UFC Results: And NEW! De Randamie Defeats Holm In Tonight’s Main Event

Germaine de Randamie made her way to the octagon in the Barclay’s Center with the utmost confidence that she would walk out of the building with another championship strapped around her waist. Holly Holm, a former bantamweight champion in the UFC, has been to the dance before and remained calm in her approach to the center of the cage as the fight started.

Germaine was flat-footed as she walked to the center of the octagon while Holly bounced around. The feeling out process lasted a minute and forty seconds where the best strike landed were leg kicks from both fighters. Germaine landed an uppercut from a close range, but Holm did not back off on her attack. Germaine tagged Holm with a right hand at the mid-point of the first, and despite all this Holm kept attacking the leg. Holm would lunge in for a leg kick, but Germaine would cut her attack off with a stiff counter of her own.

The leg kicks were landing for Holm and they were loud, but it was Germaine who landed the better punches and counters. Germaine actually shot for a trip-takedown of her own, but Holm fought it off and worked for one of hers in return. The round expired before she could bring Germaine to the mat, however.

Once both women made their way back to the center for round two, Holm returned to her strategy of chopping the lead leg of Germaine. The story of the beginning portion of the second round saw a repeat of the first, with Germaine cutting off Holm’s attack often with a straight right hand. Holm pressed Germaine up against the fence for the majority of the second round, but once Germaine made her way off the fence she fired off a knee to the gut that Holm didn’t like.

Holm nearly took the back of Germaine in the final minute of the round, but Germaine used the fence to scrape Holm off and get her in front again.

After the horn sounded, Germaine fired off an accidental forearm that clearly wobbled Holm. She was permitted to continue after she went back to her corner. She seemed to be recovered by the time the third round rolled around, but the punch was clearly after the bell.

The bout was more competitive in the third round with both women getting their fair share of strikes in. Germaine didn’t just wait for the counter in this round; She was more aggressive as was Holm Holm worked hard for a takedown in the final minute of the third but did not secure it. Instead, Germaine fought her off and gave her a spinning elbow as a parting gift.

Holm got physical in the fourth round, pushing her up against the fence while working for a takedown. Holm knew that once the fight made its way into the championship rounds she would have the advantage with the grappling. The referee did not allow Holm to work on the fence and he separated them prematurely. It wasn’t long before Holm had Germaine pressed up against the fence, this time the Muay-Thai striker with her mouth agape.

Holm would not get her takedown, and the fight would see the fifth round which got off to another slow start. Germaine landed the first significant shot of the round in the form of a straight right and while it landed, it did not phase Holm. Holm landed a stiff shot inside a short distance that wobbled Germaine and followed up with a takedown attempt. Germaine fought it off long enough for the referee to come in and separate them, resetting the action in the middle of the octagon. Holm closed the distance and shot for a takedown, pushing her against the fence for another takedown. This time, the two would stay there until the final fifteen seconds of the fight where they met for one final exchange. Germaine cracked Holm with a right hook in the final moment of the fight as the horn sounded.

Germaine de Randamie def. Holly Holm by way of Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)