Watch: When Miesha Tate Submitted Holly Holm to Claim First UFC Title

Ronda Rousey knocked out Miesha Tate in under a minute in 2013. It was Tate’s last Strikeforce title fight. Tate had been in Mixed Martial Arts for almost a decade.

Tate had won the Bantamweight title in Strikeforce, but had never held the gold in UFC. Fighting in her 23rd bout and 2nd championship clash in the UFC, she was determined to make this fight be the one where she ascended to the pinnacle of the division.

On the night of March 5, 2016, the 29-year-old Tate’s determination showed throughout the fight. She stuck to her gameplan which was to get the kickboxer, Holly Holm, onto the ground to make the fight more interesting for herself.  

Tate Submits Holm in The 5th Round

This combined with her having learned from previous fights saw Tate submit the champion Holly Holm to become the Undisputed Bantamweight Champion of the world. 

It was in the fifth round that Tate’s steely resolve showed. She managed to get on top of Holm and lock in a rear-naked choke. Holm tried in vain to fling the challenger off.

Tate used Holm’s momentum from the attempted toss and maintained the hold whilst on the ground. This forced the champion to tap out.

“This is what champions are made off,” remarked Joe Rogen at the end of the fight, “She knew she had to get her down, and she did it.”

Tate knew she had to get the kickboxer Holm down, yet she didn’t rush into it as she did against Ronda Rousey. She was cautious as was her opponent. Both fighters were trying to get a feel of the other in the first round and wait for them to commit before capitalizing. They didn’t go for a quick finish as each maintained professional respect for the other’s strengths. 

Holly Holm went for a punch in the second round and was taken down. Holm then took wicked elbows from the challenger in the round, before the buzzer saved her.

The third round marked a return to the sedate proceedings of the first round. Later, the events of round 2 threw Holm off guard in round 4. She knew that moving in would leave her vulnerable to a takedown. Holm managed to block 6 out of 7 takedown attempts in the fight.

However, all Tate needed was one successful attempt. She got it in the final round which proved to be Holm’s undoing. 

What Happened Next for Miesha Tate?

Tate would go on to lose her next fight 4 months later against Amanda Nunes at UFC 200. She also lost the fight after that one at UFC 205, following which she announced her retirement.

This would mean that the moment at 3:30 in the fifth round at UFC 196, would prove to be Miesha Tate’s most glorious moment in her decade long MMA career.

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