UFC 208: Holm vs. De Randamie Odds, Tickets, Predictions and Pre-Weigh-In Hype

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The UFC is back in action Saturday with UFC 208 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The first pay-per-view event of 2017 is full of terrific bouts, headlined by Holly Holm vs. Germaine de Randamie.

Holm, the former UFC bantamweight champion, will get an opportunity to be the first woman to hold belts in multiple divisions. This is because her match with De Randamie will be for the inaugural UFC Women's Featherweight Championship.

It is also the first fight in the UFC's newly minted women's featherweight division.

The main card features four other bouts, including a middleweight clash between the legendary Anderson Silva and Derek Brunson. Preliminary fights will air on UFC Fight Pass and Fox Sports 1.

With weigh-ins set to take place Friday at 6 p.m. ET, we're here to take a look at the latest news and hype heading into UFC 208. We will also examine the main card—along with the latest odds from OddsShark—and make our predictions.

UFC 208

What: Holm vs. De Randamie for women's featherweight title

Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

When: Saturday

Time: 10 p.m. ET

National TV: UFC PPV

Ticket Info: ScoreBig.com

Preliminary Cards: UFC Fight Pass (6:30 p.m. ET), FS1 (8 p.m. ET)

Main Card, Odds and Predictions

Latest Buzz

Cyborg Facing Drug Ban

One of the big reasons the UFC decided to implement the women's 145-pound weight class was to incorporate popular MMA star Cris "Cyborg" Justino. However, she won't be headlining UFC 208 because she recently submitted a positive drug test.

According to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, Justino tested positive for the banned diuretic spironolactone. Per Pugmire, Justino is seeking a retroactive exemption for the drug, stating she was given the prescription by a Brazilian doctor for the treatment of high blood pressure.

This, of course, isn't the first time Justino has been involved with doping allegations. Back in 2011, she tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol. If the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency considers her prior violation along with her current one, she could face up to a two-year ban from competition.

This would be a detriment to the UFC, which essentially created a new division in order to make Justino a regular headline draw.

Holm, De Randamie Not Concerned with Justino

Fans who may have been wondering why Justino isn't involved in the inaugural women's featherweight bout now have their answer. If you think, though, that Cyborg is going to overshadow the title fight, think again.

For Holm and De Randamie, this is still an opportunity to wear gold—even if some will continue to regard Justino as the top featherweight in the world.

Holm, who dealt with her fair share of fanfare leading up to her bout with then-bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey in November 2015, isn't buying into the noise. She recently said the following, per Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie:

Getting past De Randamie isn't going to be easy. While Holm is a savvy technical striker, De Randamie brings more range and more power. There's a real chance that Holm loses her third consecutive fight and De Randamie is the one left waiting for Justino.

Don't expect De Randamie to be looking ahead, either.

"Cris got the offer to fight Holly, Cris got the offer to fight me, and she wasn't able to," De Randamie said, per Bohn. "If you're a champion, you fight against everybody. Holly and I are going to fight, and one of us will decide who is the next No. 1."

The overall theme here is that fans can expect an actual championship fight Saturday. This isn't going to be like when the promotion dreamed up a new men's interim featherweight belt in order to headline UFC 206 between Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway.

Whether or not Justino eventually comes calling for the 145-pound title, this is the start of a new era in women's MMA, with Holm and De Randamie at the forefront.

Silva vs. McGregor Looming?

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UFC 208 is also going to feature one of the more popular fighters in recent MMA history in Anderson Silva. While he is no longer a dominant fighter, he is still a notable draw in the sport.

There's a chance that this week's fight against Brunson is a springboard back into the limelight. Silva, at any rate, is looking to challenge himself against one of the best fighters of today.

According to Martin Domin of the Mirror, Silva wants a match with Conor McGregor.

"I respect Conor McGregor's style," Silva said. "I think it's a great challenge for my martial arts techniques. And I don't talk to disrespect Conor; I do it for the challenge, for myself and for the best stand-up fighting. I think this is the great fight."

McGregor is trying to negotiate with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. However, the Irish superstar has never shied away from a big fight—or a big payday—and he would likely accept Silva's challenge at the right price.

"What's Anderson talking about?" McGregor said in response, per Andreas Hale of Yahoo Sports. "Look, I’ll fight any one of them. Make sure the numbers are right; make sure the situation is right. I'll fight any one of them at any given time.”

This would be an interesting fight, as Silva (a middleweight) is two weight classes above McGregor (a lightweight). Of course, Silva might want to concentrate on winning the fight in front of him first. He hasn't officially won a bout since October 2012.