Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate slated for June return

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate will be returning to 135 pounds.

‘Cupcake’ has been out of action since her flyweight debut last July. For her debut at 125 pounds, the former champion faced Lauren Murphy. While Tate was hoping to potentially earn a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko, those plans quickly went up in smoke.

‘Lucky’ wound up dominating the former champion in the flyweight bout, winning by unanimous decision. The defeat was the second in a row for Tate. She had previously been defeated by Ketlen Vieira in November 2021, her first loss since ending her retirement the previous year.

Following the defeat, there were questions about where Tate would compete, or if she would continue to compete at all. Luckily, fans now have those answers, as she’s been added to a June 3rd UFC Fight Night card. Furthermore, the former champion will be returning to the bantamweight division.

Image via @mieshatate on Instagram

As first reported by Dama de Ferro on Twitter, Miesha Tate will be returning to 135 pounds. Along with that, she already has her next opponent, as the former champion will face the fastly rising contender Mayra Bueno Silva.

‘Sheetara’ enters the contest riding a three-fight winning streak, recently submitting Lina Lansberg last month. Prior to that submission win, the Brazilian had scored victories over Wu Yanan and Stephanie Egger. Bueno Silva will now attempt to notch the biggest victory of her career in June against the former champion.

As of now, there are only a few details regarding the June card where the two bantamweights will clash. However, the card is expected to be a Fight Night event and not a pay-per-view event.

What do you make of this fight announcement? Who do you think will win? Miesha Tate or Mayra Bueno Silva? Sound off in the comment section below PENN Nation!