Miesha Tate recently discussed her hopes for a rematch against her old rival, Holly Holm. Tate had initially aimed to face Holm before her upcoming fight against Yana Santos was scheduled for the UFC Des Moines event.
It has been over nine years since Tate famously defeated Holm to capture the UFC bantamweight title in a memorable fight that concluded with Tate securing a rear-naked choke in the fifth round. While preparing for her return to competition after being sidelined in 2024 due to injuries and other commitments, Tate approached the UFC about arranging a rematch, only to learn that Holm was no longer with the promotion.
Tate confirmed her strong desire for the fight, stating, “That was originally what I had my heart set on. It’s what I would like to have happened. Just unfortunately, missed the window on it.”
She explained that Holm had likely already departed the UFC by the time she made the request. While Holm was open to the idea, Tate felt it was too late to arrange within the UFC structure. Tate acknowledged the news of Holm requesting her release, despite having contractual obligations remaining with the promotion, was unexpected.
Following her UFC exit, Holm signed with the Global Fight League (GFL) and was scheduled to fight in May. However, GFL canceled its initial events, and many athletes have since sought releases due to concerns about the promotion`s financial viability and whether it will ever launch.
With GFL`s future uncertain, Holm is now exploring a return to boxing, where she is a multi-time champion and a 2022 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, highlighting her significant achievements in the sport.
Tate still wished they could have had their rematch before their careers concluded, lamenting that it wasn`t possible at this time.
Speculating on the reasons behind Holm`s departure, Tate commented, “I feel like Holly probably asked for her release only because it’s kind of the position she was put into. That’s how I feel… I just feel like that’s my perception of it. It ended up being what was best for her but that was based on circumstances that otherwise maybe would have been a different outcome.” She added that she wasn`t speaking definitively but offering her perspective.
She emphasized that both fighters genuinely wanted the rematch. “I know that we both really wanted to fight each other. We both did,” Tate stated. However, when she inquired with the UFC, she was told the fight could only happen outside the organization. At that point, Tate didn`t know Holm had requested her release. While Holm seemed willing to fight her again, resolving the complexities proved impossible, and the fight ultimately “didn’t end up working out.”
Ultimately, Holm successfully secured her release from the UFC.
Tate, however, has no intention of leaving the promotion she`s been with for over a decade. Her focus is now on winning her upcoming fight at UFC Des Moines and quickly climbing back into title contention, which takes precedence over a potential Holm rematch.
She concluded, “It’s a bummer but I still did want to fight for the UFC. I do want that to happen so I wasn’t looking to go outside the UFC in order to make that matchup happen, at least not at this point.”
