Swedish UFC star Pannie Kianzad has won four out of her five last fights, and now she’s got her sights set on former champion Miesha Tate.
Speaking to Frontkick, “Banzai” explains why this fight is the only one that makes sense in the women’s bantamweight division right now.
“The way the rankings are looking, everybody is either booked for a fight or away due to pregnancy and other stuff. Me and Macy Chiasson are the only ones free to call for a fight with Miesha. But Macy has booked two fights with Aspen Ladd that got cancelled and I think both of them might fight at 145 next. That leaves only me available and suited for the fight,” Pannie Kianzad explains.
Pannie Kianzad had accumulated an impressive win streak of four straight matches, defeating the likes of Alexis Davis, Sijara Eubanks and Bethe Correia before losing a narrow decision to returning top fighter Raquel Pennington earlier this fall.
“Both me and Miesha are trying to get into the top 5 and we both lost our last fights that would’ve put us there. We’ve both lost to Raquel Pennington before, but I’m an up and coming fighter with a lot of potential. Miesha is trying to test herself for another title run,” Pannie Kianzad continues.
Read more: Khamzat Chimaev explains why Luke Rockhold fight was turned down
Miesha Tate fought Ketlen Vieira last week, losing via unanimous decision. Earlier this summer Tate beat now retired 44 year old fighter Marion Reneau in her first fight since 2016.
“This fight makes sense since we’re both trying to get back into a contender spot and title run. No other fight right now makes more sense,” Kianzad says.
“I’ve always wanted to fight Miesha, and even after she retired I had a feeling she would return and that if she did, I would love to fight her.”
Read more: Khamzat Chimaev clears the air on Khabib fallout: “People think I hate him”
Make sure to follow Frontkick on Twitter to catch the latest news about Swedish MMA!
