Things didn’t go as planned for Holly Holm at UFC 300.
The former bantamweight titleholder put up little resistance against Kayla Harrison as she suffered a second-round submission loss in a preliminary bout Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The former boxing champion thought she had a range advantage against Harrison, a two-time gold medalist in judo, but Holm opted to clinch with her opponent instead. “The Preacher’s Daughter” was able to upset Harrison early on, but she almost lost against the former Professional Fighters League lightweight champion.
“Well, the last 10 weeks of this training camp have been nothing like I envisioned. There are no excuses. I have the best coaching, the best teammates, the best sparring and everything I could have asked for.” I’ve had all the help I could have ever dreamed of,” Holm said in a video post to Instagram.
“I went into the fight and I completely lost focus on my game plan. I couldn’t do anything that I had been practicing for this fight. Hats off to Kayla, but she was the better fighter tonight. was.”
When Holm defeated Ronda Rousey to win the 135-pound belt at UFC 193 in November 2015, the outcome was much different than the first time Holm competed against her. Meanwhile, there were questions about how Harrison would react to the move down to bantamweight, but for the first time, the American Top Team product appeared to be physically dominant throughout the contest. Holm has won just one of her last four appearances in the Octagon dating back to May 2022, but UFC CEO Dana White announced in Saturday’s post-fight press conference that the former champion is retiring. “I definitely want to see it,” he said.
But at this point, calling it a career doesn’t seem to be on the cards for the 42-year-old Jackson Wink MMA standout.
“I just know I’m capable of more than that,” Holm said. “I’m one of those people who would rather introspect than run away from things. I think being honest with yourself is sometimes the hardest thing to do. But I’m healthy, my heart hurts. My ego is hurting.
“But I would like to thank all the fans who are always by my side, and of course my team, coaches, family and friends. Much love to you all, thank you, and I hope to be back again soon.” Masu.”
