Ex-UFC champion announces retirement after failed negotiations: "I begged the UFC for one more fight"
A UFC fighter retired recently and took to Instagram to share her side of the story. After all, this was no ordinary fighter on the roster. This was a former women's featherweight champion with a win over reigning women's bantamweight titleholder Julianna Peña.
Germaine de Randamie, who hasn't set foot inside the octagon since a unanimous decision loss to Norma Dumont, recently took a break from her life as a fighter. While she didn't want to leave the promotion on a loss, she claims that her pleas for another fight fell through.
"With so many mixed feelings I'm sharing this message with you guys. I definitely didn't plan or envisioned/dreamed it this way, but hey it is what it is sometimes. I begged the UFC for 1 more fight. But it had to be this year. I promised myself I would retire from fighting December 31st 2024. Unfortunately the UFC told me all cards are fully booked."
With no space on any of the cards scheduled for the remainder of the year, de Randamie knew that her time as a fighter had come to an end.
"That's why I decided the time is now. I really wished I could have walked the walk one more time. But I guess it was not meant to be. Too many people to thank personally so thank you all for being a part of my journey. Thank you for all the amazing memories. I'm forever grateful for all of them. Like I always say "DIE WITH MEMORIES, NOT DREAMS." The Iron Lady has left the building ushhh"
Check out Germaine de Randamie's retirement announcement:
Given her rough run of form and being 40 years old, de Randamie's decision is sensible, and she still has her career as a police officer in the Netherlands to commit to.
Germaine de Randamie's UFC run revisited
Germaine de Randamie had a positive record in the UFC. Her debut was successful, beating Julie Kedzie via split-decision. However, her sophomore fight in the promotion came against future women's MMA GOAT Amanda Nunes, who TKO'd her within a round.
Thereafter, 'The Iron Lady' embarked on a five-fight win streak, beating the likes of former women's bantamweight champions Holly Holm and Raquel Pennington and current PFL women's lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco en route to capturing the inaugural UFC women's featherweight title.
Unfortunately, her legacy took a hit following her refusal to defend her title against Cris Cyborg due to the latter's PED history. Thus, she was stripped of her belt and went 1-2 in her final three fights in the promotion, with her sole win being a submission over Julianna Peña.