Holly Holm

Holly Rene Holm-Kirkpatrick (born Holly Rene Holm; October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight division. She is the former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. Holm is also a former professional boxer and kickboxer. She was a multiple-time world champion in boxing, defending her titles 18 times in three weight classes, and was a two-time Ring magazine fighter of the year (2005, 2006). Holm's most notable win in mixed martial arts (MMA) occurred at UFC 193, in front of a record-breaking crowd for a UFC event (56,214 people) in Melbourne, when she captured the bantamweight title and gave Ronda Rousey her first and only loss in the sport. The fight is considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports. Holm is the first person to win championships in both boxing and mixed martial arts. As of July 28, 2016, she is ranked the #4 female bantamweight contender by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and the #2 fighter by Sherdog. She is also ranked the #3 pound-for-pound female fighter by Sherdog, while Fight Matrix lists her as #7. UFC fighter and teammate Jon Jones has called her the greatest female athlete in the history of combat sports. Outside of MMA, she appears in the 2016 feature film Fight Valley. Early life Holly Holm was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and grew up in nearby Bosque Farms, the youngest of three children. Her father, Roger, is a Church of Christ preacher — as a fighter, Holly would later be nicknamed "The Preacher's Daughter" – and her mother, Tammy, is a massage therapist. Holm is of Irish descent. Growing up, Holm played soccer and participated in gymnastics, swimming and diving. Her parents divorced shortly before she graduated from Manzano High School in 2000; after graduation, she studied for a year at the University of New Mexico. Personal life Holm has close relationships with her parents and brothers. Her father has never missed any of her fights, and for years assisted in her corner during her boxing matches. She and her father are partners in a real estate company. Holm is a Christian and her faith background is in Churches of Christ. In 2012, she married Jeff Kirkpatrick, who is also from Albuquerque.