UFC 208: Head-to-Toe Breakdown for Holly Holm vs. Germaine De Randamie

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The UFC crowns its first UFC women's featherweight champion this Saturday at UFC 208 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Competing for the title will be former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie.

Holm is coming off back-to-back losses. She lost her title to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 last March and then dropped a bout with Valentina Shevchenko in July. Nevertheless, her knockout of Ronda Rousey in November 2015 still resonates as she moves up in weight to take a crack at winning a new belt.

De Randamie may be largely unknown to casual fans, but she is 3-1 in the UFC, with her lone loss coming at the hands of current bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes.

History will be made regardless of who wins, but Holm has a chance to join an exclusive club of two division champions. Can she do it? The answer to that question comes down to how the fight shapes up stylistically. This is your look at the head-to-toe breakdown for the UFC 208 title tilt.

Let's go.

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Typically, the head-to-toe breakdowns begin with striking, but with this being a striker vs. striker matchup, we need to build the anticipation. Thus, let's start with the grappling.

Something we may not see a lot of in this fight.

Regardless, the edge goes to Holm.

She has shown the ability to grapple in her MMA career, although it is not her strong suit. De Randamie, on the other hand, is almost exclusively a striker. She has improved her takedown defense over the years, but it's nothing exceptional.

Holm trains with the elite of the elite at Jackson's MMA, and no doubt she has continually worked on her wrestling. It will be interesting to see how she uses her growing offensive grappling skills against De Randamie in a five-round fight. 

Edge: Holm

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Neither woman has ever finished a fight by way of submission, but that doesn't mean they don't have basic skills in the area.

However, much like the previous category, Holm gets the nod.

She trains at a better camp with a proven track record. Her submission defense against Ronda Rousey showcased her progression as a grappler. Now she has a chance to show off her offensive skills as well, should the opportunity arise.

Although Holm gets the edge on paper, until we see the women mix it up on the mat, we are just throwing darts at judging their ground game.

Edge: Holm

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De Randamie's X-Factor: Being the Main Event

De Randamie has never been the main event or gone five rounds in MMA. Now she's headlining a UFC card in Brooklyn. That's quite a leap.

Can she be as calm as Amanda Nunes was when she made the jump? Perhaps. A long combat sports career gives De Randamie some experience, but this is a unique occasion. More importantly, a five-round contest will test her in ways she has yet to face inside the Octagon.

Holm's X-Factor: Offensive Output

Holm needs a sense of urgency with her offense. That doesn't mean she needs to go for broke as soon as the referee starts the action, but she needs a higher tempo.

Per FightMetric, Holm has thrown at least 60 significant strikes just once: a three-round win over Marion Reneau.

Her workmanlike performance against Raquel Pennington almost resulted in a loss, and Valentina Shevchenko outworked her last time out. A higher output would look better on the scorecards and force De Randamie to fight at a higher rate in a five-round battle.

Whether she uses strikes or takedown attempts, Holm needs to set a higher tempo than we saw in her last fight.

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The stand-up battle between De Randamie and Holm is compelling and the biggest reason to watch. The person who will win the exchanges depends on the game plans. But I'll pick De Randamie.

Two significant factors come into play in tipping the scale toward De Randamie: reach and power.

The Iron Lady has gnarly leg kicks and knees. Holm is no slouch, but De Randamie brings different power in with her striking. Not cutting to 135 will only help her to show off her raw power.

Her jab and kicks could keep Holm on the outside where she isn't quite accustomed to being inside the Octagon. Holm may have to threaten with takedowns early to set up her striking for the duration of the fight. It will be an intriguing clash, but all things considered, let's tab De Randamie as having the edge.

Edge: De Randamie

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Give me Holm.

De Randamie is capable of pulling off the victory by TKO or decision, but I expect Holm to come out with a grappling-based attack that drains De Randamie of her energy.

In the early rounds, Holm will be largely unsuccessful with takedowns. However, it will result in clinch battles against the cage. She'll make De Randamie work for every inch of space. As the fight wears on, Holm can then put De Randamie on her back.

Holm's training in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will prepare her for a rear-naked choke finish when a tired De Randamie makes a mental error. Holm joins the ranks as two-division UFC champions this Saturday. 

Prediction: Holm defeats De Randamie via submission in the fourth round.