Holly Holm exits UFC roster after requesting release from promotion
Holly Holm is looking for a new fighting home.
On Monday, Holm’s longtime manager Lenny Fresquez confirmed to MMA Fighting that she requested and was granted her release from the UFC roster. While Holm still had fights left on her contract, the promotion released her and now the former bantamweight champion is free to sign with a new organization.
Yahoo Sports first reported the news.
The 43-year-old veteran, who is also a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, last fought at UFC 300 when she was submitted by Kayla Harrison in the second round. That dropped her record to 3-3 with one no contest over seven fights but perhaps more importantly, it likely knocked Holm out of title contention for the foreseeable future.
Of course, Holm remained one of the biggest names on the women’s roster in the UFC after she shot to stardom following a stunning head kick knockout win over Ronda Rousey in 2015. Holm claimed the UFC title in just in her third fight with the promotion.
Her title reign ended one fight later when she fell to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 and Holm was never able to taste gold again.
Holm fought for the bantamweight title again in 2019 but fell to Amanda Nunes by knockout. She also came up short in two separate bids to win the now defunct UFC women’s featherweight title after dropping a pair of decisions to Cris Cyborg and Germaine de Randamie.
While she never reclaimed a UFC title during her run with the promotion, Holm was a constant presence near the top of the rankings while knocking off several top contenders including Raquel Pennington, Irene Aldana and Bethe Correia.
Now Holm enters free agency for the first time since she joined the UFC roster a decade ago.