Former Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm Granted UFC Release

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm is a free agent.

Holm, a decade-long UFC vet who is best known for ending the undefeated record of Ronda Rousey with a brutal head kick knockout, reportedly parted ways with the promotion after requesting her release, per Ariel Helwani of Uncrowned.

Holm, 43, wraps up a UFC stint which saw her quickly establish her status as one of the top bantamweight fighters and continue to be a big player in the division through 16 fights.

After a career in boxing through the 2000s and early 2010s – which earned her a spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame – Holm primarily turned her focus toward MMA.

She joined the UFC roster in 2015, two years after the arrival of Rousey and the start of the promotion’s first major investment into the women’s side of the sport.

After attaining a pair of wins in the promotion, Holm dethroned Rousey at UFC 193, ending the champ’s 12-fight undefeated record and making her the second-ever titleholder in women’s bantamweight history.

Holm’s run with the belt ended up being short-lived, dropping the title a year later to Miesha Tate. She would go on to play a significant role in the promotion for years to come, including two title fights up at featherweight and five different “Fight Night” main events.

Holm last appeared as part of UFC 300, losing via submission to former PFL champ Kayla Harrison.

What’s next for Holm remains unclear, although sources told Uncrowned that she is willing to pursue both MMA and boxing.

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