Miesha Tate doesn’t let loss at UFC Fight Night 198 ruin her day

Las Vegan Miesha Tate wasn’t about to let an unfavorable decision or a face covered in blood take away from her enjoyment of the moment Saturday.

“I had fun,” the former women’s bantamweight champion said after losing a narrow unanimous decision to Ketlen Vieira in the main event of UFC Fight Night 198 at the Apex. “When I came back, I said that’s the No. 1 priority. I just want my story to be a human story. The real thing is about enjoying the journey. I get to go home and kiss my two kids. Life is great.”

The fight was Tate’s second since she came out of a four-plus year retirement and beat Marion Reneau in July. This one didn’t go as smoothly.

Tate was a touch behind Vieira in the striking exchanges, but she had her moments. She finally secured a takedown in the fourth round, but Vieira quickly got back to her feet.

Though the 48-47, 48-47 49-46 scorecards were close, they weren’t controversial.

“I thought it was really close, but I just wasn’t sure,” Tate said. “I just did my best tonight, and hats off to her. She’s awesome.”

Vieira was expected to control the striking exchanges, but she often had difficulty opening up her offense early in the fight. She said she might have been showing too much respect to Tate’s takedown ability.

“She was a champion, and I’ll be a champion one day,” said Vieira, who expressed a desire to stay in Las Vegas and train with Tate. “Miesha is a great opponent, and that made me a little hesitant at first, but that’s what I’m here for. I’m here to fight the best.

“She’s one of the best fighters in the world, and she was setting up takedowns the whole time. I didn’t want to get taken down, but I started to get more comfortable the last couple rounds. I wish I felt like that earlier.”

Also on the card, rising welterweight contender Sean Brady scored his biggest win with a unanimous decision over Michael Chiesa.

Brady improved to 15-0 as a pro and 5-0 in the UFC by getting Chiesa to the ground in all three rounds and controlling position, then surviving a late Chiesa rally.

“All week I was saying how much the pressure wasn’t getting to me, but it was getting to me,” Brady said. “All the media and the cameras, it was a big deal. But I think I proved I belong here. I don’t think anyone’s ever done that to Michael. I think I’m the best grappler in the division, and he was another one of them so I had to prove it.

“This is just what I do, and I’m the best at it.”

Las Vegan Joanne Wood was submitted by Talia Santos in the first round of a women’s flyweight contender bout.

It was the first fight since marrying her coach, John Wood, last month for the former Joanne Calderwood. She has lost her past two bouts, and Santos has won four straight.

Santos was the only fighter to record a finish on the card, as the other 10 fights went to the scorecards.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.