Dave Mandel-USA TODAY Sports
Julia Budd picks Germaine de Randamie over Cris Cyborg in a dream battle of featherweight strikers.
Julia Budd is no fan of Germaine de Randamie, but she believes the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight champion would do well against Cris Cyborg.
The reigning Bellator women’s featherweight champion lost to de Rendamie in a kickboxing match in 2008 before defeating her in a 2011 mixed martial arts bout. Budd told Pull No Punches podcast hosts Kajan Johnson and Shakiel Mahjouri why de Randamie doesn’t get more respect.
“Some people don’t know what she did in kickboxing,” Budd said. “It’s hard because in that Holly Holm fight there were so many blatantly obvious points that she cheated. To then say, ‘I’m not defending my title against Cris.’ I think she’s still paying for that.”
“In 2008, there were so many controversial things in the lead-up to the fight. Little cheating stuff. I personally don’t like her. I don’t care that she’s not getting it. She’s really good and super tough, but then I saw her cheating in that Holly Holm fight and then I saw her turned down the Cris fight,” she continued. “I think she would actually beat Cyborg. Her striking is that good and that sharp. It sucks that she’s turning that fight down. She didn’t want to fight Cris because of the steroid stuff, but that’s one cheater to another. That’s how I look at it.”
Speaking of Cyborg, Budd is still eyeing a superfight with the former UFC featherweight champion now that she is a free agent.
“I’ve always known she was on the horizon. I’ve been watching her entire career and she’s been watching mine,” Budd told the show. “We were talking about that back in March even if she was potentially coming to Bellator.”
In the meantime, Budd has two other potential opponents on the brain. One is Leslie Smith. “She’s awesome, I really like her a lot,” Budd said. The other is Gabi Garci “I know I’m going to beat her,” she exclaimed. “I don’t know if I could name an MMA fighter that she’s fought. The game plan is to not let her get on top of me. Realistically, which MMA fighter [has she fought?] I can’t name one, they’re professional wrestlers and street fights. They’re tough girls to get in there with her but at the same time I feel like I will actually take it to her.”
Budd (13-2) is coming off a first-round TKO of Olga Rubin at Bellator 224. The Canadian fighter has been undefeated for eight years and her only professional losses are to Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey.
See timestamps below for the video above.
2:30 – Is Julia Budd vs. Cris Cyborg a reality?
5:20 – Eyeing fights with Leslie Smith and Gabi Garcia
9:45 – How long will Julia Budd fight in MMA?
12:00 – Julia Budd’s training regiment
14:10 – Why the public discredits Germaine de Randamie
19:30 – Should a losing champion be ranked number one?
22:15 – What it’s like fighting for Bellator
27:00 – Who is the baddest woman in MMA?