Holly Holm’s decade-long run within the UFC has come to an finish.
On Monday, Holm’s agent Lenny Fresquez confirmed with MMA Junkie that ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ would discover free company for the primary time since 2015 following an preliminary report from Ariel Helwani. In line with Fresquez, Holm nonetheless had fights left on her contract however requested her outright launch, which the UFC granted.
Breaking:
Holly Holm has parted methods with the UFC and is now a free agent.
She had two fights left on her deal, requested to discover different alternatives and the UFC obliged.
She plans on persevering with to battle and is open to MMA or boxing, her long-time agent Lenny Fresquez tells…
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 14, 2025
Holm, 43, burst into the Octagon in 2015 and picked up a few huge wins over Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneu earlier than securing her first shot at UFC gold. In November of that very same 12 months, Holm scored one of many greatest upsets in UFC historical past, scoring a brutal second-round knockout towards ex-titleholder Ronda Rousey at UFC 193.
Holm’s knockout of Rousey earned her a double bonus on the night time and Knockout of the 12 months honors.
Holly Holm’s Run as bantamweight champion ended sooner than anticipated
Sadly, Holm’s run with the 135-pound crown would get reduce quick courtesy of Miesha Tate. ‘Cupcake’ submitted Holm within the fifth spherical of their UFC 196 headliner, bringing an finish to Holm’s temporary run with the belt.
Holm went on to face a few of the greatest names in ladies’s MMA historical past, together with Valentina Shevchenko, Amanda Nunes, and Cris Cyborg however was by no means in a position to duplicate the success she had in her first three appearances with the promotion.
Her remaining battle contained in the Octagon got here in April when she was matched up with two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison at UFC 300. Harrison made comparatively straightforward work of Holm, submitting her within the second spherical.
Other than her work in blended martial arts, Holm is a multi-time boxing world champion, defending her titles 18 occasions throughout three totally different weight courses. She is a two-time Ring Journal fighter of the 12 months and BoxRec lists her because the twelfth biggest P4P feminine boxer of all time. She was inducted into the Worldwide Girls’s Boxing Corridor of Fame in 2017 and the Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Fame 5 years later.
