Manager: Holly Holm inked new 6-fight deal ahead of UFC San Antonio, title shot expected with ‘1 or 2 more wins’

As Holly Holm prepares to make her return at UFC San Antonio, the former bantamweight champion is hopefully gearing up for another run at the title after signing a new deal with the promotion.

Holm inked a six-fight contract extension with the UFC prior to her upcoming bout against Yana Santos, which serves as the co-main event for the upcoming card in Texas. Holm’s longtime manager Lenny Fresquez confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday after the contract was initially reported by the Albuquerque Journal.

Holm has been a mainstay in the UFC since first arriving there in 2015 while competing at both bantamweight and featherweight during her career. Of course, Holm rocketed to stardom after she blasted Ronda Rousey with the head kick heard round the world as she became bantamweight champion at UFC 193.

All told, Holm has participated in five title fights in the UFC while remaining a stalwart near the top of the rankings for the past eight years.

Most recently, Holm dropped a razor-close split decision to Ketlen Vieira that ended her two fight win streak with victories over Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington. This past October, Holm celebrated her 41st birthday but the former boxer turned MMA fighter is still competing at a high level with hopes of becoming champion again.

“We expect to get a title shot with one or two more wins,” Fresquez said in a message to MMA Fighting.

While Holm does have a loss on her record to Amanda Nunes, the reigning UFC bantamweight champion doesn’t have a lot of contenders in line to face her right now. Nunes has been out of action since July 2022 when she reclaimed the 135-pound title with a decisive win over Julianna Pena at UFC 277.

That could potentially put Holm on a short list as a future opponent for Nunes but first things first, she has to get through Santos on Saturday.