“I Went 10 Years in Boxing and Then 10 Years of MMA”: Holly Holm Opens Up on Retirement From Combat Sports

Former women’s UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm has had undoubtedly one of the most decorated careers in combat sports. Starting out as a kickboxer and transitioning to boxing with finally settling down in MMA, the 41-year-old took the journey that very few athletes could even dream of. From winning multiple boxing titles to knocking out a superstar in Ronda Rousey, Holm has pretty much done it all. But just like every other successful athlete hangs up their boots at a point, even her career seems to be finally approaching that stage as we speak.

Speaking to the media ahead of her next MMA fight, the veteran addressed the subject of her retirement as she dwelled on her long and illustrious career. Interestingly, despite all the talks of her age being a factor, the former champ displayed the same excitement and confidence that has been a part of her career over the years.

Holly Holm talks about her decade-long MMA career and what’s ahead of her

Inquiries about retirement were quite natural, and the topic did pop up during the media day too. Responding to a question on the subject, Holm pointed out that her long combat career had seen criticisms even when she transitioned to MMA from boxing.

“I went 10 years of boxing and then 10 years of MMA. And you know, a lot of people were wondering if I should retire when I even started MMA and I’m sure glad I didn’t listen to everyone else because I had a whole career in MMA,” she explained.

On the topic of her hanging up her gloves, Holm didn’t seem too invested in the idea. Claiming that she still possessed the passion for the sport, she states, “…so I just gotta you know look in myself and I know I’m still capable and I know I still want to fight and I know I’m still passionate, so I’m just gonna keep going forward.”

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Well, so we suppose, ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ will be here for the next few years entertaining her fans.

Holm set to take on Yana Santos

As she steps into the tail end of her career, Holm’s fight against Yana Santos, formerly Yana Kunitskaya, could be a crucial point in the former champ’s career. A win here could either set her up for another climb up the rankings, but the obvious question here would be what if she loses?

The fact that Santos is coming off after a long layoff could also play to Holm’s advantage. And being the veteran that she is, we might just get to observe another Holly Holm classic performance on the fight night.

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What do you think of Holm’s statement on retirement? Is it due time for the legend to hang up her gloves? Let us know in the comment section below.