Holly Holm Exits UFC After Requesting Release

Holly Holm has left the UFC after the promotion granted her request to be released from her contract.

The 43-year-old Holm still had two fights left on her current UFC contract, but wanted to explore other opportunities as a free agent, and according to her manager Lenny Fresquez she is open to competing for other promotions in either MMA or boxing.

Holm’s exit comes at a time when she’s drifted further away from another title shot at bantamweight following a one-sided defeat to Kayla Harrison at UFC 300 last year that saw her submitted in the second round.

Before that Holm had also been defeated by Mayra Bueno Silva via a ninja choke in July of 2023, although that fight was later amended to a no-contest due to Silva testing positive for ritalinic acid.

However, Holm’s place in UFC history had already been cemented almost a decade ago when she sent shockwaves around the world by KO’ing undefeated superstar Ronda Rousey to win the bantamweight title.

And even before that ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ had already been a combat sports icon due to her decorated career in the boxing ring, which spanned over a decade and included 16 successful title defenses across three different weight classes.

Beating Rousey after transitioning to MMA undoubtedly propelled her stardom to a whole new level however, but Holm wasn’t able to seize that golden opportunity to become the next face of women’s MMA, instead going on to lose her next five of her next seven fights in the Octagon.

Holm hasn’t been able to turn things around in the years since and so she bows out of the UFC with an overall 8-7 (+1nc) run in the promotion, and a 15-7 (+1nc) record overall, to go alongside her pro-boxing tally of 33-2-3.