Getty
A retired UFC superstar sparked new comeback rumors this week after she announced a return to her gym for training. Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate posted via Instagram on Tuesday that she was back training at Xtreme Couture MMA in Las Vegas, Nevada, and some believe she might have even been saying more.
The 34-year-old retired back in 2016 after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Raquel Pennington, but now many fans on social media are hoping the American MMA legend is getting ready to jump back into the UFC’s Octagon.
“Guess who took these photos?” Tate posted. “I’ll give you a hint, tonight was my first practice back at @xcmma”.
Additionally, Tate posted, “I’m back” as one of the hashtags for her post.
That, along with the rest of the fighter’s announcement on Instagram, led many fans to start getting excited about the possibility of seeing Tate back in MMA action again soon.
Tate has already faced some of the best UFC fighters in history. She beat Holly Holm back in 2016 at UFC 196 to capture the UFC women’s bantamweight championship and lost to two other great MMA champs Ronda Rousey (twice) and Amanda Nunes.
Now, the former UFC and Strikeforce champion could be readying herself to climb back inside the cage for even more big fights.
ALL the latest UFC news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on UFC newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on UFC Newsletter!
Could Tate Make Stunning Comeback Next Year?
Tate is still only 34 years old. She’s just two years older than current women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Nunes and one year younger than Bellator women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg.
While Tate ended her UFC career losing two straight fights, losing to Nunes and Pennington is nothing to hang her head over.
Moreover, Tate’s absence from MMA for the last four years might have even helped the former champ recover to the point that her body is fresher than ever.
So Tate absolutely could pull off a comeback to the sport if that’s what she wants to do.
She’s already a proven commodity in the sport, and she’s more than capable of getting back to top form if she decides to do it.
READ NEXT: Lennox Lewis Sparks Comeback Rumors: ‘Unfinished Business’
Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson
YouTube: Real Talk with Kelsey and Rachel