UFC legend leaves the promotion with two fights left on deal after one of the biggest upsets of all time
01/14/2025 05:10 AM
The UFC and Holly Holm, the former women’s bantamweight champion, have mutually agreed to part ways after a 10-year run in the promotion.
Despite picking up three losses in her last four fights, Holly Holm continued to remain near the top of the women’s bantamweight division and always seemed just a few wins away from fighting for the title again.
Her last fight was in April at UFC 300 when she welcomed promotional newcomer Kayla Harrison and was subsequently dominated and finished by the Olympic gold medalist.
Holly Holm leaves the UFC with two fights left on her contract
‘The Preachers Daughter’s’ exit from the UFC comes as a big surprise considering she still had two fights left on her contract.
Despite that, the UFC obliged when the 43-year-old asked for her release according to MMA journalist, Ariel Helwani, who broke the news this past Monday.
Holm told the promotion that she wishes to explore other opportunities, likely coming to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t reclaim UFC gold.
The former champion has a background in boxing and is a Hall of Famer in the sport and will likely find herself in the UFC Hall of Fame in years to come.
According to Helwani who spoke to Holm’s manager on Monday, the 43-year-old wants to explore other opportunities in both boxing and MMA and is willing to compete in either sport, nearing the end of her career which saw her finish 8-7 in the UFC.
Holm won the women’s bantamweight title back in 2015 when she knocked out Ronda Rousey in one of the biggest upsets in the sports history, becoming the first female to beat ‘Rowdy’ Ronda.
Where could Holly Holm end up following her release from the UFC?
With the growing popularity of influencer boxing and especially the promotion, Misfits, Holm could find herself fighting under their banner, taking what would likely be a lucrative payday.
Fellow former UFC star, Paige VanZant fought on Misfits boxing following her shock exit from the UFC back in 2020.
Despite that, it was recently announced that rival MMA promotion to the UFC, GFL is set to run their inaugural show in 2025 and they have signed a plethora of former UFC fighters, most of which are over the age of 35.
The aforementioned VanZant will be fighting in the promotion and they are hopeful of running a product that will be able to compete with the UFC.
It was revealed recently by MMA journalist, Alex Behunin, that the promotion is paying a former UFC heavyweight $1.1m per fight.
With Holm open to continue competing in the sport, GFL stands as one of the only other options, along with the PFL, who don’t have a women’s 135lb division.
