Germaine de Randamie shocks Holly Holm to become first women’s UFC featherweight champion
Netherlands fighter shocks American in New York scoring a points decision win at UFC 208
Germaine de Randamie clocked Holly Holm after the bell in one round, then a second, and got nothing more than a warning from the referee.
De Randamie kept those pivotal points on the scorecard, and slapped a UFC championship belt over her shoulder.
The 32-year-old Dutch kickboxer shook off Holm’s clinching and won by unanimous decision – 48-47 on each judge’s card – in the main event at UFC 208 on Saturday night to become the first featherweight champion in the woman’s division.
De Randamie (7-3) dropped to her knees in celebration as the Barclays Centre crowd booed the end of a lacklustre bout. UFC created the new 145-pound division in part as a showcase for Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.
— #UFC208 (@ufc) February 12, 2017
Justino was the lone fan standing in the front row toward the end of the five-round bout and stuck around to snap selfies with fans. Justino’s UFC fate is in limbo because of a doping violation that knocked her off the New York card.