After nearly precisely 10 years within the promotion, Holly Holm has been launched from her UFC contract. Standing as one of many biggest girls’s fighters in fight sports activities historical past, she leaves behind a stalwart legacy as a former Girls’s Bantamweight Champion, in addition to a long-time high contender within the division. She departs from the corporate with an total UFC report of 8-7-1 NC, arising brief in her closing Octagon look to earlier PFL light-weight queen Kayla Harrison at UFC 300 final yr.
Holly Holm Was As soon as One in every of Finest Feminine Boxers in World
Earlier than changing into the ladies’s combined martial arts icon she is in the present day, Holm was a dominant drive within the realm of boxing. Making her skilled debut in 2002, “The Preacher’s Daughter” went unbeaten in her first 9 bouts, amassing a report of seven wins and two attracts. Though she suffered her first ever defeat in her tenth stroll to the sq. circle, she instantly contended for the inaugural IBA Feminine Gentle Welterweight strap, which she received by unanimous determination.
For the remainder of her time in boxing, Holm had staked her declare to being an all-time feminine nice, successful 16 whole world championships and racking up a astounding report of 33-2-3. Within the coming years, she can be inducted into each the Worldwide Girls’s Boxing and Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Fame.
Holly Holm Makes Crossover to MMA After Conquering boxing
Following a extremely profitable run in boxing, Holly Holm made the choice to totally transition into combined martial arts in 2013. Though she was primarily a boxer for the primary 11 years of her fight sports activities profession, she had taken a number of kickboxing and MMA fights right here and there, notably competing in Bellator for a one-off combat.
In her first yr of combating in her new sport, Holm had carried out amazingly on the Southern United States regional scene, incomes the inaugural Legacy FC Girls’s Bantamweight Championship. Taking her first seven fights in a row, she was referred to as as much as the UFC in 2015, making her debut towards and beating future 135-lb champion Raquel Pennington by break up determination.
She then received her sophomore contest over Marion Reneau earlier than being thrown into her first UFC championship foremost occasion reverse one of the crucial influential athletes within the firm’s historical past, Ronda Rousey. By this level, Rousey was considered as a largely invincible determine on the earth of MMA, having defended her title six occasions. She was additionally a worldwide phenomenon, being amongst the preferred athletes on the planet. Nobody gave Holm an opportunity to dethrone “Rowdy,” however, in arguably the most important upset in UFC historical past, she rocked the world to its core by knocking out Rousey with an iconic head kick to win the bantamweight championship.
The victory immediately propelled Holm into superstardom, changing into a family identify within the sport. A profitable rematch towards Rousey was anticipated for Holm’s first protection, however, unwilling to attend lengthy for her rival to return, she accepted a bout versus Miesha Tate. The combat went all 5 rounds, however after being caught in a rear bare choke, Holm refused to faucet and was put to sleep by Tate, dropping her newly-earned title in stunning vogue.
Lengthy Highway Towards High Once more and Perennial High Contender Standing
Wanting to bounce again from the loss to Tate, Holly Holm took on surging Kyrgyzstan juggernaut Valentina Shevchenko, who handed the American her second straight set again by unanimous determination. Dropping two fights straight at bantamweight, she then opted to make a transfer up in weight to problem for the inaugural UFC Girls’s Featherweight Championship towards Dutch kickboxing sensation Germaine de Randamie.
In what ought to have been an thrilling conflict between two of ladies’s MMA greats, the competition was marred with controversy after the European repeatedly struck Holm after the bell on two totally different events. Regardless of these egregious fouls, de Randamie was not deducted any factors, resulting in widespread criticism by followers, fighters, and pundits alike towards the referee.
The bout was shut on the scorecards, however, ultimately, it was de Randamie who obtained her hand raised to turn out to be the brand new 145-lb champion whereas dealing Holm her third straight loss.
This wasn’t the final time Holly Holm ever fought for a UFC title, nonetheless, as she would see two extra championship alternatives, one at featherweight towards Cris Cyborg and once more at bantamweight reverse Amanda Nunes. She didn’t win promotional gold in both of those bouts, arising brief with Cyborg by unanimous determination and crumbling to Nunes by, mockingly, a head kick.
Though she went on to assert a number of extra stellar victories versus different top-tier girls’s fighters like Pennington for a second time, Yana Santos, and Irene Aldana, Holly Holm by no means once more reached the head of the game. Competing on what was to be her closing UFC card of her profession on the blockbuster occasion UFC 300, she stepped as much as face newly-acquired PFL standout Kayla Harrison. Being 42 years outdated on the time, the well-past-her-prime Holly Holm stood no likelihood towards the youthful Harrison, who blew by the previous champion in simply over two rounds by rear-naked choke.
The place Does Holly Holm Go From Right here?
Whereas she exits the promotion on a two-fight winless streak, Holly Holm will at all times be remembered as a legendary determine within the UFC. Having crossed paths with the very best of her technology, she simply stands amongst essentially the most veteran feminine fighters within the world chief in fight sports activities. The place she goes from right here is unsure. Nevertheless, in keeping with her agent per Ariel Helwani, she has a number of choices forward of her within the closing years of her profession, together with a return to boxing.
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 combat and is open to MMA or boxing, her long-time agent Lenny Fresquez tells…
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 14, 2025
Wherever she decides to go, although, the world will always remember when Holly Holm made the unimaginable occur to turn out to be the most effective feminine fighters of all time.
