Inside Holly Holm’s UFC Comeback

It’s been a long time coming, almost 19 months long in fact, but Holly Holm is just weeks away from returning to the UFC.

The former Bantamweight Champion last graced the octagon in October 2020, unleashing a dominant win over Irene Aldana to put her back into title contention for 2021. However, several periods of ill health kept her away from the cage for longer than she’d hoped.

Now, fully recovered and raring to get back into the octagon, the multiple boxing world champion and MMA star talks setbacks, resilience and a potential new boxing match-up.

From Championship to Layoff

‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ was, of course, responsible for one of the most defining moments in the history of the UFC. At UFC 193 in 2015, Holm brought the Ronda Rousey juggernaut to a screeching halt when she delivered a head kick 59 seconds into the second round of the Women’s Bantamweight Championship bout. Up until then, ‘Rowdy’ was unbeaten, but even her considerable groundwork skills weren’t enough to stop Holm from doing what she does best.

The years that followed brought a rollercoaster of triumphant wins, title defenses and challenges, and devastating losses. But, come January 2020, Holly Holm was back in form and blazed through Raquel Pennington and Aldana on the path back to the championship.

Unfortunately, following her October 2020 win, Holm was injured and forced to withdraw from a scheduled bout with Julianna Pena. Following her recovery, she secured a featherweight fight at UFC Fight Night 195 against Norma Dumont. But a cruel twist of fate in the form of knee problems caused those plans to be shelved as well. In a recent interview with Arial Helwani for MMA Hour, Holm recalled how she was “so close to getting there” but it was “one thing after another”.

Understanding that she needed to push forward, she made the decision to have surgery on her knee to remove “a piece of bone fragment floating around up there”.

Quashing those Retirement Rumours

To a fighter of Holm’s caliber, layoffs are temporary. For fans and pundits, layoffs are often misinterpreted as signs of impending retirements. In a fast-paced sport like MMA, being out of action and, therefore, out of mind for over 12 months can be a stumbling block to a return, but this particular fighter is nowhere near ready for retirement.

“Super frustrated” when she’s asked if she’s retired or heading towards it, Holm is adamant that retirement couldn’t be further from her mind. Ready to “show even more of my game”, she’s put the past well and truly behind her and is committed to regaining that momentum she built up during her last two wins.

Her win against Aldana, in particular, was one of her best fights to date, so she’s been working towards delivering similar results against Ketlen Vieira on May 22nd.

And no, Holm’s age hasn’t even factored into her decision making to stay the course. The award-winning fighter may have turned 40 last October, but as she says she’s “been beating up (my) body for a while” so it’s not like she’s not used to it. Plus, the setbacks and injuries she has dealt with have all contributed to helping her be healthier and “better at 40”.

Holm vs. Taylor?

For the immediate future, Holm is squarely thinking about demolishing Vieira like she did Aldana and Pennington to gain another chance at the title. But, long term, she’s open to the possibility of returning to the boxing ring, particularly since she’s planning to fight “until the wheels fall off”.

Holm, as readers should know by now, is one of the world’s best boxers. She transitioned full time to MMA in 2013 and brought with her a professional boxing record of 33-2-3 (including 16 successful title defenses at three different weight classes).

Despite previously believing she’d never box again, after seeing Katie Taylor’s latest big win Holm could be eyeing a match-up against the Undisputed Lightweight Champion.

Holly Holm and Katie Taylor have a history: before starting her pro MMA career, Holm had been in discussions with the Irish boxer over a potential match-up. Keen, however, to “do something that hasn’t been done”, she switched sports and built up a lucrative MMA career. Now that she’s fought in two weight classes in the UFC, she’s eager to “go back in and show what I can do” at 135lbs.