Holly
Holm’s tenure with the Ultimate Fighting Championship isn’t
ending anytime soon.
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The 41-year-old former bantamweight champion signed a new six-fight
contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion ahead of her showdown
with Yana Santos
(formerly Yana Kunitskaya) at UFC
on ESPN 43 on Saturday. Holm’s longtime representative, Lenny
Fresquez, confirmed the news to the
Albuquerque Journal on Tuesday. The deal was reportedly
completed in December but wasn’t announced until recently.
“[The UFC] knew Holly had lots of options out there,” Fresquez told
the Journal. “She was very sought after and probably could have
earned more money elsewhere.
“They love Holly,” he added, “they know she’s one of the faces of
the UFC and they wanted her to stay.”
Holm is coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Ketlen
Vieira in the UFC Fight Night 206 main event last May. Prior to
that, “The Preacher’s Daughter” earned back-to-back decision
triumphs over Irene
Aldana and Raquel
Pennington in 2020.
The Jackson-Wink MMA standout reached a new level of fame when she
upset Ronda
Rousey to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 193 in November
2015. She lost the belt in her next appearance against Miesha Tate
at UFC 196, falling via submission in the fifth round. Since then,
Holm has come up short in title bids at featherweight (twice) and
bantamweight. According to Fresquez, Holm’s goal remains to become
a champion again before her career is over.
“Her mission is to get that gold,” Fresquez said. “She’s one or two
fights away from it.”
UFC on ESPN 43 takes place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio,
Texas and is headlined by a bantamweight clash pitting Marlon Vera
against Cory
Sandhagen. Holm vs. Santos is slated for the co-main event.