Former UFC champion Holly Holm is set to make her return to the boxing ring on June 28 under Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Holm is scheduled to compete on the undercard, while Jake Paul will headline the main event against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
The fighter signed the deal shortly after her UFC exit. Holm, who once held the UFC bantamweight title after her iconic head-kick knockout of Ronda Rousey in 2015, walked away from the promotion despite having multiple fights left on her contract. She later joined GFL, but with the promotion delaying its debut event, Holm began teasing a return to boxing—a sport where she previously built a Hall of Fame career with multiple titles across several divisions. She retired from boxing with an impressive 33-2-3 record.
After months of speculation, Holm has officially signed with Most Valuable Promotions, a boxing organization owned by Jake Paul. The deal was announced on Wednesday, and she will make her MVP debut against Yolanda Vega.
“I’m excited to partner with Most Valuable Promotions and return to the boxing ring,” Holm said in a statement. “This new chapter is going to be an exciting journey, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Coming full circle back to boxing—I’ve spent most of my MMA career at 135 pounds, and now I have the opportunity to make my boxing debut at that weight.
With boxing titles in three higher weight classes under my belt, I’m eager to pursue a fourth title in a new division.”
Holm is excited about the move, but fans are still wondering whether she’ll return to the Octagon to continue her MMA career.
“Gosh, I mean, in a perfect world, I’d do both [MMA and boxing],” Holm said to Ariel Helwani in January when asked what’s next after parting ways with the UFC. “If I can, I’d like to have another fight for MMA, and another fight for boxing. I mean, yeah [one in each], I think that would be awesome.”
“I think—I still want to—gosh, when I go for runs and picture things I want to do, I want another head-kick knockout,” she added. “You can’t do that in boxing. Then I also think, man, it would be really cool to go and fight for a fourth-weight division [title] in boxing. So, why not?
“I think of both things, pretty much down the middle. I mean, maybe I lean toward MMA first, but I don’t know—I want to see what opens.”
Now 43, Holm will make her return to the ring on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Her opponent, Yolanda Vega, 29, comes in with an undefeated 10-0 record.
