Holly

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Holm is the youngest of three children. Her father, Roger, is a Church of Christ preacher of Swedish and Native American ancestry—as a fighter, Holly would later be nicknamed 'The Preacher's Daughter'—and her mother, Tammy, is a massage therapist of Irish and French descent. Growing up, Holm played soccer and participated in gymnastics, swimming and diving. Her parents divorced shortly before she graduated from Manzano High School in 2000; after graduation, she studied for a year at the University of New Mexico. Holm's path to a career in boxing and kickboxing began with aerobics classes when she was 16 years old. Her cardio-kickboxing instructor, Mike Winkeljohn, recognized Holm's potential as a fighter and began training her. In September 2001, Holm won the championship title in the International Rules Adult Women's Welterweight Division at the IKF USA National Amateur Championship Tournament, held in Kansas City, Missouri. She fought two bouts in the tournament, winning the first by TKO at 34 seconds in the first round and the second by unanimous decision. Her overall amateur kickboxing record is 6–0–2.

In Their Own Story

In her highest-profile MMA fight to date, Holm was initially scheduled to face defending women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 195 on January 2, 2016. However, following a bout shuffle due to Robbie Lawler's injury, they faced before a record-setting crowd in the main event of UFC 193 on November 14, 2015. Despite being a massive betting underdog, Holm controlled a majority of the bout with her striking and defended all of Rousey's takedowns. The second fighter to take Rousey past the first round (after Miesha Tate), she won the fight via knockout in the second with a high kick, ending Rousey's undefeated streak and three-year reign as champion, causing her to spend the night in the hospital. Holm was also awarded her first 'Fight of the Night' and 'Performance of the Night' bonus awards (totalling $100,000). By winning the title, she became the first person to win championships in both boxing and MMA. Following the bout, UFC fighter Jon Jones said he thought Holm was 'already the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) of women's combat sports'. Her hometown, Albuquerque, New Mexico, proclaimed November 'Holly Holm Month'.

Reader's Guide

Holm made her mixed martial arts debut on March 4, 2011, against Christina Domke, winning via TKO in the second round after her opponent was unable to continue due to leg kicks. She returned on September 9, 2011, against Strikeforce veteran Jan Finney, defeating Finney by TKO in the third round. On February 28, 2013, Holm made her Bellator MMA debut against Katie Merrill at Bellator 91, winning via TKO in the second round. Holm announced she would retire from boxing after her May 11, 2013, boxing match against Mary McGee so that she could fully concentrate on her MMA career. She defeated McGee via unanimous decision for her boxing retirement bout. On July 19, 2013, Holm faced Allanna Jones at Legacy Fighting Championship 21, winning by head-kick knockout in the second round. She faced Nikki Knudsen at Legacy Fighting Championship 24 on October 11, 2013, winning via TKO due to a body kick and knees in round two. On December 6, 2013, Holm faced Angela Hayes at Fresquez Productions: Havoc, winning via unanimous decision. On April 4, 2014, Holm faced Juliana Werner for the inaugural Legacy FC Women's Bantamweight Championship, winning the bout and title via TKO in the fifth round due to a head kick and punches. Holm broke her left arm during the first round of the bout. On July 10, 2014, the media announced that Holm had signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC. Holm made her UFC debut at UFC 184 against Raquel Pennington, winning by split decision. She faced Marion Reneau on July 15, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 71, winning by unanimous decision. In her first title defense, Holm lost to Miesha Tate in the fifth round on March 5, 2016, at UFC 196 via rear-naked choke. Holm faced Valentina Shevchenko on July 23, 2016, at UFC on Fox 20, losing via unanimous decision. Holm faced Germaine de Randamie at UFC 208 for the inaugural UFC Women's Featherweight Championship on February 11, 2017, losing via unanimous decision. Holm signed with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions in May 2025. She made her boxing return in a 10-round lightweight bout against previously undefeated Yolanda Ochoa on June 28, 2025, in Anaheim, California, winning by unanimous decision. She challenged WBA female lightweight champion Stephanie Han at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on January 3, 2026, losing by unanimous technical decision. Holm challenged Stephanie Han for her WBA lightweight title in a rematch at County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, on May 30, 2026, losing via majority decision.

Did You Know?

• Holm is the first fighter to have won a major world title in both professional boxing and mixed martial arts.
• She was a two-time Ring magazine female Fighter of the Year, winning in 2005 and 2006.
• Holm's knockout of Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 is generally considered one of the biggest upsets in combat-sports history according to ESPN.
• Her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, proclaimed November 'Holly Holm Month' after her UFC title win.
• Holm broke her left arm during the first round of her Legacy FC title fight against Juliana Werner but still won by TKO in the fifth round.