Raquel Pennington Chokes Miesha Tate So Hard She Lifts Her Off Mat At UFC 205

NEW YORK — Miesha Tate lost her UFC women’s bantamweight championship belt in her previous fight, and her UFC 205 bout against Raquel Pennington didn’t start off well, either.

Halfway through the first round of Saturday night’s showdown at Madison Square Garden, Tate found herself in a tight headlock. Then she found herself being lifted in the air by Pennington.

Tate escaped Pennington’s grasp, but the tone was set. Pennington, the eighth-ranked contender, handed Tate, the No. 1 contender, a resounding three-round loss that certainly will drop Cupcake from championship consideration — possibly for good.

UPDATE (10:44 p.m. ET): Tate surprisingly announced her retirement after the fight.

Thumbnail photo via Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports Images