Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie would enter the octagon to jostle for the inaugural women’s featherweight title at UFC 208 on 11th February 2017. The event would take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Holly Holm will get the opportunity to win the 145-pound belt against Germaine de Randamie.

UFC 208 will be the debut of a new weight class. For the first time, the women’s featherweight division will be up and running. Dana White (UFC president) announced that this inaugural fight will be the main event at UFC 208. Holly Holm (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Germaine de Randamie (7-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will kick off this new female weight class for the UFC. Currently, the UFC’s heaviest female weight class is 135-pounds.

Holly Holm the favorite?

Former bantamweight champion Holly Holm moves up a weight class to fight the 135-pound veteran Germaine de Randamie in the 145-pound main event. One of these fighters will become the third women’s UFC champion, joining bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and strawweight Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Holm is a former pro boxing champion, and she quickly rose through the ranks once she turned to MMA. She won the UFC’s 135-pound title by knocking out Rousey at UFC 193 in November 2015. Holly Holm gained popularity after defeating Ronda Rousey in spectacular fashion. She will surely attract more media attention. Marketability wise too, Holly Holm has the upper hand when compared to Germaine de Randamie. Holm is looking to bounce back from her two-fight losing streak. After a 10-0 start to her career that included the win over Ronda Rousey in late 2015, she has since suffered losses to Miesha Tate and Valentina Shevchenko.

Holly Holm now meets Germaine de Randamie, a Dutch kickboxer, and former Strikeforce fighter. Amanda Nunes defeated her in 2013, and she sprung back with wins over Larissa Pacheco and Anna Elmose. Germaine proved in her fights that she has the finishing power. Holm and de Randamie have shown the same level of striking prowess in their respective fights. Holly Holm will have to come up with some new tools to match up against Germaine at UFC 208. Holm would also want to reclaim the 135-pound belt from current champion, Amanda Nunes. She hopes to win the 145-pound and reclaim the 135-pound later. Holm has been the favorite in all of her appearances since her win over Rousey.

Holly Holm wants to create history

In an interview with MMAjunkie Radio, Holm said that she didn’t expect to get involved in the inaugural 145-pound fight. She said, “I just didn’t think I would be involved in it. I thought I would still be at the 135 (division)”. However, she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slide away from her. “But gosh, this opportunity is right in front of me. How do you not take it?” she said.

Holm expressed her joy by saying that it was awesome to be able to fight for a new division and to be able to fight for the belt. She’s currently focused on the 145-pound fight and looks to regain the 135-pound belt. “Two belts, two different weight classes. That’s awesome. And I want to be able to accomplish things that haven’t been accomplished before,” she said.

History will be created at UFC 208 as the new women’s division unfolds. It will be interesting to see how Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie deal with the whole new atmosphere. This fight will set the tone for the upcoming bouts for the women. New doors have been opened for the women’s division, and it will put a prominent spotlight on the many great talented women fighters in the ultimate fighting championship.

Image source: 411MANIA.com