I am so happy. This has been a lot of hard work and self-discovery in the process, but I am here and I am back... My conditioning is next level... With all due respect, I'm not here for a fight, I'm here for a belt!" - Tate said in her interview.
Miesha Tate refused to call anyone out immediately and said that she was focused on checking a few things off her bucket list for the moment.
Miesha Tate also mentioned "Save Smooshi." Here's a look at what she was referring to.
The win over Marion Reneau marked Miesha Tate's first win since the victory over Holly Holm at UFC 196. She lost twice in a row to Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington before retiring from the sport at the time.
UFC Twitter explodes as Miesha Tate makes her octagon comeback
UFC Twitterverse welcomed 'Cupcake' 2.0 back with love, respect, and adoration. Below are some of the tweets posted by fellow UFC fighters and prominent personalities.
Belal Muhammad, known for his hilarious commentary during fights, did not forget to bring up Ronda Rousey, who beat Miesha Tate twice in 2012 and 2013.
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou sent his congratulations to Miesha Tate as well.
Jessica-Rose 'Jessy-Jess' Clark called Miesha Tate out for a fight in November while congratulating her for the win.
As Miesha Tate started her second stint with the UFC, her opponent Marion Reneau's career ended.
Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg were among those who congratulated Reneau on her career.
