MMA Preview – Marion Reneau vs Miesha Tate at UFC Vegas 31
MARION RENEAU VS MIESHA TATE FACTS
When is UFC Vegas 31? Sunday 18th July, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 31? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 31? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Vegas 31 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 31? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
MARION RENEAU VS MIESHA TATE LOWDOWN
At 44 years of age, time is finally catching up with Marion Reneau (9-7-1) who has lost her last four fights – all via unanimous decision. Her last win was a submission over Sara McMann in 2018, wrapping her up in a triangle but she went on to get outpointed by Cat Zingano (2018), Yana Kunitskaya (2019), Raquel Pennington (2020) and Macy Chiasson back in March. Reneau is still one hell of an athlete but at 44 and only fighting only once a year against tough fighters, the odds are stacked against you.
One of the originals - Miesha Tate (18-7) dusts of her gloves and emerges out of retirement. We last saw her in 2016 where she lost a unanimous decision to Raquel Pennington. We all knew she could still compete at the highest level as a champion in her prior fight although she passed the torch to Amanda Nunes. But her retirement made sense after that performance as it was limp and she has a lot to offer out of the cage. Thankfully for the fans, she is back with a nice match-up.
MARION RENEAU VS MIESHA TATE PREDICTION
Tate will be rusty and may have lost a little speed and reaction time, but she can get away with it here. Reneau is a technically sound striker but does not have much to offer in terms of firepower and we expect soft striking exchanges to begin with, but the majority of this fight is likely to be a grappling contest.
Reneau is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but Tate is also very skilled on that mat and earnt most her success with her wrestling – skills that will not have left her. If the fight stays on the feet, Reneau can win the rounds point fighting, but the key factor here is her takedown defence which is 50% in the UFC.
She has been taken down in her last 10 fights and we expect Tate to secure a takedown in each round and keep her on the deck which will pave over any cracks in her game coming out of retirement.
Prediction: Tate via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
