Holly Holm Ends 10-Year Run with the UFC, Expected to Explore Free Agency
Holly Holm’s decade-long run in the UFC has come to an end.
On Monday, Holm’s agent Lenny Fresquez confirmed with MMA Junkie that ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ would explore free agency for the first time since 2015 following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. According to Fresquez, Holm still had fights left on her contract but requested her outright release, which the UFC granted.
Holm, 43, burst into the Octagon in 2015 and picked up a couple of big wins over Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneu before securing her first shot at UFC gold. In November of that same year, Holm scored one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, scoring a brutal second-round knockout against ex-titleholder Ronda Rousey at UFC 193.
Holm’s knockout of Rousey earned her a double bonus on the night and Knockout of the Year honors.
Holly Holm’s Run as bantamweight champion ended earlier than expected
Unfortunately, Holm’s run with the 135-pound crown would get cut short courtesy of Miesha Tate. ‘Cupcake’ submitted Holm in the fifth round of their UFC 196 headliner, bringing an end to Holm’s brief run with the belt.
Holm went on to face some of the biggest names in women’s MMA history, including Valentina Shevchenko, Amanda Nunes, and Cris Cyborg but was never able to duplicate the success she had in her first three appearances with the promotion.
Her final fight inside the Octagon came in April when she was matched up with two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison at UFC 300. Harrison made relatively easy work of Holm, submitting her in the second round.
Following the loss, UFC CEO Dana White strongly encouraged Holm to retire.
Aside from her work in mixed martial arts, Holm is a multi-time boxing world champion, defending her titles 18 times across three different weight classes. She is a two-time Ring Magazine fighter of the year and BoxRec lists her as the 12th greatest P4P female boxer of all time. She was inducted into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame five years later.
