Miesha Tate vs. Lauren Murphy targeted for UFC’s May 14 event

Miesha Tate is taking her talents to the flyweight division.

The former bantamweight champion is expected to drop down to 125 pounds and face off with Lauren Murphy at the UFC’s event on May 14.

Multiple sources confirmed the matchup to MMA Fighting on Monday with verbal agreements in place from both athletes. No contracts have been signed at this time.

The bout was initially slated for UFC 273 in April, but a scheduling conflict led to the change of date, per sources.

The move to flyweight for Tate has been rumored for several weeks after she hinted at the possibility following a unanimous decision loss to Ketlen Vieira in her last outing. Tate returned from retirement in 2021 and promptly defeated Marion Reneau in her first fight back before falling to Vieira in a five-round main event in November.

Now Tate will look to stake her claim at 125 pounds where she will jump right into the deep end of the division while facing a former title challenger in her debut.

Murphy faces Tate after amassing an impressive 5-1 record in her past six fights with her only loss coming to reigning flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.

While she came up short in her bid to win the title, Murphy has wins over many of the other top ranked fighters in the division including victories over Joanne Calderwood, Roxanne Modafferi and Andrea Lee.

Mike Heck contributed to this report