Miesha Tate was arguably on her way to winning the fifth round, but if she hadn’t secured the fight-ending choke, she wouldn’t be the UFC’s new women’s bantamweight champion. In Saturday’s UFC 196 pay-per-view co-headliner at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, Tate (18-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) used a late-fight rear-naked choke to dethrone Holly Holm (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and claim the belt. Aside from a dominant 10-8 second round in which Tate forced the fight to the mat and threatened to finish it, she lost every other round. So, heading into the fifth round, she was in a 38-37 hole. Even if she won the final frame via 10-9 scores, the fight would’ve ended in a 47-47 draw, and Holm would’ve held on to her belt.
More here:
UFC 196 scorecards: Without finish, Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm likely a draw – MMA Junkie