Did Holly Holm re-sign with the UFC? Promoter explains why former champion inked new six-fight deal

Holly Holm is set to face Yana Kunitskaya at UFC San Antonio on March 25, and it seems the 41-year-old veteran has no plans to retire anytime soon. 'The Preacher's Daughter' recently signed a new six-fight extension deal with the UFC as she looks to recapture the bantamweight title she lost to Meisha Tate in March 2016.

As a former bantamweight champion, Holm remains a constant threat near the top of the division, and she’ll look to get back in the win column against Kunitskaya after losing a razor-close split decision to Ketlen Vieira in her last outing in May 2022. Before that, she was on a two-fight win streak, beating Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington via unanimous decision.

In a recent interview with the Albuquerque Journal, Holly Holm's longtime promoter Lenny Fresquez opened up about the reasons behind her decision to re-sign with the UFC and her future goals. Citing her popularity and dream of winning the bantamweight title, he stated:

"Her mission is to get that gold. She’s one or two fights away from it... They [the UFC] love Holly. They know she’s one of the faces of the UFC, and they wanted her to stay.”

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Holly Holm and Yana Kunitskaya both have a record of 14-6 and have gone 3-2 in their last five outings. A decisive win for either of them could bring them closer to a potential title shot against Amanda Nunes.

Holly Holm next fight: UFC Antonio fight card and streaming details

The highly anticipated UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen event (UFC San Antonio) will go down this weekend at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. This is only the third time that the organization has held a major event in the city.

Apart from the Holly Holm vs. Yana Kunitskaya bout, there are several exciting matchups to look forward to.

The event will be headlined by a bantamweight banger between Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Vera. The ever-dangerous 'Chito' has won four consecutive fights and is currently riding a four-fight win streak. Meanwhile, 'The Sandman' bounced back after a two-fight losing skid with a commanding victory over Song Yadong via stoppage last September.

Elsewhere on the card, flyweight contenders Andrea Lee and Maycee Barber will clash to try to break into the top 10 of their divisional rankings. Featherweight Nate Landwehr will take on Austin Lingo after Alex Caceres' withdrawal. Middleweights Chidi Njokuani and Albert Duraev will also go head-to-head.

The event can be watched live on UFC Fight Pass and on the ESPN network, with the main card kicking off at 7:00 PM EST or 4:30 AM IST.

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Edited by C. Nayak