Germaine De Randamie Said She Previously Turned Down Featherweight Title Shot

Two division UFC champion Amanda Nunes defends the bantamweight gold against former UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Germaine De Randamie at UFC 245.

The former women’s featherweight champion says she turned down a shot to become a two time champion to instead challenge for bantamweight gold.

“She’s right – I declined the fight at 145,” De Randamie said at a UFC 245 pre-fight press conference (via Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie). “I was the 145-pound champion. No one defeated me to take that belt; only the UFC took that belt. I want the 135 belt. It’s the most active weight division. There are a lot of girls at 135, not at 145. I’ve been through a lot of (expletive), so 135 it will be.”

De Randamie became the first ever UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion at UFC 208, defeating Holly Holm via a controversial decision. 

Nunes defeated De Randamie in their first meeting over six years ago, but De Randamie says a lot has changed since then.

“The difference is six years,” De Randamie said. “She was at the beginning of her MMA career or her journey, and same for me. I was more of a kickboxer than a mixed martial artist, but that’s the difference.”

UFC 245 takes place on Saturday, December 14 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.