Miesha Tate dominates Julia Avila for victorious submission in round 3
Miesha Tate, the former women’s bantamweight champion, returns to the bantamweight division after a one-fight run at flyweight to face Julia Avila in the main event of the UFC Austin preliminary bill on Saturday.
Avila, who had to lose over 100 pounds in the previous year to compete again, was making her maiden Octagon appearance in well over two years. This was her chance to show that she’s still a growing danger at 135 pounds and that she can beat some of the division’s most battle-tested veterans.
Tate started out aggressively, looking to take the fight to the ground. She knocked Avila out early in the first round. Avila used a guillotine choke on Tate, but he escaped the submit attempt. Tate took side control. Tate snatched Avila back when she scrambled. Tate advanced to the mount position as Avila tumbled. Avila rolled again, but Tate grabbed her and slammed her with hammer fists. Tate landed a few elbows on Avila as she rolled to her back. Tate controlled the opening round.
Tate out-grappled Avila from the start with powerful, heavy wrestling and multiple submit attempts. Although Avila did just enough to avoid previous submit attempts, she was unable to do so when Tate locked in a rear-naked choke early in Round 3. The tap out came on swiftly.
Avila, who has previously appeared well-rounded, had no answers. It was Tate’s fight, and she had complete control over it. After the fight, a pumped-up Tate spoke about the hard work she put in throughout training camp and how detractors’ constant references of “retirement” pushed her. Tate looked to have a leg injury and was taken out of the cage by fiancé Johnny Nunez despite her dominance.
Tate, 37, has a 2-2 record since returning from retirement in 2021. Tate tried flyweight in her previous fight, a crushing loss to Lauren Murphy in July 2022, but she intends to stay at bantamweight.
Avila had not competed since June 2021, when she returned from pregnancy. Avila, 35, is now 1-2 in her last three fights.
