Holly Holm: Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!
Who is Holly Holm?
Holly Holm is an American born martial artist, a former UFC Bantamweight Champion, a 19-time world boxing champion, and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. She is considered by many to be one of the best and most accomplished strikers to ever compete inside the ring or octagon. Holly became a household name in 2015, when she knocked out the seemingly unbeatable Ronda Rousey with a stunning head kick at UFC 193.
What this article covers:
- Who is Holly Holm?
- How Old is Holly Holm?
- How Much is Holly Holm Worth?
- How Tall is Holly Holm?
- Holly Holm Fight List
- Holly Holm's Best Fight of All Time
- Holly Holm Record
- Is Holly Holm Retired?
Holly Holm grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico with a massage therapist for a mother and a pastor for a father, earning her the true-but-terrifying nickname “The Preacher’s Daughter”. Her first foray into sports wasn’t combative at all; she focused on gymnastics and swimming until she finally discovered her calling around the age of sixteen.
Many successful fighters are lucky at the outset by running across the right person to mold them, and Holly is no exception. While taking a cardio kickboxing class, Holly Holm happened to walk into Mike Winklejohn’s gym. The world-famous striking trainer instantly recognized some potential in the young Holm and advised her to begin kickboxing.
After four years of training under the legendary coach, Holly had earned a 4-0-2 amateur record as a kickboxer. In September of 2001, she won an amateur Welterweight kickboxing title and retired from the sport at 6-0-2 to focus on boxing.
As questionable as it may seem to switch combat sports as an undefeated amateur champion, Holm did just that. And, although she had been successful in kickboxing, she climbed to incredible heights as a boxer.
Holm is considered to be one of, if not the, best female boxer to have ever competed. All told, Holm won and defended 19 professional boxing titles between 2002 and 2013 and retired with a record of 33-2-3. During that time, she was named the female fighter of the year twice consecutively, in 2005 and 2006. It came as a shock to many that the decorated striker would again go out on top and switch sports again; this time to MMA.
Holm started competing in MMA two years before retiring from boxing, but made the official switch when she turned pro for Bellator 91 in February of 2013. She surprised only those who weren’t aware of her striking prowess by knocking out her opponent in the second round.
This performance got Holm signed to Legacy Fighting Championship, where she knocked out four opponents back to back and claimed the title. In 2014, Holm’s MMA record was six and zero, with five knockout victories to her name.
Holm was signed by the UFC to compete against Marion Renau on UFC Fight Night 71, in Summer 2015. It was a major step up for Holm, and represented her biggest challenge to date. Hol won by unanimous decision, and set herself up for a title shot with the Judoka who had been armbarring all comers: Ronda Rousey.
The betting lines were heavily skewed towards Ronda, with Holm being a 9-1 underdog, as everyone prepared to see Rousey toss another striker to the mat and claim her arm on the way down. Holm shocked the world when she came out and not only survived the first 20 seconds, as so many of rousey’s opponents could not, but actually won the first round.
As the second round began, Ronda was already on wobbly legs. Holly kept her distance, dropped back, and placed a perfect head kick that sent Rousey to the canvas. The world, and the oddsmakers, went crazy, having witnessed the end of a 12 fight win streak that showed no signs of stopping.
In the wake of the Rousey fight, Holm’s boxing background began to get the notoriety it deserved, and she became known as one of the best female combat sports athletes to have ever done it. Although Holly didn’t defend the bantamweight title, she did challenge for multiple titles on several occasions after this, falling short each time but proving that she remains a top tier threat in the women’s divisions.
Few women have ever dominated the striking world in the way that Holm did and it’s to her credit that she rebuilt herself multiple times to switch sports after clearing out the competition in boxing and kickboxing. Her relationship with one of the greatest coaches of all time, Mike Winkeljohn, also sets her up to be a force in the coaching world.
Holly still has some competition left in her, and may well make another title run before she’s done. In any case, when it’s time to hang up the gloves, Holly’s coaching pedigree is a strong one. She’s already started creating awesome instructional content for DynamicStriking.com and we expect more in the future!
How Old is Holly Holm?
Holly Holm was born on October 17th, 1981 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is 41 years old as of 2022.
Holly Holm Family
Holly’s father was a pastor, giving her the foreboding moniker “The Preacher’s Daughter”. Her mother is a massage therapist. Both live in Albuquerque, as does Holly.
How Much is Holly Holm Worth?
Holly Holm has won and defended more than twenty world titles between kickboxing, boxing, and MMA. During that time, she competed heavily in the UFC and earned multiple fight of the night bonuses. She also earned many promotional deals in the wake of her knockout of Rousey. While her net worth is not public, it is likely considerable.
How Tall is Holly Holm?
Holly is 5’8”, making her fairly tall and rangy for the Women’s bantamweight division. Holly is structured perfectly for striking: her long limbs give her a 70” reach and lend themselves to her devastating head kicks.
How Much Does Holly Holm Weigh?
Holly Holm has competed at many different weights, but she is most well known for her tenure in the UFC, where she competed for titles at both 135 and 145.
Holly Holm Fight List
As a fighter in three sports, Holly Holm has had far too many bouts to list them all here. To get an idea of her achievements in the ring and octagon, we can take a look at some of her proudest moments in the combat sports as a whole:
Kickboxing
- 2001 International Kickboxing Federation USA National Amateur Welterweight Champion
- 6-0-2 record
Boxing
- Won and defended 17 professional titles in three weight classes in several organizations
- 33-2-3 record
- 2005 WBAN Hottest Rising Star of the Year
- 2005 The Ring Female Fighter of the Year
- 2006 The Ring Female Fighter of the Year
- 2006 IFBA Fighter of the Year
- 2007 WBAN Fighter of the Year
- 2010 WBAN Fighter of the Year
- 2012 World Boxing Federation Female Fighter of the Year
- 2005-2010, 2013 - New Mexico Boxer of the Year
- 2017 International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee
- 2022 International Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee
Mixed Martial Arts
- 4x Bantamweight and Featherweight title challenger
- 14x 2015 Knockout/Upset of the Year in MMA Media
- Record of 20-14
Holly Holm's Best Fight of All Time
Usually this is a debatable question; not so with Holm. Her best fight of all time was her 2015 head kick knockout upset over 7-time champion Ronda Rousey to claim the Bantamweight title. Her performance won her a fight of the night bonus, many media sponsorships, various awards, and legendary status in the UFC.
Who Did Holly Holm Lose To?
Holly Holm’s next fight after Ronda was a title defense against long-time UFC contender, Miesha Tate. Tate looked to be in trouble in the opening rounds, but eventually managed to take the contest to the ground. Holly narrowly escaped a choke that looked finished in the fourth round, only to find Miesha on her back again in round five. If there were any doubt about Holly Holm’s toughness, she refused to tap and made Miesha put her to sleep.
Holly Holm Record
Holly Holm has a kickboxing record of 6-0-2, an MMA record of 20-14, and a boxing record of 33-2-3. She is a champion in all three sports, and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Holly Holm Injuries
Holly Holm has fought an impressive career in spite of many major injuries. She broke her arm in her first MMA title win, requiring some time off before being able to debut in the UFC. As time has worn on, so have the injuries: Holm has been forced to withdraw from multiple bouts due to injury in the last few years.
Is Holly Holm Retired?
Holly Holm retired from boxing in her prime in 2013 as a 19-time champion. She has not officially retired from professional MMA, having competed as recently as May of 2022. In that bout, Holm was robbed in a decision that the referees got wrong, with almost every MMA outlet running a story about how she should have won. No doubt this leaves a bad taste in the hall of famers mouth, and she’ll likely be back in the future to fight out her six fight contract in the UFC.
As she continues to impress inside the cage, Holly has also begun to create, produce, and film instructional content for outlets like this one! She’s recently gotten together with her longtime striking coach, Mike Winkeljohn to create a product for DynamicStriking.com. The multi-time, multi-sport championship duo brings you “Effective Elbow Strikes for MMA” as a master class in the stand up-game . In this product, you’ll learn what it takes to incorporate not only punches and kicks, but elbows and knees as well. Bring this muay thai thinking to your next sparring session with these awesome tips from a UFC champion.
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