Holly Holm (10-2) takes on Germaine De Randamie (6-3) for the title in the recently created 145-pound UFC women’s featherweight division at the Barclays Center on Saturday night. The co-feature pits all time great Anderson Silva (33-8) vs. Derek Brunson (16-4) in a middleweight bout. Get live updates on all the fights on the pay-per-view card right here.
The UFC 208 card kicks off with the return of welterweight contender Ryan LaFlare. LaFlare is 5-1 in the UFC and 12-1 overall, with his only loss to elite contender Demian Maia. He hasn’t fought since 2015 due to injuries. LaFlare takes on Roan Carneiro, who has won 7 of his last 8 in a late career surge.
Round 1. LaFlare is the aggressor early, moving forward and throwing a number of kicks from distance. LaFlare clinches near the cage briefly but breaks away. Carneiro lands a nice right hand. They grapple for position and end up on the mat briefly before LaFlare pulls away and returns to his feet. The fighters exchange kicks late. LaFlare takes the round based on activity. Neither fighter looked great. 10-9 LaFlare.
Round 2. LaFlare connects with a low kick and then a stiff kick to the body. LaFlare drops Carneiro with a straight left hand and follows Carneiro to the ground. Carneiro doesn’t appear to be hurt. Carneiro has full guard while LaFlare lands punches from the top. The fighters return to the feet. LaFlare threatens another takedown moments later but gives it up when Carneiro attempts a guillotine. LaFlare then drops Carneiro again with a punch. This time he did much more damage with the knockdown blow. LaFlare is in half guard while Carneiro just holds on. Carneiro sweeps LaFlare to return to his feet. Very clear round for LaFlare, although not enough for a 10-8. 10-9 LaFlare.
Round 3. LaFlare again looks to have more energy and he’s getting the better of the standup just like in the first two rounds. Carneiro gets knocked back into a television camera in a unique moment. The referee responds by pushing the camera back. LaFlare continues to have success with kicks at different levels while Carneiro just isn’t as active. Carneiro lands a nice right hand. Carneiro catches a knee and looks for a takedown but doesn’t come close. Carneiro does maintain the clinch and moments later he does get the takedown. LaFlare threatens with a kimura from the bottom but Carneiro defends well. Carneiro works his way into full mount late in the round and lands a series of punches as the round concludes. Carneiro made a nice run at the end but it was on balance LaFlare’s fight. 10-9 LaFalre, 30-27 LaFlare.
Holly Holm appreciated the gesture from a UFC publicist who placed a public workout this week at famed boxing gym Gleason’s in Brooklyn.
When Holm was a professional boxer in 2008, she successfully defended a minor world-title belt by defeating Gleason’s-trained fighter Belinda Laracuerte at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula.
Any reminder of victory is especially appreciated by Holm (10-2) as she seeks to end a two-fight losing streak in Saturday night’s UFC 208 main event at Barclays Center , where she’ll meet fellow contender Germaine De Randamie (6-3).
The bout is for the UFC’s newly created women’s featherweight division, and if Holm wins, she’ll join storied company in B.J. Penn, Randy Couture and Conor McGregor as the only multidivision champions in organization history.
“This is nerves in a whole different way,” Holm said when asked to compare her prefight feelings before knocking out then-unbeaten bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey by a head kick in 2015 and now.
“It’s the first time for the 145-pound division. I have the opportunity to get world titles in two different weight classes. And I’m also coming off two consecutive losses, so she might be thinking, ‘I’ve got her while she’s down.’ ”
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There was still weight to gain for Holly Holm and Germaine De Randamie on Friday when they each came in under the 145-pound weight limit for the UFC ’s newly created women’s featherweight division.
Holm, the former bantamweight champion, weighed in Friday morning at 144.4 pounds and former pro kick boxer De Randamie weighed 143.6 pounds on the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott scale.
Also Friday, former middleweight champion Anderson Silva exactly met the 185-pound weight limit for his UFC 208 co-main event bout at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center against No. 8-rated middleweight Derek Brunson, who weighed 186 pounds. One extra pound is allowed in non-title fights.
Middleweights Jacare Souza and Tim Boetsch also used that cushion, weighing 185.8 pounds.
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