The UFC has its first women's featherweight champion, but not without a heavy dose of controversy.
Germaine de Randamie (7-3) of the Netherlands twice landed huge punches well after the horn sounded to end both the second and third rounds of her UFC 208 main event against Holly Holm (10-3) of New Mexico on Saturday night.
Referee Todd Anderson inexplicably refused to dock de Randamie a point for either infraction, which made the difference in an otherwise tight fight. De Randamie won the slugfest at Brooklyn's Barclays Center via unanimous decision with across-the-board scores of 48-47.
"It was in the heat of the moment," DeRandamie said of the infractions. "I apologized, I'm not like that."
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Holm, who is best known for her knockout of Ronda Rousey in 2015 to claim the women's bantamweight title, has now dropped three consecutive fights.
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (34-8, one no-contest) posted his first victory since 2012 with a debatable split decision over Derek Brunson (16-5) of Wilmington, N.C.
The 41-year-old Silva, who held the UFC middleweight title a record 7 1/2 years from 2006 to 2014, showed flashes of his former explosive self against the often-tentative Brunson. That was enough to give Silva a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 in a tight fight.
"I know I am too old for fight," said an emotional Silva (34-8, one no-contest), a Palos Verdes, Calif., resident by way of Brazil. "All the guys here too fast for me, strong, but I put in my heart, because fighting is in my heart."
Top middleweight contender Ronaldo Souza (24-4) of Manaus, Brazil, stated his case for a title shot with a swift finish of Maine's Tim Boetsch (20-11).
Souza, a former Strikeforce champion, waded through a couple heavy shots by the hard-hitting Boetsch before working him to the mat and earning the submission via a Kimura armlock. The time was 3:41 of the opening round as Souza, a multiple-time World Jiu-Jitsu Championships gold medalist, secured his 17th career submission win.
"My plan was to come out strong and finish him early," said Souza, who won 10 of his past 11 fights. "I am the best in the world and I wanted to make a statement. Of course, I am the most deserving of the title shot."
In a light heavyweight matchup, veteran Glover Teixeira took up-and-coming Jared Cannonier of Anchorage, Alaska, to school. Teixeira (26-3), a Danbury, Conn., resident by way of Brazil, took Cannanier (9-2) to the mat early and often and outgrappled him for a unanimous decision victory. The judges' scores were 30-26 across the board.
"This guy's a tough dude," said Teixeira, who won for the fourth time in his past five fights. "I hurt my right shoulder a couple weeks before the fight and the game plan was to get him to the ground. I need to step up my game."
The main-card opener was a slam-bang lightweight affair that took a right turn in the third round. Dustin Poirier of Lafayette, La., and Jim Miller of Sparta, N.J., threw down for two ferocious rounds as they bloodied and battered each other with heavy shots.
In the third, Miller (28-9, one no-contest) injured Poirier's right leg with a wicked kick, but a wobbly Poirier (21-5) adjusted by taking the fight to the mat and getting the better of the grappling. Poirier earned his fifth win in his past six fights via majority decision, with a 30-7 and 29-28 in his favor to one judge's 28-28 card.
"He hurt me with that kick," Poirier said. "I knew I had to adjust. He's Jim Miller, man, he's one of the toughest guys in the sport."
