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Manager shoots down Germaine de Randamie retirement rumor, says personal issues exist

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UFC women’s featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie isn’t retiring, according to her manager, but she is dealing with some issues behind the scenes.

“She’s got things going on at home and stuff going on at police academy,” Brian Butler-Au of Suckerpunch Entertainment today told MMAjunkie. “The UFC’s aware of it, and we are working through it. That’s all I can say at the moment.”

De Randamie (7-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) works as a police officer in the Netherlands and has yet to announce whether she’ll be able to defend her title against Cristiane Justino (17-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at UFC 214, which takes place July 29 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Following a controversial decision win over ex-bantamweight champ Holly Holm at UFC 208, de Randamie put the new division on pause when she said she needed surgery to treat a lingering hand injury. She then reversed course, welcoming a rematch with Holm to resolve any doubts about the outcome. But she also cautioned that a doctor’s visit would reveal whether she is cleared for duty or needed to go under the knife.

After two months in limbo, Holm was booked to headline UFC Fight Night 111 opposite Bethe Correia (10-2-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) in Singapore, indicating the promotion favored Justino for the next title shot. “Cyborg” repeatedly has pushed to get the fight and announced the potential July 29 date in an Instagram post. Irked by the delay, Justino has gone on the offensive with the UFC.

But on de Randamie’s side, the fight is not confirmed, and nothing has been announced. Butler-Au said that while he believed the champ has seen a doctor about her hand, he declined to comment on her health status.

On Thursday, a post from Holm’s official Facebook page got the rumor bill buzzing. The ex-champ captioned a two-month-old story about de Randamie’s desire for a rematch with, “Rumor has it that Germaine de Randamie wants to retire. I hope that isn’t true; She is a true warrior, however – I want my belt. Looking forward to a rematch!”

Holm previously has said she isn’t the type to keep up with MMA news online, so it’s unclear whether the message came directly from her. Asked for comment, Holm’s longtime manager Lenny Fresquez wrote via text, “If it’s on her Facebook I guess she did.”

In any case, de Randamie remains the inaugural women’s featherweight champ and has no plans to hang up her gloves.

“Everything that you’re hearing right now is just rumor mill,” Butler-Au said.

For more on UFC 214, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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