Miesha Tate vs. Lauren Murphy canceled for UFC 276
The second attempt at booking Miesha Tate vs. Lauren Murphy has been derailed. Tate and Murphy were slated to meet at UFC 276 on July 2, but it was revealed during Saturday’s UFC Vegas 57 broadcast that the bout was canceled.
Though no details were revealed during the broadcast, ESPN later reported that it was Murphy that withdrew from the bout. The UFC is reportedly seeking a short-notice replacement to face Tate at UFC 276 in Las Vegas.
The history between Miesha Tate vs. Lauren Murphy
Tate and Murphy were originally slated to fight at UFC on ESPN 36 on May 14. The bout was inexplicably rescheduled for UFC 276. With the bout sidelined once again, it is unclear if UFC officials will attempt to rebook the bout for a third time.
Murphy (15-5) is coming off of a loss to current UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko last year. It was her first defeat since 2018, having earned her shot at the belt on the heels of a five-fight winning streak.
Tate (19-8) is a former UFC bantamweight champion. She retired following a loss to Raquel Pennington in 2016, but returned to the Octagon in 2021 with a win over Marion Reneau. She lost to Ketlen Vieira in her next bout before deciding to drop to flyweight. The bout with Murphy was supposed to be her first at 125 pounds.
Ronda Rousey would return to MMA for a fight against Gina Carano
UFC 276 features two title fights
UFC 276 is headlined by a middleweight title fight pitting longtime champion Israel Adesanya against No. 2 ranked contender Jared Cannonier. The co-main event features former featherweight champion Max Holloway getting his third crack at defeating Alexander Volkanovski. Volkanovski took the belt from Holloway at UFC 245 and then defended it against him in an immediate rematch. He has defended it twice since then, while Holloway has also won two bouts and is ensconced in the No. 1 position in the featherweight rankings.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone rebooked for UFC 276
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has had his bout opposite Joe Lauzon derailed twice. Cerrone fell ill and had to withdraw on the day of the fight the first time they were booked, while Lauzon suffered from a knee ailment that forced him to withdraw from their second attempt, also on the day of the fight.
Cerrone will now try to get his first fight in more than a year when he faces Jim Miller at UFC 276 in a welterweight bout.
Miller had initially been slated to fight Bobby Green in a lightweight bout at UFC 276, but Green was forced out of the bout because of personal reasons. Cerrone quickly stepped in and the bout was changed to welterweight.