Holly Holm

Holly Rene Holm entered the world on October 17, 1981, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This American athlete built a rare career spanning two distinct combat sports: professional boxing and mixed martial arts. Her journey began in kickboxing before she transitioned to the ring, where she became a multiple-time world champion across three weight classes. Holm defended her titles 18 times during her boxing tenure and earned Ring magazine Fighter of the Year honors in both 2005 and 2006. BoxRec currently ranks her as the fifth greatest female professional boxer of all time when measuring pound for pound. Holm made history in the octagon at UFC 193 on November 15, 2015, in Melbourne, Australia. She faced Ronda Rousey for the women's bantamweight title and delivered a stunning upset that ended Rousey's undefeated streak. ESPN later identified this bout as one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history. By winning this match, Holm became the first fighter to secure a major world title in both professional boxing and mixed martial arts. Fight Matrix now lists her as the 17th greatest female fighter overall based on pound-for-pound rankings. She previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) within the women's bantamweight division before retiring from the promotion.[edit]