UFC EXCLUSIVE: Germaine de Randamie opens up on her fight with Holly Holm

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Germaine de Randamie or Holly Holm will become the first women's featherweight UFC champion

Previously there has only been one championship division – bantamweight – in women's UFC but either De Randamie and Holm will become the first ever featherweight champion at UFC 208 on Saturday night.

And De Randamie has admitted that because she will comfortably make the featherweight limit (145lbs), it will be strange not having to worry about cutting.

"I've held belts at 145 when I was kickboxing but I never actually got close to the weight," De Randamie told Express Sport.

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Germaine de Randamie is a proud Dutch and last fought in Rotterdam

"I was always six or seven pounds under.

"But this time I'm going to stay as close to the weight as possible.

"Not having to cut weight helps a little too!

"Although because you're so used to having to do it, it almost feels like you're missing something."

De Randamie will be fighting for a UFC title for the first time in Brooklyn while her opponent has more experience of the pressure of the highest level.

Holm is a former UFC bantamweight champion but lost both of her fights in 2016.

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Holly Holm shocked Ronda Rousey in November 2015 but has not won since

And while the American, who also has a 33-2-3 professional boxing record, was the fighter to break Ronda Rousey's unbeaten streak in 2015, De Randamie does not want to define her opponent by that fight alone.

"Holly's fight with Ronda doesn't entirely make up who she is and her losing her last two fights doesn't mean anything either," De Randamie added.

"If you look at her credentials, she's a tremendous boxer and she has accomplished so much in her fighting career.

"She fought the best of the best boxers in the world. So I expect the best Holly Holm to be there on the night.

"The challenge of fight Holly is that she is a counter-striker and I like to engage in the fight.

"That's going to be the most interesting element.

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"But wherever the fight has to go, we'll go there.

"I know what I want to do and I know that at some point I'm going to take some risks because I want to make it exciting for the fans."

***Watch UFC 208: Holm v De Randamie live on BT Sport on Sunday February 12***

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