Tate’s win was one of the feel-good stories of the year, but by November, she had lost her title to Amanda Nunes and dropped a decision to Raquel Pennington. After that UFC 205 fight, she walked away.
The decision to retire shocked the MMA world, but Tate was content with the decision.
“Truthfully, at that point in my life I never thought I would fight again,” she said. And unlike most combat sports retirements, this one stuck, with Tate having two babies with her partner, Johnny Nunes, participating on podcasts, and even delving into fighter management for a spell. So just as shocking as her retirement was, her announcement that she was returning this year brought just as much surprise.
View The Entire UFC Fight Night: Viera vs Tate
Then came the Reneau fight, and more surprise, this time that she didn’t just not skip a beat from 2016, but that she looked better than ever in beating a quality foe on the big stage. But Tate knew she had the win as soon as Bruce Buffer was introducing the combatants.
“I always think I’m gonna enjoy this moment so much when Bruce Buffer is announcing me, but truth be told, once I lock eyes with my opponent, I don’t like to break that stare,” said Tate. “And I smiled because she (Reneau) broke that stare. And I hear Bruce Buffer and I’m taking it all in, but that’s just stalling until I could get a hold of her. And that smile was knowing that she had broken before the fight had even begun.”
At 1:53 of the third round, the referee stopped the fight and Tate had her win and a Performance of the Night bonus. And when she let out a scream in victory, it was one she had been holding in for years.