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. Based on Fresquez, Holm nonetheless had fights left on her contract however requested her outright launch, which the UFC granted.
Holm, 43, burst into the Octagon in 2015 and picked up a few massive wins over Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneu earlier than securing her first shot at UFC gold. In November of that very same yr, Holm scored one of many largest 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 Yr honors.
Holly Holm’s Run as bantamweight champion ended sooner than anticipated
Sadly, Holm’s run with the 135-pound crown would get minimize quick courtesy of Miesha Tate. ‘Cupcake’ submitted Holm within the fifth spherical of their UFC 196 headliner, bringing an finish to Holm’s transient run with the belt.
Holm went on to face a few of the largest 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 last combat 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.
Following the loss, UFC CEO Dana White strongly inspired Holm to retire.
Except for her work in blended martial arts, Holm is a multi-time boxing world champion, defending her titles 18 occasions throughout three completely different weight lessons. She is a two-time Ring Journal fighter of the yr and BoxRec lists her because the twelfth best 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.
