Holly Holm believes the judges made the wrong call in her recent fight against Stephanie Han.
During their rematch on Saturday night at the El Paso County Coliseum in Texas, Holm faced the reigning WBA lightweight champion Han. However, the outcome was not what Holm anticipated, and she clearly disagreed with the result.
The initial encounter between Holm and Han in January ended prematurely in the seventh round due to an accidental headbutt. The fight went to the scorecards, where Holm, known as “The Preacher’s Daughter,” suffered a contentious technical decision loss.
Their second bout unfolded differently. While Han had early success, Holm gradually found her footing and seemed to take control as the fight progressed. By the conclusion of the 10-round match, the former UFC bantamweight champion had landed significantly more punches than Han, outstriking “The Enforcer” 107-70.
Given Holm’s strong performance in the latter stages of the fight, many expected her to be declared the winner. Instead, the judges awarded Han a majority decision, with scores of 96-94, 96-94, and 95-95. This verdict left both the audience and Holm visibly surprised.
Holly Holm immediately voiced her dissent regarding the judges’ decision in her post-fight interview, asserting that she felt she had done enough to win the match.
Holly Holm Upset Following Majority Decision Loss to Stephanie Han
At the post-fight press conference, Holly Holm continued to speak out about her controversial defeat against Stephanie Han. While Holm acknowledged Han’s toughness, she firmly rejected the idea that her opponent had won the majority of the rounds.
“I do think that she had a few rounds, but not six,” Holm stated. “You have to win six rounds in order to win a ten round fight. I donโt give her six rounds. I feel it in my heart, I won.”
The 44-year-old fighter from New Mexico also criticized the judging system, suggesting that judges without prior fighting experience can contribute to controversial scorecards, ultimately impacting the fighters who have to live with disputed decisions.
“Hereโs whatโs frustrating about it: a lot of these judges havenโt fought before,” Holm added. “And you leave a piece of yourself in there every time. And then itโs just up to them to take it away from you if they want. And thatโs whatโs frustrating, because every fight, how you perform in this fight dictates what doors open for youโฆ You pour your heart and soul into it. And then whatโs next? What are my options? When you have a win, more options. When you have a loss, not as many.”
“And thatโs whatโs frustrating. Itโs easy for them to go home and sleep at night. But every fight, you put so much into it. And when it comes out like that? If I didnโt feel like I did enough, I wouldnโt be saying that. I felt like I won the fight.”
With two consecutive losses to Han, Holm’s professional boxing record now stands at 34 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws. Before her transition to mixed martial arts, “The Preacher’s Daughter” had a highly successful boxing career, holding multiple world titles, including the IBF and WBF super lightweight championships until 2013.
Holm later moved to MMA, famously knocking out Ronda Rousey to win the UFC bantamweight title in 2015. She retired from MMA with a professional record of 15-7, including an 8-7 record with one no contest in the UFC.
