Former bantamweight champion Miesha Tate returned to the Octagon at UFC Des Moines for a scrap with Yana Santos.
The last time ‘Cupcake’ competed was more than a year ago when she submitted Julia Avila via a third-round guillotine choke in December 2023. She’ll face the always dangerous Santo, who, like Tate, will be looking for her second straight win on MMA’s biggest stage.
Round 1
Tate comes out and immediately closes the distance and pumps the jab. Tate is coming out hot, and Santos fires back. Santos clinches up and puts Tate’s back against the fence. Tate separates and gets back on her front foot. Tate clinches against the cage wall. Santos lands a right hand on the break. Tate lands a right of her own. Tate shoots for a takedown and narrowly gets Santos to the mat, but Santos uses the whizzer to stay upright.
The two stay clinched up as we hit the halfway point of the round. Tate throws a knee that lands before separating. Tate is desperately trying to clinch, but she’s been unable to gain an advantage during the exchanges. Santos lands a stiff jab and follows it up with a calf kick that gets a reaction out of Tate. Santos lands another kick to Tate’s back leg during an exchange.
Tate is now bleeding from her nose as she once again clinches up and drags Santos to the fence, riding out the remainder of the round.
Round 2
Tate looks for a left early, but Santos evades. Tate continues to push the pace, but she’s struggling to close the distance as Santos circles the cage. Santos sticks Tate with a nice right hand that snaps the former champ’s head back. Tate clinches and drives Santos to the fence, but again, she can’t keep her there. Tate lands a couple of solid shots on the break before clinching again.
Santos lands a straight right to the chin that spins Tate around. Santos lands another right as ‘Cupcake’ attempts to close the distance. Tate clinches and drives Santos to the fence for the umpteenth time, but Santos quickly reverses. Tate tries to close the distance with 10 seconds to go in the round, but all she can manage to do is clinch up and put Santos’ back to the fence just before the horn.
Round 3
Tate once again comes on and puts Santos on her bicycle. Tate lands a nice right hand. Tate shoots in for a body lock and manages to drag Santos to the mat for the first time in the fight. Tate settles into half-guard and looks to pepper Santos with strikes. Tate transitions into mount and starts unloading strikes. Santos turns to defend, giving up her back. Tate is fishing for a rear-naked choke, and the crowd is on their feet.
Tate puts her hand over Santos’s mouth and nose to try and disrupt her breathing. Santos is defending well as Tate likely needs a finish if she hopes to get the win. Tate tries to cinch her arm under the chin, but Santos strips the arm away and survives till the final horn, sending us to the scorecards.
Official Result: Yana Santos def. Miesha Tate via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Check Out Highlights From Yana Santos vs. Miesha Tate at UFC Des Moines:
Starting fast in the prelim headliner😤@MieshaTate came out throwing tonight early!
[ #UFCDesMoines LIVE NOW on ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/MGGKasnkBA
— UFC (@ufc) May 4, 2025
Final 20 Seconds of Miesha Tate vs. Santos | 29-28 Sants (Prediction) #UFCDesMoines pic.twitter.com/42XDPnxsNC
— HelmsMMA (@HelmsMMA) May 4, 2025
Yana Santos cierra las preliminares de #UFCDesMoines con una victoria por decisión unánime pic.twitter.com/uxo0GHXbCe
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) May 4, 2025
