Ex-UFC champ Holm returns to boxing, signs with Paul's MVP
Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm is returning to boxing.
Holm has signed a deal with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions and will compete on the undercard of Paul's June 28 fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., it was announced Wednesday.
Holm is scheduled to face Yolanda Vega in a 10-round lightweight bout at Honda Center in Anaheim.
"I'm excited to partner with Most Valuable Promotions and return to the boxing ring," Holm said in a statement to ESPN's Andreas Hale. "This new chapter is going to be an exciting journey, and I'm looking forward to the challenge."
Holm is the latest addition to MVP's growing roster of top women's boxers. The promotion announced earlier this week it had signed IBF super middleweight champion Savannah Marshall and WBC interim lightweight champ Chantelle Cameron. MVP also has deals with Amanda Serrano and Alycia Baumgardner.
Holm, 43, parted ways with the UFC in January after requesting her release, ending a 10-year run with the premier MMA promotion. Holm, who trains out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, famously knocked out Ronda Rousey in one of the biggest upsets of all time in 2015 to capture the UFC women's bantamweight title. Holm never successfully defended the belt and finished her UFC career with an 8-7 (1 NC) record. Her final fight was a submission loss to Kayla Harrison at UFC 300 last April.
Before signing with UFC, Holm was one of the best women's boxers in the world. She amassed a professional record of 33-2-3 from 2002-13 and won world titles in three weight classes. Holm transitioned to MMA full time in 2013 after competing in both sports for a brief period.
Vega, a 29-year-old Mexico native, is undefeated at 10-0. She last stepped into the ring in March.