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Germaine de Randamie put on an absolute clinic against #4-ranked Julianna Pena at UFC Fight Island 4.
De Randamie was making a return to the Octagon, coming off an impressive performance against Amanda Nunes for the UFC Bantamweight Championship back at UFC 245. She looked spectacular and, at 36, sent a notice to the entire division with her first submission victory.
Taking on a seasoned grappler in the form of Julianna Pena, Germaine de Randamie started strong in the first round. She was able to dictate the pace of the fight and managed to land several significant strikes on Pena.
However, Pena shifted the game towards her side with a takedown in the closing seconds of the first round. Pena continued the same gameplan in the second round, showing great character by opting to engage in a slugfest with the ten-time Muai-Thai Champion.
Pena was able to takedown Germaine de Randamie, where she dominated the former Featherweight Champion for the better part of the entire second round. Additionally, she came close to closing the deal with a submission attempt in the closing seconds of said round.
Germaine de Randamie is a tough match-up for Amanda Nunes
It was in the third round that we saw a more evolved version of Germaine de Randamie. She not only stuffed a takedown attempt from Julianna Pena, but used the position to force a guillotine.
After a small exchange in the beginning of the third round, Pena gave her neck away while going for a takedown near the fence. Germaine de Randamie was able to capitalise with a standing mounted guillotine, which she later took to the ground to drop Pena unconscious for the win.
There's no denying the fact that Germaine de Randamie will go down as one of the greatest women mixed martial artists of all time. With notable victories over Raquel Pennington, Holly Holm, and Aspen Ladd among others, De Randamie has achieved a lot in her 13-fight MMA career.
Additionally, Germaine's professional kickboxing record remains almost unparalleled. De Randamie is undefeated in her kickboxing career and has what it takes to dethrone Amanda Nunes.
Speaking about her match-winning performance against De Randamie at UFC 245, Amanda Nunes did not seem too impressed.
"Honestly, I was a little bit off tonight, but I'm the champ, I always have plan A, B, C and more," Nunes said. "If something goes wrong with the first plan, I just go to the next one. I couldn't get my timing well with the striking, so I decided to go to the takedown."
Arguably the greatest striker in the history of women's combat sports, it is Germaine de Randamie's recent improvement on the ground which gives her an edge over Amanda Nunes. At 36, Germaine is sharp, quick, and has significant power in her hands to slow down her opponents.
As seen from her last fight against Amanda Nunes, Germaine improved significantly in the latter rounds and provided a tough challenge for the undisputed champion.
With huge improvement in her grappling, as seen in her recent performance against Julianna Pena, and efficient striking to back her fighting style, Germaine de Randamie should take on Amanda Nunes next for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.
There is an argument to be made that Holly Holm should get her rematch against Amanda Nunes after back-to-back wins over Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana. AGermaine de Randamie has a win over Holly Holm and currently ranks #1 in the UFC Bantamweight rankings.
