Holly Holm Agrees to New 6-Fight UFC Contract Ahead of Fight Night Bout vs. Santos

Holly Holm is sticking with the UFC for at least six more fights.

Her promoter, Lenny Fresquez, told Rick Wright of the Albuquerque Journal that Holm signed a six-fight contract with the UFC ahead of Saturday's matchup with Yana Santos at UFC Fight Night in San Antonio.

"They [the UFC] love Holly," he said. "They know she's one of the faces of the UFC and they wanted her to stay."

Holm, 41, last fought in May's UFC Fight Night, losing to Ketlen Vieira by a split decision. For her career she's gone 14-6, with her career peaking in 2015 when she stunned the fighting world by beating Ronda Rousey for the UFC bantamweight title.

She has had four title fights since, losing that bantamweight title to Miesha Tate in 2016, losing a shot at the featherweight title in 2017 to Germaine de Randamie, losing a shot at the featherweight title later in 2017 to Cris Cyborg and losing another chance to reclaim the bantamweight title in 2019 to Amanda Nunes.

"Her mission is to get that gold," Fresquez said of the bantamweight title. "She's one or two fights away from it."

Since beating Rousey, Holm is just 4-6, though she has matched up against some of the top names in the UFC. Still, getting back on a consistent streak of wins is vital.

"This is a very important fight for her," Fresquez said of the matchup with Santos. "But I'm confident she's going to look very good."

As for why the UFC would commit to six more fights for a 41-year-old fighter, Fresquez argued that Holm still moves the needle, with 2.5 million followers on Instagram and other fight promotions interested in her services.

"[The UFC] knew Holly had lots of options out there," he said. "She was very sought-after and probably could have earned more money elsewhere."

But that won't be happening anytime soon after Wednesday's news.