UFC 205: The Aftermath of Miesha Tate's Retirement
With Miesha Tate announcing her retirement and Holly Holm currently on a losing streak, the UFC women’s bantamweight division is going through a major shakeup with new fighters in line for a shot at the title.
The UFC said goodbye to one of the best female fighters in MMA as Miesha Tate announced her retirement following her loss to Raquel Pennington. Alongside Tate’s retirement, Holly Holm is currently facing a two-fight losing streak.
Tate and Holm are the two most recent women’s bantamweight champions. With Tate hanging up her gloves and Holm struggling lately, the division has new top contenders.
Valentina Shevchenko, Julianna Pena, and Raquel Pennington are the three biggest contenders while bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes will defend her title against the returning Ronda Rousey at the end of the year.
Shevchenko is coming off a huge win over Holm in July. She’s 2-1 in the Octagon with a 13-2 MMA record. The Russian ‘Bullet’ fell to Nunes in March, but could receive a rematch if Nunes retains her belt.
Pena punched her ticket to the UFC by winning Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter under Tate’s guidance. She is 4-0 in the Octagon, with her most recent win coming against Cat Zingano this past summer. Pena is currently 8-2 in her MMA career.
Pennington, who was on the same season as Pena on The Ultimate Fighter and also coached by Tate, is coming off an imposing victory over her former coach. After a roller-coaster start to her UFC career, Pennington has strung together four wins and stands with a 9-5 career record.
If Rousey defeats Nunes and recaptures the title, it is uncertain that she will defend it against one of the three contenders or instead have her superfight against Cris Cyborg. If Nunes successfully defends her title in her first match as a champion, it is safe to expect that she will fight one of the three.
If Rousey wins and ends up having a match with Cyborg, then the matchmakers may take two of the three contenders and create a number-one contender fight.
Either way, with Rousey’s return and three new viable candidates, the women’s bantamweight division has just gone through a big shakeup and is now one of the more intriguing divisions in the promotion.
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