Tag: ufc 208

Germaine De Randamie ‘Had No Idea’ She Was Being Stripped Of Title

After she publicly refused to fight consensus top contender Crsitiane “Cyborg” Justino, there were rumors that the UFC would strip former women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie of her title even though she only won it at February’s UFC 208. Today, the promotion did just that, stripping de Randamie of the gold and booking Cyborg […]

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After she publicly refused to fight consensus top contender Crsitiane “Cyborg” Justino, there were rumors that the UFC would strip former women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie of her title even though she only won it at February’s UFC 208.

Today, the promotion did just that, stripping de Randamie of the gold and booking Cyborg vs. Invicta 145-pound titleholder Megan Anderson for the main event of July 29’s suddenly stacked UFC 214 from Anaheim, California.

The move was expected in order to clear up the women’s featherweight landscape, which had no cohesion or direction after de Randamie won the belt in incredibly controversial fashion over Holm before essentially running from Cyborg and disappearing from the public eye. However, it apparently came as news to de Randamie, who told MMA Fighting that she found out she had been stripped when she saw Cyborg vs. Anderson was made official online:

“I had absolutely no idea that I was being stripped of the belt. I found out through social media. Cyborg (Justino) is going to fight Megan (Anderson) for the belt.

“Nobody ever told me anything about it.”

Ed Mulholland for USA TODAY Sports

Yet the move was expected by the vast majority of the MMA world, and the UFC saw her refusal to fight Cyborg as a decision that obviously made her expendable. In a statement on UFC.com, the promotion explained their position, citing de Randamie’s refusal to fight the top contender as threatening to the ‘integrity of the sport’:

“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. Subsequently, top contender Justino will face newly signed Invicta FC featherweight champion Megan Anderson for the UFC women’s featherweight title in the co-main event of UFC® 214: CORMIER vs. JONES 2, July 29 in Anaheim, Calif.

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.”

While a simple structured system where the champions fight top contenders is exactly what countless fans have been clamoring for throughout the UFC’s rough start to 2017, in truth it’s clear to see that the UFC will make exceptions to this so-called effort to ‘maintain the integrity of the sport,’ as both Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping have been allowed to choose their opponents, for better or worse.

Those names are much bigger than de Randamie’s, of course, and with a massive loan being worked on by new UFC owner’s WME-IMG, “The Iron Lady” clearly wasn’t in a position to be calling her shots, especially when women’s featherweight was essentially created to showcase Cyborg’s dominance. De Randamie was only brought on a late replacement when Cyborg wasn’t able to fight Holm at UFC 208.

The division doesn’t really have any other fighters outside of Cyborg and Anderson right now, but with de Randamie refusing to fight Cyborg due to her questionable history with performance-enhancing drugs (and some would argue outright fear), the decision to strip her of the title because she wouldn’t fight the woman who most believe to the uncrowned champ was an easy one.

De Randamie wasn’t bringing in the bucks, and that’s what the UFC obviously cares about these days.

Just don’t say it was to simply uphold the “integrity of the sport.”

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Ian McCalls Avoids USADA Suspension After IV Use

Ian McCall has experienced an unprecedented series of holdups in attempting to finally set foot back into the octagon, but thankfully, he won’t be suspended for the most recent one. A report came today detailing that “Uncle Creepy” will not be suspended for using two bags of IV fluid following his withdrawal from a scheduled […]

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Ian McCall has experienced an unprecedented series of holdups in attempting to finally set foot back into the octagon, but thankfully, he won’t be suspended for the most recent one.

A report came today detailing that “Uncle Creepy” will not be suspended for using two bags of IV fluid following his withdrawal from a scheduled bout against Jarred Brooks at February’s UFC 208 from Brooklyn, New York. McCall pulled out of the bout on February 11, the day of the fight, and had been given two bags of intravenous fluids the day before on the recommendations of Dr. Jeff Davidson of the UFC and UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky according to MMA Fighting. McCall did successfully make weight for the contest.

Under the new and increased anti-doping policy the UFC has with USADA, IV usage is banned and usually carries a suspension with it, but McCall was granted a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) in a statement from USADA:

“After a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding the potential violation, which included the retroactive TUE application process, USADA determined that the athlete had a diagnosed acute medical condition for which the use of an intravenous infusion is consistent with the standard of care. Because McCall’s TUE application was granted retroactively, his use of a prohibited method will not result in an anti-doping policy violation.”

USADA clarified the situation further using its guidelines to note that while IV use is outlawed, fighters may be given them if the situation “has an acute medical condition where an IV line was essential for treatment in a hospital admission, surgical procedure, or clinical investigation,” leading to McCall’s TUE.

The former title contender has seem multiple fights fall apart in recent years due to one reason or another, and last competed back in January 2015 when he lost a decision to John Lineker, who now competes in the 135-pound division. Before the recent downward run, McCall was considered the flyweight to have given now-dominant champion Demetrious Johnson the closest fight in their draw back in March of 2012, albeit before “Mighty Mouse” evolved to the generational status he currently maintains.

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Germaine De Randamie Says She’s Returning To Bantamweight Division

The MMA world has neither seen nor heard from UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie since she revealed she would need hand surgery immediately after her highly controversial championship win over Holly Holm in the main event of February’s UFC 208. Today (Mon. May 29, 2016), however, de Randamie has finally broken the silence […]

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The MMA world has neither seen nor heard from UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie since she revealed she would need hand surgery immediately after her highly controversial championship win over Holly Holm in the main event of February’s UFC 208.

Today (Mon. May 29, 2016), however, de Randamie has finally broken the silence about her unwillingness to fight Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino, the consensus top female featherweight in the world and the woman whom many feel is by far the most dominant force in all of women’s MMA. A fight with Cybrorg seems like a no-brainer for de Randamie, yet “The Iron Lady” revealed on her official Instagram account (via MMA Mania) that there were too many issues with drug testing to face Justino:

Dear All,

It’s been a while since I posted something. But because of the commotion that I have come to feel, I feel the need to hear something from me and to clear the air (as far as possible). It is absolutely not so that everything that is said makes me do nothing. Also, I am a human being and I also have feelings. Despite the fact that I’m always positive, the comments make me more than I had hoped. The positive but also the negative.

The fight between me and Chris Cyborg was offered to me last November. Even then, I had all my reservations but I accepted the fight. Chris Cyborg has rejected the fight because she could not get the weight of 66 kilos in twelve weeks time. One month later, she was visited by the USADA and did not pass the test. The rest of the story is known.

My reason for rejecting the fight now has nothing but nothing at all to do with my fear.

I believe that if you want to do sports you do this without any means that can affect the muscle mass. I – as a top athlete – always trained, always watched my food and put 18 years of my life on sports, without using just one means that is not allowed.

Everyone has his or her opinion on this and that may. But that people think to know what my motives are / do not put me in the cold clothes.

Ed Mulholland for USA TODAY Sports

With that announcement, the already uncertain UFC women’s featherweight landscape, which was only just created this year when de Randamie fought Holm for the inaugural title, is even more uncertain, but de Randamie issued yet another post that made it even more so – if that’s even possible.

In the second, she teased that not only would she not fight Cyborg, but she was returning to her original division of women’s bantamweight after having her hand examined:

I work full time and irregularly, which takes a lot of time. In addition, there is still a lot of unclear about my hand. I have an appointment with the doctor on 14 June, and it will be decided whether or not to be operated. This option should also be considered for me because there is a great chance that my tendons / nerves can cause such damage that I could not use my hand more optimally.

During the negotiations on the battle with Holly Holm, I said in advance that after this fight I want to return to my natural weight class of 61 kilos. My task has not been completed yet

The UFC has promised me that this would be no problem and I can just return to my natural weight class.

This is why I am focusing on this moment.

When I fell in love with the martial arts 18 years ago, I had 1 goal. Share my great love with others who have the same love for martial arts as me !! This is my goal and will always remain my goal.

I want to thank everybody who has always stood before me and still support me through thick and thin !! You guys rock.

For all the haters; Two Baths !! “The IronLady” is far from done

So de Randamie is on the sidelines with her return more unclear than ever, and the 145-pound picture is only further clouded by the UFC’s decision to wait on the “Very serious” case of Cyborg punching strawweight Angela Magana at last weekend’s UFC fighter retreat.

If Justino is indeed cleared, she’s lobbied for a fight with Invicta FC featherweight champ Megan Anderson at UFC 214 near her adopted American home.

One thing is certain, however – she won’t be fighting the actual champion, who’s maintained quite possibly the strangest start to a title reign of any UFC champion in MMA history.

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Cyborg Pressures UFC For Fight With Megan Anderson

Less than three months after the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight champion was crowned when Germaine de Randamie outlasted Holly Holm with a controversial decision at February’s UFC 208, no single UFC division – even the middleweight – is currently wrought with more uncertainty. De Randamie has gone absolutely radio silent in the months since after

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Less than three months after the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight champion was crowned when Germaine de Randamie outlasted Holly Holm with a controversial decision at February’s UFC 208, no single UFC division – even the middleweight – is currently wrought with more uncertainty.

De Randamie has gone absolutely radio silent in the months since after citing a need for hand surgery from a nagging injury, prompting many to suggest she’s simply running from the consensus top pound-for-pound fighter in women’s MMA, former Invicta FC featherweight champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.

With “The Iron Lady” out of action, Cyborg recently agreed to a bout with current Invicta featherweight champion Megan Anderson at July 29’s UFC 214 from Anaheim, California, when the rising Aussie star called for it during an appearance on “The MMA Hour.” And the two women aren’t letting up, as Anderson continued her push for what would be the biggest UFC debut possible on Instagram last night:

I’m your huckleberry…. #UFC214 #UFCAnaheim @danawhite where you at mate?? Let’s set this up!

A post shared by Megan Anderson (@megana_mma) on

Cyborg was quick to respond to Anderson’s suggestion she would be her “huckleberry” on Twitter, pressing her employers by asking her fans to voice their support for her to finally fight a bigger opponent:

While nothing has been announced, it seems like a no-brainer for the UFC to create yet another interim title for Cyborg and Anderson to fight for, especially if de Randamie isn’t willing to defend the title.

It comes at a time when the UFC is truly struggling for a high-level bout as the packed summer schedule draws near without a true top bout to headline any of July’s two pay-per-view events. Justino has also been voicing her frustration with the UFC and their promotion of her, calling for them to book her in a fight or cut her.

True, she turned down the original title bout with Holm and may not be all that “easy to work with,” but there’s no denying Cyborg is one of the most controversial and recognizable stars that will actually fight in the UFC during this disastrous start to 2017 for the promotion.

UFC 214, which is centered near Cyborg’s adopted US home, has also been rumored to feature the long-waited Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones rematch, a fight UFC President Dana White has repeatedly stated won’t headline a card due to “Bones’” frequent problems with making it to feature bouts lately. Justino had recently voiced a willingness to face de Randamie on the card but nothing came to fruition.

Not many fights could conceivably headlines above Cormier vs. Jones II, but Cyborg fighting for her first UFC title is certainly one of them.

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Germaine De Randamie May Vacate Women’s Featherweight Title

UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie has neither been seen nor heard from ever since she won the inaugural UFC women’s 145-pound title with a close and controversial decision win against Holly Holm in the main event of February’s UFC 208 from Brooklyn, New York. The obvious direction for “The Iron Lady” was a

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UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie has neither been seen nor heard from ever since she won the inaugural UFC women’s 145-pound title with a close and controversial decision win against Holly Holm in the main event of February’s UFC 208 from Brooklyn, New York.

The obvious direction for “The Iron Lady” was a title bout against former Invicta and Strikeforce champ Cris “Cyborg” Justino, the woman a majority of the MMA universe feels is far and away the best female fighter on the planet and arguably the solitary reason the UFC created a women’s featherweight division, even if she turned down the first title bout in the weight class this year.

But when she was faced with the prospect of meeting Cyborg in the cage after her win over Holm, de Randamie said she would need time off to have hand surgery to repair an injury that had been bothering her for three fights. Justino teased a meeting with de Randamie at July 29’s UFC 214, but there has been no update in the two-and-a-half months since until now, and it appears the news isn’t promising.

Earlier this week, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani tweeted that de Randamie’s future was “up in the air” as she was possibly targeting a fourth quarter return but may even vacate the belt without defending it:

Helwani stated retirement wasn’t an option as of right now, but her fighting future was still very uncertain as questions began to mount about the UFC’s newest champ:

It’s a situation that will almost definitely continue to irk UFC ownership, who created a division with de Randamie, Justino, and Holm to save a pay-per-view (PPV) card, a decision that did not prove to be a great one when UFC 208 was derided as one of the more lackluster pay events in years.

The obvious reaction will be that de Randamie is ducking Cyborg, and based on the ruthlessness and ferocity which she’s been finishing each and every opponent, it’s easy to see why people think that. De Randamie had to know a fight with the most controversial female in MMA was coming though, and to sit on the sidelines for a full year after winning a close call for the belt just isn’t a good look for the titleholder of a division many thought shouldn’t have been installed anyway.

On top of that mess, enough weight classes are already in a state of confusion as it is, so adding yet another uncertain set of circumstances only casts more doubt on possibly the most auspicious start to a UFC calendar year we’ve seen. Can the new owners rise above the mounting avalanche of seemingly endless issues to cash in on their $4 billion investment?

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Cris Cyborg Says She’s Fighting For Title Alongside Cormier vs. Jones

The UFC has supposedly heard Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino’s ultimatum and finally granted her a title fight. That is, if there’s any truth to her latest tweet. The former Strikeforce and Invicta FC featherweight champion recently posted online that she would be fighting UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie at July 29’s UFC 214 from

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The UFC has supposedly heard Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino’s ultimatum and finally granted her a title fight.

That is, if there’s any truth to her latest tweet.

The former Strikeforce and Invicta FC featherweight champion recently posted online that she would be fighting UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie at July 29’s UFC 214 from Anaheim, California, a card that UFC President Dana White revealed could host the anticipated Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones rematch last night:

Long considered the most dominant force in women’s MMA, and even more so with the recent downfall of Ronda Rousey, Cyborg recently vacated her Invicta FC 145-pound belt in March in order to focus solely on the newly-created UFC belt which de Randamie won in a highly controversial decision win over Holly Holm at UFC 208 in February.

She was also cleared of a potential USADA anti-doping violation allegedly stemming from her draining cuts down to 140 pounds last year in February and seems ready to fight for the belt soon, but de Randamie also revealed she needed hand surgery after the win over Holm, making a potential booking versus Cyborg uncertain as of this writing.

There’s been no official word from the UFC on this potentially huge title fight, just as there’s been little to no discussion of how healed up de Randamie is – or is not.

If the UFC can book the bout alongside Cormier vs. Jones II and everything falls into place perfectly like it would have to, however, UFC 214 could quickly become one of the most anticipated fight events of the year.

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