GDR says she is returning to 135 following surgery
Germaine de Randamie: During the negotiations on the battle with Holly Holm, I said in advance that after this fight I want to return to my natural weight class of 135 pounds.
The UFC’s odd featherweight odyssey continues.
The league made a decision to add the division when it appeared that Cris Cyborg, who had been brought in to drop weight to fight the then seemingly unbeatable Ronda Rousey, was not going to be able to do so. However, Cyborg needed time to recover from the brutal weight cuts. So the UFC went forward without her, matching up Germaine de Randamie, who was outside the top 10 at bantamweight, with Holy Holm, who was on a two-fight losing streak at 135. GDR won and holds the title, for now.
Meanwhile, a doctor-prescribed drug to reestablish the normal functioning of Cyborg’s endocrine system was flagged by an anti-doping test; she was eventually issued a retroactive Therapeutic Use Exemption. Now Cyborg appears ready to fight for the title. However, she was recently cited for misdemeanor battery by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, after she punched strawweight Angela Magana at the UFC Athlete Retreat on Sunday, in a dispute over mean tweets.
Adding to the confusion, de Randamie recently announced on her Instagram account that she was heading back to 135, citing Cyborg’s past use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. The excerpted text below is via Google Translate, as the post was in de Randamie’s native Dutch.
The fight between me and Chris Cyborg was offered to me last November. Even then, I had all my reservations but I accepted the fight. Chris Cyborg has rejected the fight because she could not get the weight of 145 pounds in twelve weeks time. One month later, she was visited by the USADA and did not pass the test. The rest of the story is known.
My reason for rejecting the fight now has nothing at all to do with my fear.
I believe that if you want to do sports you do this without any means that can affect the muscle mass. I – as a top athlete – always trained, always watched my food and put 18 years of my life on sports, without using just one means that is not allowed.
I have an appointment with the doctor on 14 June, and it will be decided whether or not to be operated. This option should also be considered for me because there is a great chance that my tendons / nerves can cause such damage that I could not use my hand more optimally.
During the negotiations on the battle with Holly Holm, I said in advance that after this fight I want to return to my natural weight class of 135 pounds.
The UFC has promised me that this would be no problem and I can just return to my natural weight class.
This is why I am focusing on this moment.
Adding still further confusion, UFC president Dana White recently discussed his decision to add a women’s 125-pound division, to be decided during a season of The Ultimate Fighter.
I think there’s enough talented women to make three good divisions, he said.
That would seem to indicate that White is dubious there are enough for four divisions at present, which would mean that the featherweight division goes on the back burner for the time being.