UFC announced via their social media platforms today that Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino will fight former Invicta FC featherweight champion Megan Anderson at UFC 214 on July 29 from Anaheim, California. Along with the fight announcement, it was announced that Germaine de Randamie has been “removed as featherweight champ” and the Cyborg-Anderson bout will be for the 145-pound title. Ariel Helwani first reported that the fight was close to being made over the weekend.
De Randamie had been vocal recently in her refusal to fight Cyborg, using Cyborg’s 2011 drug test failure as fuel, calling her a “known and proven cheater.” In UFC’s official release announcing the fight, the promotion said “UFC has informed Germaine de Randamie and her management team that she is being removed as the women’s featherweight champion due to her unwillingness to fight the No. 1 ranked contender, Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino. Subsequently, top contender, Justino will face newly signed Invicta FC featherweight champion Megan Anderson for the UFC women’s featherweight title.”
Cyborg vs. Anderson will serve as support for the card scheduled to be headlined by Daniel Cormier defending his light heavyweight championship against Jon Jones.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: This is a true #1 vs. #2 fight for the title and with Holly Holm back on the winning track at 135, we can finally put the memory of UFC 208 behind us. Hopefully, UFC shows more commitment to the division than they did after the de Randamie-Holm fight and actually populates the division with some fresh fighters to create new contenders for the Cyborg-Anderson winner. This is a great addition to UFC 214 and can serve as insurance should the Jones-Cormier fight fall through.
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