Former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate has spoken out following her brutal defeat to Ketlen Viera in the main event of the UFC Vegas 43.
Tate retired from mixed martial arts in 2016, having beaten Holly Holm via technical submission at UFC 196 to win the Women’s Bantamweight title.
However, the 35-year-old returned to the sport earlier this year and beat Marion Reneau via TKO in July.
This led to a fight against Viera on Saturday night but the American was beaten by unanimous decision.
Viera was dominant in the fight and landed a number of devastating blows to leave Tate with a bloody face and swollen eye.
The Brazilian fighter embraced her opponent afterwards and apologised to Tate on more than one occasion.
Vieira was full of praise for the American, who she branded a "legend".
"I've always dreamed about being in a main event against a legend," she said.
"To be able to live that moment and get a victory, I don't have words to express."
Despite losing her second fight since returning to action, Tate expressed on social media that she “had fun” going up against Viera and appreciated the support.
“Hey, we had fun tonight,” she wrote on Instagram. “I still feel like I evolved and in truth, I was never tied to an outcome. Just happy to enjoy these moments. Thank you as always for the support and congratulations Ketlen Viera.”
Tate had hoped to move one step closer to a bantamweight title fight against Amanda Nunes, although this looks unlikely after this defeat.
Nunes is the reigning women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion and hasn’t lost since 2014.
Widely considered the best female MMA fighter of all time, the Brazilian beat Tate to win the bantamweight title at UFC 200 back in 2016.
Tate is considered an MMA icon in her own right as well. The 35-year-old famously fought the likes of Ronda Rousey, Nunes and Holm during her first spell in the sport and she may not be finished just yet.