Holly Holm steps into the boxing ring this Saturday for a world title in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a moment that carries far more weight than the usual pre-fight noise. The legendary multi-sport champion will take on undefeated WBA lightweight titleholder Stephanie Han at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente on January 3, 2026, aiming to add a fourth division championship to her Hall of Fame resume.
Holly Holm breaks down her boxing title fight against Stephanie Han
Holm, now 44, has not won a world boxing title in more than a decade. Her last championship fight in the sport came in 2013 when she defended her super lightweight titles against Mary McGee. She has since taken the UFC by storm, famously knocking out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 to claim the bantamweight crown in 2015, a moment that cemented her status as one of combat sports’ greatest two-sport athletes.
But after nearly 13 years away from boxing, Holm signed with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and returned to the ring in June, defeating previously undefeated Yolanda Vega by unanimous decision in a sharp performance that suggested her boxing foundations had not faded.
The challenge on Saturday is completely different. Han, 35, brings an undefeated record of 11-0 with three knockouts and captures the WBA lightweight title in February 2025 with a first-round knockout of Hannah Terlep. She has never been tested at this level. Her only title defense came against Colombia’s Paulina Ángel in August, when Han survived a first-round knockdown to secure a unanimous decision victory. Now she will face someone with 34 professional boxing victories in twenty years.
Holm’s respect for Han is genuine, but her trust remains unwavering. In one interview Holm explained her assessment with MMA Fighting:
“She’s a polished fighter and she’s undefeated. She doesn’t have as many professional fights as I do, but she does have a long background. She’s been fighting since she was young. She has kickboxing fights in her background, and I know she’s got guts, she’s got discipline and ambition. She’s not someone who comes in and fights; she’s going to be calculated. So I just have to be the smarter fighter and the better fighter, and I really feel like I have all the respect for her, I just feel like I’m better am.
Han’s background explains some of it Holm’s caution. Before turning pro in 2021, Han spent years in martial arts and kickboxing, developing the technical foundation that translates into her perfect boxing record. She fights out of El Paso, Texas, where she serves as an eight-year veteran of the El Paso Police Department. Her sister Jennifer is also a professional boxer, and the family’s martial arts roots run deep.
Holm, meanwhile, has not previously fought in boxing at lightweight (135 pounds), having previously held titles in the welterweight, junior welterweight and junior middleweight divisions. She is chasing unfinished business in a weight class in which she has never held a world title.
For Holm, it’s a chance to prove that age doesn’t determine ring IQ and that stepping out of the spotlight for more than a decade doesn’t take away from what made her great. Her trainer Mike Winkeljohn believes she is boxing better now than during her previous title reign. For Han, a victory over Holm represents a legitimacy-defining moment, the kind of opponent whose presence on a resume elevates an entire career and creates pathways to greater unification fights. One way or another, Saturday night will reveal whether Holly Holm has one more championship run left.
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