Former UFC featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie has “left the constructing” and retired from combined martial arts, she announced Thursday.
The 40-year-old veteran, who returned to the cage in April of 2024 after lately giving beginning to a son, revealed she has determined to stroll away from the game with no farewell bout. The Dutch striker was provided a combat with Jacqueline Cavalcanti on Jan. 11, however stated, “I promised myself I might retire from combating December thirty first, 2024.”
“This isn’t how I imagined it, envisioned it and dreamed about it. Completely not,” de Randamie stated on a video posted on social media. “However typically in life, you bought to roll with the punches, like they are saying, proper? The final couple of weeks I’ve been in shut contact with the UFC, since I’ve been cleared by the physician, and I actually begged them for a combat this 12 months. I begged them, give me yet another combat this 12 months. However sadly, the UFC informed me they’d no extra spots left on the playing cards. Each card was totally booked for this 12 months, which in a manner in fact upset me as a result of, like I stated, I’ve not envisioned it this manner. This isn’t the best way I needed to do it, and it hurts, however it’s what it’s. In order that’s why I’m capturing you this message. After 25 years, I’m gonna lay my gloves down. That is it. No extra combating.”
De Randamie leaves MMA with a document of 10-5 with seven of these wins beneath the UFC banner, together with a featherweight title win over Holly Holm and victories in opposition to future MMA champions in Julianna Peña, Raquel Pennington and Larissa Pacheco. “The Iron Girl” misplaced a call to Norma Dumont in her closing UFC combat.
“I want I had yet another combat. Another combat. I needed to make that work so dangerous yet another time, however like I stated, it’s not going to occur,” de Randamie stated. “So I made a decision it’s time to put my gloves down. I’m retiring from combating. It’s been 25 years of a tremendous rollercoaster with the highs of the highs and the lows of the lows. Issues I couldn’t think about having. I’m blessed that I used to be capable of do what I did. And I’ll nonetheless proceed to coach and be part of some folks’s superb journey, however actively I’m retiring from MMA right now.
“I wish to thanks all. Additionally to the UFC, thanks all. It’s been a tremendous trip. And don’t neglect, I at all times say, die with reminiscences, not goals. The Iron Girl has lastly left the constructing.”
Examine de Randamie’s full retirement speech under.
