Just after the UFC stripped her of the UFC Featherweight Championship, Germaine de Randamie has spoken out.
De Randamie had her championship pulled, as the UFC announced this morning, and subsequently booked Cris "Cyborg" Justino vs. Megan Anderson for the now-vacant title at UFC 214 in July. De Randamie has released a statement criticizing the decision, which you can read below.
“As many of you will know, the UFC has stripped me from the belt. For those of us who do not know what that means; The UFC has unpacked my title because I refuse to fight against their number one challenger. (I have my reasons for that) It’s great to hear this news from the media and I’m sorry that it’s running, but it’s what it’s!
“Well, I hear you thinking again ‘She’s scared! What a bad champion! A shame for the sport! She did not deserve to be a champion! ” Etc .. etc .. I’ve seen it all over. But apart from what everyone thinks / finds, I’m walking my own path. And there you can agree or not.
“That I’m stripped does not mean I’m stopping. This only means that I have even more reasons to knock NOG (literally sometimes ) for which I stand and what I want.
“The UFC is not long for me !! It’s easy to stand with the crowd. It takes Courage to stand alone ‘Die with memories not dreams!'”
The UFC has attempted to book a fight between de Randamie and Cyborg for nearly a year. The two were targeted to fight last year, but Cyborg said she hoped to fight at 145 pounds instead of the suggested 140. Later in 2016, Cris Cyborg passed on fights with both de Randamie and Holm, who would eventually lock horns. After winning the featherweight strap, GDR subsequently refused to fight Cris Cyborg, citing her past drug test failures.
De Randamie is reportedly focusing on returning to 135 pounds.
