Former UFC bantamweight champion and champion professional boxer Holly Holm is now officially a member of the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame.
Announced as a part of the 2019 class, Holm’s (14-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) induction ceremony was postponed due to the uncertainty of the global pandemic, keeping the health and safety of all participants in mind.
One of the most decorated combat sports athletes from the state of New Mexico, Holm and her fellow inductees had their moment to shine as the ceremony finally came together on Aug. 15 after delays from the originally scheduled date in April 2020.
Holm posted pictures with her family and coaches at the ceremony along with a statement on her Instagram account:
Tonight I was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame. I am honored and humbled. I truly appreciate everyone who has supported me in my journey thus far. My family, friends, coaches, manager, teammates and of course all of my fans. Thank you for believing in me in this journey and taking this ride with me. I am only more motivated to keep pushing to succeed and strive for greatness. I want to continue to make you all proud of me. It is impossible to put in words how much love I feel everyday. Here’s to aiming high. I am still striving to be the best I can be. Thank you to my team! Thank you to my fans! Thank you to my city! Thank you to my state! ❤️
Holm became UFC bantamweight champion by landing arguably the most famous head kick in the history of MMA, knocking out Ronda Rousey in the second round of the main event at UFC 193. That moment and the celebration that followed is engrained into the memories of fans worldwide.
She would drop her title to Miesha Tate at UFC 196, but since Tate has come out of retirement, would like to run that one back. She also challenged for the inaugural UFC featherweight title and has competed in both weight classes since 2017.
Currently riding a two-fight win streak with wins over bantamweights Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana, Holm has a matchup against Norma Dumont at featherweight on the horizon in October.
Holm’s official New Mexico Hall of Fame page with her long list of career accolades can be viewed here.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.