Inaugural women’s UFC Featherweight Champion Germaine de Randamie has called an end to her MMA career.
40-year-old de Randamie announced her combat sports retirement on social media this week, ending a career which started 25 years ago in kickboxing and evolved into a decade-long run on the UFC roster.
De Randamie, who had promised herself that she would retire by the end of 2024, mentioned her hope to get one more fight in before the year came to an end. However, UFC wasn’t able to find a spot for her in their six remaining shows of 2024, causing her to leave the sport without an official farewell bout.
“This is not how I imagined it, envisioned it or dreamed about it. But sometimes in life, you gotta roll with the punches,” she explained.
Born in the Netherlands, a country with a rich history in kickboxing, de Randamie spent the first decade of her career mainly focusing on the sport. She put together an impressive record of 46 wins and no losses throughout her career in kickboxing, including a 2008 victory over former Bellator champ Julia Budd.
De Randamie made her MMA debut in 2008. After attaining a record of just three wins and two losses, she joined the UFC roster in 2013. She had a strong run to begin her time in the promotion, earning three victories and just one loss, with the sole blemish notably emerging against legendary fighter Amanda Nunes.
In 2017, De Randamie was picked to face Holly Holm for UFC’s new 145-pound women’s title. In a five-round unanimous decision result which is remembered as a controversial bout, De Randamie captured the title.
De Randamie’s time as champ was short-lived. She was stripped of her title later that year after reportedly refusing to take on Cris Cyborg. The Dutch fighter moved back down to bantamweight following that short title stint, putting together a pair of wins and earning a shot against Nunes for the 135-pound title by late 2019. She was unsuccessful in the title bid.
Earlier this year, De Randamie returned to the cage in a decision loss to Norma Dumont. The performance was her first time fighting since giving birth to her son a year earlier.
De Randamie exits MMA with a record of 10 wins and five losses, with a majority of her career taking place in the UFC.
“The people I met, the stories I can tell. I’m forever grateful for all that I was able to do and I was able to accomplish,” she said. “I retire with an amazing record. There’s too many people to thank. I don’t want to forget anybody so I’m going to keep it in general. I want to thank all my fans throughout my career, thank you so much. Everybody I’ve trained with. 25 years is a long time. All my coaches, thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t be the fighter I am today. My friends, my family. I love you guys, thank you so much. My son, one day I hope you’ll still be proud of me. Last but not least, the most important woman in my life, my mother. Without you, I wouldn’t be the woman, the mother and the fighter that I am today. I will never be able to repay you for everything you have done for me. Your support, your love, your guidance. And there’s so much more I wish I could say … Also to UFC. It’s been an amazing ride. I always say, die with memories, not dreams. The Iron Lady has finally left the building.”
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