Germaine de Randamie will not receive the farewell she so desired.

A 25-year journey in combat sports comes to an end for the UFC’s first women’s featherweight champion, as de Randamie (10-5) announced her retirement from MMA on Thursday.

De Randamie, 40, has fought just once in the past four years, losing to top contender Norma Dumont in her return at UFC Vegas 90 in April.

The decision to leave MMA wasn’t an easy one to make for de Randamie, wanting to fight for retirement before all was said and done. But we don’t always get what we want, with the UFC’s schedule for the rest of the year not matching de Randamie’s plans.

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“Hey guys, with so many mixed feelings, I’m sharing this message with you guys. I definitely didn’t plan it, or imagine/dreamt it this way, but hey, it is what it is sometimes” , wrote de Randamie on Instagram. “I begged the UFC for one more fight. But it had to be this year. I promised myself that I would retire from fighting on December 31, 2024. Unfortunately, the UFC told me that all cards were full. That’s why I decided the time had come.”

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De Randamie wasn’t the most active fighter on the roster, but “The Iron Lady” fought some elite names in her 10 UFC appearances, such as the consensus greatest female fighter of all time, Amanda Nunes (twice), Holly Holm and Raquel. Pennington, and she holds a submission victory over current champion Julianna Pena, which was her last victory in October 2020.

Stepping away from the sport for four years to focus on motherhood, de Randamie wanted to make up for lost time and the setback of her last performance (a decision loss to Norma Dumont) with one last hurray in the Octagon – taking off the gloves for victory. , lose or draw.

“I really wish I could walk one more time. But I guess it wasn’t supposed to happen,” de Randamie added. “Have a lot of people to thank personally, so thank you all for being a part of my journeyThank you for all the amazing memories. I will be forever grateful. As I always say “DIE WITH MEMORIES, NOT DREAMS” .Ironlady left the building ushhh.”

Germaine de Randamie became the Netherlands’ second UFC champion (after Bas Rutten) in 2018, defeating Holly Holm to win the first UFC women’s featherweight title.

However, de Randamie did not stay on the throne for long, as she was stripped of the championship because she apparently did not want to fight the very dangerous Cris Cyborg, who later became the undisputed champion herself.

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