Germaine de Randamie was stripped of the featherweight title for not wanting to compete against the number one contender Cris Cyborg. It is not only the reason that UFC gave, but the champion herself said several times that she did not want that fight.
The Dutchwoman reacted to her new situation by affirming that she has her reasons for rejecting the Brazilian, who will fight precisely for the championship on July 29th in the UFC 214 event against Megan Anderson, the current champion of Invicta FC.
The American already criticized the former champion for her refusal to defend the title, and now it is the Brazilian who gives her opinion.
We knew she didn't want to fight with me. Some people in her gym warned me. They told me she wouldn't fight with me. I wanted to close the fight as soon as possible. Maybe she wanted to drop to bantamweight now to be champion in two divisions. But she knew she couldn't defend the title against me. The hand injury was her first excuse. Then she said she didn't want to fight with me because I am a cheater. She made an excuse every day to not accept the fight.
Anderson has a very similar opinion to her new rival Cyborg.
"She has rejected fighting Cyborg because she tested positive for doping six years ago. The rule is not that. She doesn't have to be suspended for life. You can't decide not to fight the number one contender. She knew she doesn't have the size for featherweight. And she doesn't want to fight someone who has a size advantage. If I defeat Cyborg and De Randamie wants to fight me, I would be happy to fight her. I will fight anyone."
Source: BJPenn.com