“Cupcake,” one of the biggest names in women’s MMA, became a UFC world champion, headlined the UFC 200 landmark pay-per-view event, and retired from the sport all in one calendar year. Yet, despite an extremely busy 12 months, Tate’s most memorable moment of the year, and probably of her entire illustrious career, came March 5 in Las Vegas.
That night, Tate was set to challenge bantamweight champion Holly Holm in the co-main event of UFC 196, one of the most anticipated events of the year, as it also hosted a fight between MMA superstar Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz in the headliner.