Holly Holm may be at a crossroads where her future hangs in the balance.
The former bantamweight champion suffered a disappointing loss to two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison at UFC 300 after receiving a takedown and a chokeout in the second round. With the loss, Holm falls to 1-2 with one no-contest in her last four fights, with both losses coming by submission.
Following the disappointing loss, Holm released a statement on social media about her performance.
“The last 10 weeks of this training camp, nothing has turned out the way I envisioned it,” Holm said. “There are no excuses. I had the best coaching, the best teammates, the best sparring and all the help I never even dreamed of asking for.
“I went into the fight and I completely lost focus on my game plan. I couldn't do anything I had been practicing for this fight. Hats off to Kayla, she was the better fighter tonight. was.”
Early in the opening round, Holm engaged Harrison in a grappling exchange, which seemed like a bad idea considering the former PFL champion almost certainly wanted the fight on the ground. Holm actually made an early comeback, but then he found himself pinned down by Harrison, receiving elbows and punches for nearly five minutes straight.
Things got even worse in the second round, when Harrison took Holm to the canvas again, moving forward to get her back and scoring a fight-ending rear-naked choke.
Holm, 42, acknowledged in a statement that she needs time to come to terms with the loss before deciding on her next career move.
“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.”
UFC CEO Dana White praised Harrison's debut performance, which lived up to the hype as one of the biggest free agent signings in recent history.
As for Holm, White continued to call her a legend in the sport, but believes her best days are behind her.
“I would love to see Holly retire,” White said in the UFC 300 post-fight press conference.
Obviously, Holm didn't respond to White's suggestion to call it a career, but understandably, she's still dealing with the immediate aftermath of her recent loss.
Whether she continues to fight or not, Holm remains one of the top women's bantamweights in history, especially after her KO of Ronda Rousey in 2015 resonated around the world. .
