Germaine de Randamie unwilling to fight ‘known and proven cheater’ Cris Cyborg, who then calls GDR ‘scared’

When you’re UFC champ you get to call all the shots, right? UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie sure thinks so. After capturing the inaugural title at UFC 208 in a decision win over Holly Holm, the 145-pound queen is attempting to drive the bus. According to de Randamie’s manager, Brian Butler, she is unwilling to defend her gold against top featherweight contender Cris Cyborg.

“Germaine and her team have talked, and the position is that she will not fight Cyborg because Cyborg is a known and proven cheater,” Butler told MMA Fighting. “Even after so much scrutiny has been put on Cyborg, she still managed to pop for something and will always be a person of suspicion who is trying to beat the system rather than just conforming to the rules.

“For that reason, Germaine and her team don’t believe that Cyborg should be allowed to compete in the UFC at all. If that is the only fight the UFC wants, then Germaine is willing to wait and see if the UFC will strip her belt before making her next move.”

Is the champ dodging Cyborg? I don’t know. But I do know a matchup with Cyborg would bring de Randamie’s notoriety to an entirely new level, especially if she can compete or even win. Considering she has yet to defend the title since winning it this past February, GDR probably isn’t going to win a war of matchmaking with UFC.

As you could have imagined, Cyborg did not idly sit by and let de Randamie defile her promotional value.

“She’s running, scared to enter the Octagon with me,” Cyborg told MMA Fighting. “That’s another one of her excuses to not enter the Octagon with me. That’s really not my problem, it’s the UFC’s (problem).

“And she’s also stating that USADA is not legit.”

Cyborg also issued the following statement in defense of her past:

I was the first athlete to do over a year of testing with USADA BEFORE officially fighting in the UFC.

USADA granted me a Therapeutic usage after a 60 day investigation with compliance from myself and both their doctors and my own.

Who is GDR? She struggled to make 200k PPV buys with Holly Holm and Anderson Silvia fighting!! Megan Anderson is twice as popular as her and doesn’t have losses against Julia Budd and Amanda Nunes.

GDR is an example of why rankings need to be independently established and respected. She won the belt fighting someone who has now lost 3 in a row and was ranked #10 at 135lbs. I don’t see how someone ranked #10 at 135lbs is getting a title shot. Someone with back to back losses should never be fighting for the belt either. I’m world champion. GDR is UFC champion.

I am the true world champion at 145 with Julia Budd and Megan Anderson the next Contenders.

I can respect GDR saying she doesn’t want to fight me, but she knows I’m clean with the USADA guarantee and she is just searching for air. I think maybe she’s disappointed with the money her manager is getting her and trying to use this for negotiation.

Whether the promotion sides with de Randamie or Cyborg, the UFC women’s featherweight title has to be in play by the end of 2018. Too many titles are tied up at the moment that adding another would make things less manageable heading into next year, especially when it comes to a fresh division like the women’s 145-pound class.

We should know soon what the promotion has planned. Despite de Randamie’s decree, UFC would be wise to include Cyborg one way or another.

When you’re UFC champ you get to call all the shots, right? UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie sure thinks so. After capturing the inaugural title at UFC 208 in a decision win over Holly Holm, the 145-pound queen is attempting to drive the bus. According to de Randamie’s manager, Brian Butler, she is unwilling to defend her gold against top featherweight contender Cris Cyborg.

“Germaine and her team have talked, and the position is that she will not fight Cyborg because Cyborg is a known and proven cheater,” Butler told MMA Fighting. “Even after so much scrutiny has been put on Cyborg, she still managed to pop for something and will always be a person of suspicion who is trying to beat the system rather than just conforming to the rules.

“For that reason, Germaine and her team don’t believe that Cyborg should be allowed to compete in the UFC at all. If that is the only fight the UFC wants, then Germaine is willing to wait and see if the UFC will strip her belt before making her next move.”

Is the champ dodging Cyborg? I don’t know. But I do know a matchup with Cyborg would bring de Randamie’s notoriety to an entirely new level, especially if she can compete or even win. Considering she has yet to defend the title since winning it this past February, GDR probably isn’t going to win a war of matchmaking with UFC.

As you could have imagined, Cyborg did not idly sit by and let de Randamie defile her promotional value.

“She’s running, scared to enter the Octagon with me,” Cyborg told MMA Fighting. “That’s another one of her excuses to not enter the Octagon with me. That’s really not my problem, it’s the UFC’s (problem).

“And she’s also stating that USADA is not legit.”

Cyborg also issued the following statement in defense of her past:

I was the first athlete to do over a year of testing with USADA BEFORE officially fighting in the UFC.

USADA granted me a Therapeutic usage after a 60 day investigation with compliance from myself and both their doctors and my own.

Who is GDR? She struggled to make 200k PPV buys with Holly Holm and Anderson Silvia fighting!! Megan Anderson is twice as popular as her and doesn’t have losses against Julia Budd and Amanda Nunes.

GDR is an example of why rankings need to be independently established and respected. She won the belt fighting someone who has now lost 3 in a row and was ranked #10 at 135lbs. I don’t see how someone ranked #10 at 135lbs is getting a title shot. Someone with back to back losses should never be fighting for the belt either. I’m world champion. GDR is UFC champion.

I am the true world champion at 145 with Julia Budd and Megan Anderson the next Contenders.

I can respect GDR saying she doesn’t want to fight me, but she knows I’m clean with the USADA guarantee and she is just searching for air. I think maybe she’s disappointed with the money her manager is getting her and trying to use this for negotiation.

Whether the promotion sides with de Randamie or Cyborg, the UFC women’s featherweight title has to be in play by the end of 2018. Too many titles are tied up at the moment that adding another would make things less manageable heading into next year, especially when it comes to a fresh division like the women’s 145-pound class.

We should know soon what the promotion has planned. Despite de Randamie’s decree, UFC would be wise to include Cyborg one way or another.