Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie went to battle for the first-ever UFC women’s featherweight championship in the main event of tonight’s (February 11, 2017) UFC 208 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It turned out to be a back-and-forth battle of technical precision, with both women having their respective moments. Holm rocked ‘The
Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie went to battle for the first-ever UFC women’s featherweight championship in the main event of tonight’s (February 11, 2017) UFC 208 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
It turned out to be a back-and-forth battle of technical precision, with both women having their respective moments. Holm rocked ‘The Iron Lady’ with a head kick in the third round and a short left hand in the fifth, and also controlled the majority of the clinch work. But she was unable to score even one of her many takedown attempts, and de Randamie clearly landed by far the harder shots with her piston-like straight right hand counter that found a home on many occasions.
There was a bit of controversy when de Randamie hit Holm after the bell had sounded on not one but two rounds, but the NYSAC referee chose not to deduct a point and de Randamie was crowned the champion by one point. Watch the full fight video highlights of de Randamie’s close decision win right here:
UFC 208 welcomed a new name to the club of UFC champions, as Germaine de Randamie became the first champion of the women’s featherweight division in the main event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with a unanimous-decision win over Holly …
UFC 208 welcomed a new name to the club of UFC champions, as Germaine deRandamie became the first champion of the women’s featherweight division in the main event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with a unanimous-decision win over Holly Holm.
MMAjunkie had the final scorecards for the new champion:
The matchup between two former professional strikers promised to be an intriguing stand-up battle, and it didn’t disappoint early on. De Randamie‘s methodical muay thai provided an interesting contrast to Holm‘s frenetic kickboxing from range.
MMA Fighting preferred deRandamie‘s sharp counterpunching to Holm‘s volume and leg kicks in the opening frame:
The devastating counter right continued to be the weapon of choice for deRandamie in the second round. The UFC showcased one of many that landed:
Despite a lot of clinch control for Holm in the second round, it was once again one that was scored deRandamie. The end of the round did bring some controversy into the bout, as deRandamie landed a massive right hand that was clearly after the bell.
No point was taken for the infraction as the action continued in Round 3, and deRandamie dominated the early going of the round. Josh Gross of Bleacher Report provided some context:
Holm turned the tide in the round with a massive question mark kick that knocked deRandamie down. However, controversy once again reared its head. Again deRandamie closed the round by throwing punches after the bell, and again there were no points taken for the offense, per Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting.
The UFC passed along the kick and the late exchange:
While Brett Okamoto of ESPN was praising Holm for her competitive nature, Jeff Wagenheim of the Washington Post had some fun with deRandamie‘s after-the-bell antics:
Holm‘s competitive nature certainly shined through. She wasn’t able to get deRandamie down to the ground, but she did adjust and controlled deRandamie along the fence while landing some heavy kicks in the stand-up.
However, it wasn’t enough, as deRandamie already had the lead on the cards.
De Randamie may be the most unlikely UFC champion of all time. The Dutch kickboxer came into this bout with just three wins in the promotion, but all three of the opponents she had beaten had zero combined wins in the UFC.
Now she can add a former champion to her resume.
Much like Holm, deRandamie has an extensive history as a professional in another combat sport to supplement a now impressive MMA resume. The 32-year-old has an extensive history in kickboxing that served as her preparation for the sport.
For deRandamie, winning the belt means vindication for her decision to make the switch.
“Trust me, it will solidify my career, absolutely, especially because in the past a lot of people doubted that I could ever do MMA,” she said, per Thomas Gerbasiof UFC.com. “They always told me, ‘Stick to kickboxing, stick to what you’re good at.’ And it motivated me a lot.”
Where deRandamie—and the rest of the new women’s featherweight division—goes from here will be intriguing.
The division is still in its infancy, so its unclear exactly who will rise to be the next contender, but Cris “Cyborg” Justino obviously casts a shadow on the entire division. The former Strikeforce star and current Invicta champion has been flagged for a potential violation of the USADA anti-doping policy.
That will certainly make things complicated when it comes to finally setting up a fight for Justino against Holm.
Still, UFC President Dana White seems to think that Cyborg’s issues with the USADA might be resolved.
“The drug that she had taken, she should have immediately let USADA know about it,” he said, per Steve Marroccoof MMAjunkie. “But it’s legit. She legitimately has these three separate issues, and that’s what that drug is used for. The doctors are saying it, and it’s looking good for her. I like it a lot.”
If Cyborg’s issues are in fact figured out, this likely becomes the division that is ruled by her like Ronda Rousey ruled the women’s bantamweight division from its beginning.
Until then, deRandamie will continue to make history as the first champion of the division.
UFC 208 wasn’t the most action-packed card, but it did provide some memorable moments Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The night produced the crowning of the first ever women’s featherweight champion in Germaine de Randamie…
UFC 208 wasn’t the most action-packed card, but it did provide some memorable moments Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The night produced the crowning of the first ever women’s featherweight champion in Germaine deRandamie, as the Dutch kickboxer beat Holly Holm via unanimous decision in a tight bout. MMAjunkie provided the final scores.
With such a close decision, refereeing played a role in this fight. Twice deRandamie threw punches after the bell, landing a serious right hand the first time after Round 2 and failing to connect with anything in Round 3. Still, no points were deducted despite the event happening twice.
As Jon Anik noted via Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, a deducted point for either event would have triggered a draw:
Despite the controversy, the UFC named a new champion, and deRandamie didn’t just make history as the first champion of the division; she also joined an elite club of two Dutch mixed martial artists, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Between the bells, deRandamie had her way in the striking game. While Holm was active on the outside, deRandamie consistently landed destructive counter right hands. The UFC provided a perfect example from the second round:
After the bout, deRandamie addressed the fighter who was on everyone’s mind during this fight: Cris “Cyborg” Justino. The former Strikeforce fighter was in attendance for the bout, and deRandamieexpressed interest in a future fight with the MMA star:
The setup to a future championship fight between deRandamie and Cyborg wasn’t all that went down. UFC 208 was a somewhat bizarre card, but there were some redeeming qualities to be found, including the potential last fight for Anderson Silva and several ranked fighters in action.
Here’s a quick look at the results and closer look at each of the main card fights.
Anderson Silva def. Derek Brunson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Ronaldo Souza def. Tim Boetsch via submission (kimura) at 3:41 of the first round
Glover Teixeira def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Dustin Poirier def. Jim Miller by majority decision (30-27, 28-28, 29-28)
Belal Muhammad def. Randy Brown by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Wilson Reis def. UlkaSasaki by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Islam Makhachev def. NikLentz by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
Rick Glenn def. Phillipe Nover by split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
Ryan LaFlare def. Roan Carneiro by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)
Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson
Although it was headlined by a UFC title fight, UFC 208 might just be remembered for Anderson Silva’s final bout. The former middleweight kingpin flirted with retirement after defeating Derek Brunson via unanimous decision.
If Silva does decide to walk away from the sport at 41 years old, this decision might be considered a retirement gift.
This was a fight marked by sporadic action, and although the rounds were close, there were those who felt the fight was closer than the scorecards indicated. Helwani especially took umbrage with the 30-27 scorecard in favor of The Spider:
The performance had flecks of vintage Silva but not much of the magic that used to make him the pound-for-pound king of MMA. Brunson, however, was able to find success in multiple aspects of the fight, including consistently landing hard punches in the clinch.
In the end, it wasn’t enough for the judges to give him the decision. The Spider’s bursts weren’t consistent, but they were effective enough to steal some rounds.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Tim Boetsch
After seven consecutive decisions to start the card, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza got the first finish of the night when he submitted Tim Boetsch in the first round.
Coming into the fight as the massive favorite, Jacare was in a tough situation. A win was expected, but a loss would have been devastating to his title hopes. Once the fight hit the mat, there was no doubt the end was near.
Souza effortlessly passed into mount then locked up a kimura that forced the tap and drew the end of the fight. As Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie noted, it put the criminally underrated Souza third on the list of all-time stoppage wins in Strikeforce and UFC history:
After the win, Souza wasted no time in calling out current middleweight champion Michael Bisping:
It’s getting harder and harder to deny that Souza is deserving of a title shot. He is 7-1 since making the move to the UFC from Strikforce, with six of those wins coming in some form of finish.
That’s the kind of streak that is hard to ignore, and it won’t be surprising to see if Souza‘s next fight is for the strap.
Jared Cannonier vs. Glover Teixeira
In case you were wondering if Jared Cannonier was ready to take on the upper echelon of light heavyweight contenders, Glover Teixeira answered your question on Saturday night. The Brazilian manhandled Cannonier for all three rounds to pick up the unanimous-decision victory.
Cannonier—who was making just his second appearance in the light heavyweight division—had his moments. He was able to rock Teixeira at the end of the first frame, but in the end, the veteran’s jiu-jitsu game was simply too much.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective. Teixeira certainly didn’t create many highlights in controlling the fight from top position, but he did show that he’s still capable of dominating against lesser competition.
He also succeeded in setting another prospect back in the light heavyweight division, as noted by Chad Dundas of Bleacher Report:
It was also an important bounce-back win for Teixeira after losing in 13 seconds to Anthony Johnson his last time out. Recovering from that loss to earn a title shot will require more than a win over Cannonier, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Dustin Poirier vs. Jim Miller
The UFC couldn’t have picked a better matchup to kick off the pay-per-view portion of the card than the lightweight scrap between Jim Miller and Dustin Poirier.
The two 155-pounders are known for putting on exciting fights, and they didn’t disappoint when paired up. The fight included many exciting exchanges, including this one the UFC posted:
Overall, Poirier‘s striking proved to be an advantage. He was able to land the cleaner, more effective punches more often than not in the exchanges. But Miller’s toughness was on display as he absorbed everything Diamond threw at him and continued to bite down on his mouthpiece and return fire.
Miller himself had some success with heavy leg kicks to the lead leg of Miller but was unable to turn that into anything other than a major inconvenience for Poirier.
Miller’s performance was enough for one judge to see the bout as a 28-28 draw, but the other two judges each gave Poirier the nod to cap an exciting kickoff to the rest of the evening.
The time had arrived for the main event of UFC 208. Headlining the card was the inaugural women’s featherweight title bout between Holly Holm (10-3) and Germaine de Randamie (7-3). At the start, Holm was bouncing around while de Randamie moved forward with the Muay Thai stance. Holm landed a leg kick and de Randamie
The time had arrived for the main event of UFC 208. Headlining the card was the inaugural women’s featherweight title bout between Holly Holm (10-3) and Germaine de Randamie (7-3).
At the start, Holm was bouncing around while de Randamie moved forward with the Muay Thai stance. Holm landed a leg kick and de Randamie answered with one of her own. A counter right hand found the mark for “The Iron Lady.” Another right hand landed for de Randamie.
Holm got hit moving forward with a right hand and a left hook. A counter right hand landed for de Randamie. Holm ducked under a punch and looked for a takedown. It was de Randamie who looked for a trip, but got pushed against the fence as the round ended.
Round two opened with Holm looking for a side kick. She connected with a leg kick. “The Preacher’s Daughter” missed a high kick. She moved forward with a one-two combination that landed. Holm found the target with a side kick to the body. Holm got a hold of her opponent and pushed her against the fence.
Holm dropped down, but de Randamie defended well. She landed a knee to the body as she reversed the position. Holm retained control and landed some elbows to the leg. Another knee to the body landed for de Randamie. The round ended with the fighters in the clinch position, but de Randamie rocked Holm well after the horn sounded.
“The Preacher’s Daughter” moved forward with strikes to begin the third round. Holm had her head kick blocked. Holm moved in to get a hold of her opponent, but couldn’t do so. A kick to the body was there for “The Iron Lady.” Holm got a hold of de Randamie, but ate an elbow followed by a left hook.
A right hand landed for de Randamie. Swelling former over the left eye of Holm. Once again, de Randamie swung after the horn sounded. Instead of taking a point, the referee Todd Anderson just warned de Randamie. Incompetence.
Holm pressed de Randamie against the fence, which was broken up and color commentator Joe Rogan was not happy. Holm again went for the takedown, but de Randamie kept fighting it off. The final horn sounded and this time, there were no late strikes. We went into the fifth and final round.
Fifteen seconds in, de Randamie landed a straight punch. Holm had her head kick blocked. A left hand landed for Holm that appeared to stun de Randamie, but Holm stuck with the clinch. The clinch was broken up and they returned to the feet.
Holm hit her opponent with a straight right then pushed her against the fence again. Her corner kept telling her to do kickboxing, but she did not disengage. The fight returned to the stand-up as the final horn sounded.
All three judges saw the fight for de Randamie, who was awarded the women’s featherweight title.
Final Result: Germaine de Randamie def. Holly Holm via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
UFC 208 went down live last night (Sat. February 11, 2017) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York live on pay-per-view (PPV), and history was made as we crowned the first ever female UFC featherweight champion. In our co-main event former UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva made his Octagon return against knockout artist Derek
UFC 208 went down live last night (Sat. February 11, 2017) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York live on pay-per-view (PPV), and history was made as we crowned the first ever female UFC featherweight champion.
In our co-main event former UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva made his Octagon return against knockout artist Derek Brunson in a pivotal match-up at 185 pounds.
And as previously mentioned, former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm takes on No. 10-ranked Germaine de Randamie for the inaugural women’s 145-pound title.
You can check out the post-fight press conference here:
UFC 208 officially turned back the clocks with a win for Anderson “The Spider” Silva over Derek Brunson via unanimous decision in Saturday night’s co-main event.
MMAjunkie tweeted the official scorecards:
The first round got off to a quiet start, as …
UFC 208 officially turned back the clocks with a win for Anderson “The Spider” Silva over Derek Brunson via unanimous decision in Saturday night’s co-main event.
MMAjunkie tweeted the official scorecards:
The first round got off to a quiet start, as Brunson started with just a few leg kicks in the opening minutes; however, both fighters started opening up as the fight wore on. As Connor Ruebusch of Bloody Elbow noted, Brunson oscillated between reverence for the legend across from him and reckless abandon:
The UFC passed along a highlight of Brunson teeing off in the clinch from an interesting opening round:
The second round was relatively quiet but did feature some bursts of vintage Silva as he blitzed Brunson on a few occasions. He even offered some classic Silva dance moves in the middle of the Octagon:
It was all enough for Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting to score the round for The Spider:
The third round saw an increase in action as Brunson continued to have surprising success throwing punches in the clinch. At the same time, Silva was able to have success on the counter, making for a difficult round to score.
Ultimately, Silva did enough in the eyes of the judges to pull off the decision victory.
After the fight, the 41-year-old Silva hinted that this might be the end of the line for his legendary career, per MMA Fighting:
The win marks the first time in years that Silva was able to get his hand raised in the Octagon. Taking away a win that was overturned against Nick Diaz in 2015, Silva hasn’t won a bout since beating Stephan Bonnar in 2012.
Seeing Silva at least beat Brunson was a small reminder of who Silva used to be. The former middleweight has the most dominant title reign of all time, running the division for an incredible 2,457 days before relinquishing his title to Chris Weidman.
Since then, Silva has definitely lost a step. Losing four of his last five fights before this event, including the no-contest with Diaz.
Re-capturing the title at 185 pounds isn’t necessarily on Silva’s radar, though.
“I’ve already conquered everything, now I just want to have fun, to do what I love. I don’t feel any pressure,” Silva said, per Jessica Portasio of UFC.com. “I think I’ve already gone through all the phases of this sport. I’ve lost, I’ve won, I’ve got injured. Now it’s about doing what I love.”
Clearly that love for the sport can still manifest itself in a winning effort against a quality opponent.
Brunson is coming off a difficult loss to Robert Whittaker, but was on a five-fight win streak with four straight knockout wins (three technical) to his name prior to that. This wasn’t exactly a case of the UFC feeding Silva an easy win.
The win now opens the window for more opportunities for the 41-year-old to continue fighting.
Whether he chooses to do so will be interesting to track going forward. Clearly he’s lost a step, but his ability to win fights at his age really leaves it up to him for how many more fights he wants to pursue.
Either way, fans of The Spider should appreciate any time he’s able to add another win to his record. With all that he’s accomplished, he’s not obliged to chase titles or even take fights. Anything beyond this point is simply bonus material on a lengthy career highlight reel.
