Holly Holm is adamant that the judges made the wrong call in her bout against Stephanie Han.
On Saturday night at the El Paso County Coliseum in Texas, Holm faced reigning WBA lightweight champion Han in a highly anticipated rematch. However, the outcome was not what Holm expected or agreed with.
The first encounter between Holm and Han in January ended prematurely in the seventh round due to an accidental headbutt. The fight went to the scorecards, resulting in a controversial technical decision loss for “The Preacher’s Daughter.”
Their second bout unfolded differently. While Han had an early advantage, Holm gradually found her rhythm and appeared to gain the upper hand as the fight progressed. By the conclusion of the 10-round contest, the former UFC bantamweight champion had landed significantly more punches than “The Enforcer,” outstriking her 107-70.
Given Holm’s strong performance in the latter half of the fight, many anticipated her victory. Instead, the judges awarded Han a majority decision with scores of 96-94, 96-94, and 95-95, a result that visibly stunned both the audience and Holm.
Holly Holm immediately voiced her dissent regarding the judges’ verdict in her post-fight interview, stating her conviction that she had done enough to win.
Holly Holm Furious After Majority Decision Loss To Stephanie Han
During the post-fight press conference, Holly Holm continued to express her strong opinions about the outcome of her fight with Stephanie Han. While she acknowledged Han’s toughness, Holm 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 don’t 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 officials without prior fighting experience can lead to contentious scorecards, leaving fighters to bear the brunt of questionable decisions.
“Here’s what’s frustrating about it: a lot of these judges haven’t fought before,” Holm added. “And you leave a piece of yourself in there every time. And then it’s just up to them to take it away from you if they want. And that’s what’s frustrating, because every fight, how you perform in this fight dictates what doors open for you… You pour your heart and soul into it. And then what’s next? What are my options? When you have a win, more options. When you have a loss, not as many.”
“And that’s what’s frustrating. It’s 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 didn’t feel like I did enough, I wouldn’t be saying that. I felt like I won the fight.”
With two consecutive defeats to Han, Holm’s professional boxing record now stands at 34 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws. Prior to 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 transitioned 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 during her UFC tenure.