UFC 208 Confirmed Main Event: Holm vs. De Randamie for Women’s Featherweight Belt

Well, I didn’t see this coming.

The main event for UFC 208 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn is now former Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm vs. #11 ranked UFC Bantamweight Germaine de Randamie for the inaugural UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship, the promotion made the announcement Tuesday evening on ESPN’s Sportscenter.

httpss://twitter.com/DGS_MainEvent/status/808869761606189056

What a roller coaster this pay-per-view card has gone through in the last few weeks. Originally the card was supposed to take place January 21st in Anaheim, California before it was relocated to Brooklyn, New York.

Rumors spread like wildfire on social media that the UFC was bringing the Women’s 145-division into the UFC, but with Cris Cyborg apart of the inaugural bout. Once news spread that Cyborg turned down not one, but two bouts at 145, the promotion announced it would continue to build the division with or without her.

Once now-UFC Interim Featherweight champion Max Holloway won the title over Anthony Pettis at UFC 206 on Saturday, it was implied that the unification 145-title bout would take place at UFC 208 with options for the main event drawing thin. UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo even told the media on Monday that the bout would take place on the February 11th card. After Holloway told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour Monday, “I said it before, I don’t want to give up my Christmas, I don’t want to give up my son’s birthday on Jan. 4th all for Feb. 11 and the guy doesn’t show up.”

With only a few bouts confirmed for the pay-per-view card, including Long Island’s own Ryan LaFlare, the card is still in the early stages for its first trip to Brooklyn.