Fansided

Germaine de Randamie stripped of UFC women’s featherweight title

By Nicole Bosco

Feb 11, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Germaine de Randamie (blue gloves) walks back to the dressing room with the championship belt after defeating Holly Holm (not pictured) during UFC 208 at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Germaine de Randamie (blue gloves) walks back to the dressing room with the championship belt after defeating Holly Holm (not pictured) during UFC 208 at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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Germaine de Randamie was notified by the UFC that she will be removed as the champion of the UFC women’s featherweight division.

The UFC women’s featherweight division has had problems from the get go. First, the number one contender Cris Cyborg was unable to fight in the inaugural bout at UFC 208 in Brooklyn, NY. Then champion Germaine de Randamie refused to fight Cyborg upon winning the belt. The UFC has had enough with this situation and informed de Randamie and her team that she has been removed as the champion of the division. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto Monday morning.

The UFC is planning to move forward with the 145-pound division, with a title bout set up between Cris Cyborg and current Invicta champion Megan Anderson as the co-main event of UFC 214. UFC 214 will take place on July 29 in Anaheim, California, and will be headlined by the rematch of light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former champion Jon Jones.

Germaine de Randamie (7-3) won the title after a controversial win over Holly Holm at UFC 2018. Immediately following her win, the Dutch fighter announced she would need to undergo surgery on her hand, and was not sure when she would be able to return to the octagon. Now, four months later, de Randamie is healed and has announced she refuses to fight the number one contender, Cyborg. De Randamie cited the controversial past of Cyborg and drug use as the reason why she would not be interested in a fight.

Today the UFC released a statement to ESPN discussing this issue.

"“UFC has informed Germaine de Randamie and her management team that she is being removed as the women’s featherweight champion due to her unwillingness to fight the No. 1 ranked contender, Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino, UFC maintains that any champion is expected to accept fights against the top contenders in their respective weight classes in order to maintain the integrity of the sport.”"

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De Randamie and her team haven’t released a statement since the news came out, but in a recent Instagram post de Randamie said she’s focused on a return to the bantamweight division soon.

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