Former UFC champion Holly Holm is a free agent.
On Monday, it was reported by Ariel Helwani at Yahoo Sports that former women’s bantamweight champion, Holly Holm had received her release from the UFC after ten years with the promotion.
Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez confirmed the news to various media outlets that the fighter requested and was granted her release. Fresquez tells Yahoo that his client had two fights remaining on her UFC deal and is seeking fights in MMA and/or boxing.
The 43-year-old had a decorated career in boxing where she competed across three weight classes and won two championships at welterweight and light welterweight. After a 33-2-3 record, she left the sport in 2013 and focused on MMA full-time.
After going 7-0, she was signed by the UFC and debuted at UFC 184 where she beat future champion Raquel Pennington followed by a decision win against Marion Reneau.
It set the stage for one of the biggest fights in UFC history when Holm upset champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 to win the 135-pound title and hand Rousey her first pro loss. It was one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history in front of a stadium crowd in Melbourne, Australia.
The title reign was short-lived as Holm lost the title in her first defense when she fought Miesha Tate at UFC 196 in March 2016.
Holm remained a prominent fixture in the women’s divisions including a stint at featherweight including challenging Cris Cyborg for the championship in December 2017 but was unsuccessful.
Holm challenged for the bantamweight title again in July 2019, losing to Amanda Nunes by TKO at UFC 239.
She remained at bantamweight over the last several years and last competed in April 2024 where she was submitted by Kayla Harrison at UFC 300.
