HOLLY Holm gets another title shot as she battles Germaine de Randamie for the inaugural female featherweight championship in UFC 208 at Brooklyn on Feb. 11 (Feb. 12, Manila time).
In a report by UFC.com’s Thomas Gerbasi on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time), the MMA company revealed that both fighters have verbally agreed to the 145-pound division title match at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Holm, a former UFC bantamweight champion, will attempt to become the fourth fighter (and the first female) in UFC history to win titles in multiple weight classes, a feat accomplished by Conor McGregor, BJ Penn and Randy Couture.
But after defeating Ronda Rousey for the UFC’s 135-pound belt in November 2015, Holm has suffered back-to-back losses to Miesha Tate and Valentina Shevchenko for a 10-2 record.
De Randamie is a former professional kickboxer from the Netherlands with 6-3 overall record (three wins by knockout)and is coming consecutive wins to push her card to 3-1 in the UFC.
Curiously, Cyborg Justino, the No.1 ranked female featherweight fighter in the world and a favorite in the new weight category, had earlier declined to fight, stating she has to recover from a difficult weight cut down in her fight against Lina Lansberg last September. Justino (17-1) said she will be ready to return to the Octagon in the new weight class come March.
Justino has won both of the UFC matches she has fought at a 140-pound catchweight, both by knockout and is expected to go against the victor of the February fight.
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