Holly Holm is already a boxing Hall of Famer, and she’s expected by many to have the same future in MMA. Although it may seem that the 44-year-old Holm has done it all in both boxing and MMA, she’s still on the hunt for more.
The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion returns to action this Saturday, as she challenges champion Stephanie Han for her WBA lightweight title in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The bout will serve as the co-main event of MVP’s Amanda Serrano vs. Reina Tellez event. It would be a major achievement for Holm to win a major boxing title in a fourth weight class, especially this late into her career, and that’s exactly what keeps her going.
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“I’m a fighter and I love to fight,” Holm said at Tuesday’s Serrano vs. Tellez pre-fight press conference when asked about her reason to continue fighting. “I’ve just followed my passion where that’s taken me. It was with boxing for years, and then my passion took me over to MMA for years. Just seeing the opportunities that MVP has brought for women in boxing, to be able to come back and have even bigger opportunities coming back into the sport was something very intriguing. Seeing these girls have that passion made me think, ‘You know what, I want to be champion,’ and come back to a sport that was always great, but now it’s getting the recognition it deserves.
“To be able to fight in another weight division, I’ve never fought in this weight division in boxing before, but I did many years in MMA, so it made sense to come back and be able to fight in a weight division I don’t have a major belt in, and be able to fight for a belt. That’s my drive and that’s my passion.”
Although she might be mainly known for winning the UFC women’s bantamweight title and becoming one of the biggest stars in women’s MMA history, Holm has a rich history in boxing.
Holm fought in boxing from 2002 to 2012. During that span, she won major championship belts, including the WBC, WBF and IBA titles. In 2022, Holm was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The UFC legend got back into “The Sweet Science” in June, after being away from the sport over a decade. She defeated Yolanda Vega by unanimous decision in her return, improving her boxing record to 34-2-3.
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“I always want to do something I’ve never done before, or maybe something that has never been done at all.” Holm said. “I wanted to be a two-sport athlete and not just a two-sport athlete, but be a champion at the highest level in those two sports. So to be able to have another title in another weight class, I always want to do something that’s never been done. That’s my goal. I know that it’s something a small percentage of people can do, so I want to do it.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Holly Holm out to add major boxing title in fourth weight class
