Holly Holm was one of the most obvious casualties when the GFL failed to launch as planned earlier this Spring.
Now set to make her return to boxing for Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, Holm had been granted her release by the UFC, with an eye on continuing her career in the fledgling Global Fight League. Her image was prominent in a video promo the league would release, but with funding for the team-based MMA promotion falling through, Holm was left without a fighting home. Temporarily, anyway.
“I think it’s one of those things that, I don’t put all— I work hard, and if something doesn’t work out, I don’t get to where it just drags me down,” Holm (15-7, 1NC MMA, 33-2-3 boxing) told Cageside Press while promoting her June 28 boxing match with Yolanda Vega. The fight comes as part of the Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chaverz Jr. undercard. “I just look for whatever door is open, whatever opportunities are open. That’s what hard work will get you, is options.”
In other words, it was far from GFL or bust for Holly Holm after leaving the UFC, where she last competed in a losing effort against Kayla Harrison at UFC 300. “I knew that if the GFL didn’t happen, I was gonna keep working for another fight, and be able to be competitive. Boxing has kind of been in the back of my mind for a while. So to me I just feel like this was meant to be.”
And should, however unlikely it might be, the GFL actually hold an event, or another MMA opportunity come up, former UFC women’s bantamweight champ Holly Holm is still game. “I’m focusing on boxing right now, but I definitely would love to still have another fight in MMA. I love both sports. I’m very passionate about fighting in general. Right now though my focus is just on boxing”
Speaking of which, it’s not quite like riding a bicycle perhaps, but Holm is getting comfortable training for a single discipline again. “I’ve been sparring in practice and there’s definitely times that I want to throw kicks, you know?” stated Holm. “It’s been fun to get back into just kinda, in boxing you can more fine tune little things and just focus on, you’re only focusing on two weapons. It’s kind of fun to get creative with it again.”
