De Randamie: ‘I am not running’ from Cris Cyborg, but Holm deserves rematch

The newest UFC champion wants the world to know that she’s not running from anyone. Germaine de Randamie picked up the women’s UFC 145-pound title with a controversial win over Holly Holm, and it was widely expected that she would face Cris Cyborg next - the woman that the division was basically created for. With Cyborg’s USADA issues now a thing of the past, it seems like natural matchmaking.

There are a few roadblocks though - one is that De Randamie said she needed surgery on her hand. Another is Holm’s commission appeal to overturn the loss, based on the fact that she was hit with illegal shots after two separate rounds ended. And the third is GDR herself saying that Holm deserves a rematch ahead of Cyborg.

As a guest on The MMA Hour, De Randamie laid out her case and explained that there were some misconceptions about the surgery she needs (transcribed by MMA Mania):

"I’ve said I need surgery on my hand, that’s inevitable," said de Randamie. "But I never said I need surgery right now. Am I going to have permanent damage if I fight again? That is something I have to evaluate with my doctor. I truly apologize for not making that clear, but I don’t run away from anybody."

"I knew Cyborg was there and there is no reason for me to run, everyone is beatable and it is an honor for me to fight such a great champion like Cyborg. I am not running. But at this point, I do believe Holly deserves the rematch."

...

"I completely understand people want to see that fight, and that fight will eventually happen, but first I got to fight Holly to clear everything up. Everything that has been said, I think she deserves the rematch, first. A few weeks ago, it wasn’t clear if Cyborg would be cleared to fight soon, now that she’s cleared, if the fight is going to happen, it will happen anyway, but Holly deserves it first to settle things up."

New division, same matchmaking woes.