The woman who first beat Ronda Rousey is gone.
The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion has been released from her contract. Uncrowned first reported the news that Holm requested a chance to explore free agency. The 43-year-old had two fights remaining on her UFC contract. There’s no word on where exactly Holm plans to go next, but she intends to continue fighting.
Holm is a decorated boxer who had 16 title defenses in three different weight classes. It’s possible that she’ll return to boxing, but the report says that she’s also open to doing MMA as well. Holm shocked the world at UFC 193 by beating Ronda Rousey via TKO for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. Though she dropped the belt immediately to Miesha Tate in her first title defense, the dominant Ronda Rousey win came at a time when the former UFC star was such a huge force in the sport.
Unfortunately, Holm never recaptured that magic throughout the remainder of her UFC career. She was given several opportunities at the Bantamweight belt, but she couldn’t take down Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes. Still, Holm’s overall record isn’t too bad as she has more wins than losses in UFC. But the news of Holm leaving the promotion isn’t particularly surprising.
Following her loss to Kayla Harrison in April 2024 (which was her final UFC fight), Dana White actually urged the former Women’s Bantamweight Champion to retire, “I would love to see Holly retire,” White told reporters. But Holm had no interest in hanging up the gloves:
“I’m pissed off,” Holm told MMA Junkie at UFC X Radio Row. “I’ve lost a lot of sleep over it because I just know I’m capable of more than what I performed. That’s how it goes. You can’t go back and change it. You’ve got to suck it up, own it, and keep grinding, and move forward.
“I’m ready to go whenever. I definitely am not ready to be done fighting. I know I’m still healthy and capable. I’m just mad that I haven’t performed.”
With Dana White urging Holm to retire, you can understand why it was easy for Holm to get out of her contract. Hopefully, Holm finds success in her next endeavor. The former UFC star is 43-year-old so retirement is looming, and Holm probably wanted a change of scenery to finish off her career. That’s pure speculation on my end. She leaves the UFC with a record of 15 wins and 7 losses.