Holly Holm (The Preacher's Daughter) boxer

Holly Rene Holm-Kirkpatrick (born October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She is the former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, and a former professional boxer and kickboxer. She was a multiple-time world champion in boxing, defending her titles 18 times in three weight classes, and a two-time Ring magazine fighter of the year (2005, 2006). She is ranked by BoxRec as the best female professional boxer of all time. She has the notable distinction of being the first (and currently only) fighter to hold a world-boxing title and a UFC title.Holm's most notable win in mixed martial arts (MMA) occurred at UFC 193 (November 15, 2015), in front of a record-breaking crowd for a UFC event (56,215 people) in Melbourne, when she captured the bantamweight title and gave Ronda Rousey her first loss in the sport. This fight is generally considered to be one of the biggest upsets in combat-sports history. As December 13, 2021, she is ranked #2 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings and #7 in the UFC women's pound for pound rankings.Holm was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the youngest of three children. Her father, Roger, is a Church of Christ preacher—as a fighter, Holly would later be nicknamed "The Preacher's Daughter"—and her mother, Tammy, is a massage therapist. Holm is of primarily Irish descent.Growing up, Holm played soccer and participated in gymnastics, swimming and diving. Her parents divorced shortly before she graduated from Manzano High School in 2000; after graduation, she studied for a year at the University of New Mexico.Holm's path to a career in boxing and kickboxing began with aerobics classes when she was 16 years old. Her cardio-kickboxing instructor, Mike Winkeljohn, recognized Holm's potential as a fighter and began training her.