Holly Holm Protests Scorecards After Stephanie Han Wins WBA Rematch By Majority Decision

Han kept her WBA lightweight title in El Paso, while Holm said the judges missed another tight one.

Written by Jake Blend
Last updated on May 31st, 2026
Holly Holm
Holly Holm - Image credit @MostVpromotions X.com

Holly Holm got another shot at Stephanie Han and left with another scorecard argument. Han retained her WBA lightweight title Saturday at El Paso County Coliseum, beating Holm by majority decision in a rematch that was much tighter than their first meeting.

Two judges scored it 96-94 for Han, while the third had it 95-95. That was enough for Han to keep the belt, stay unbeaten at 13-0, and send Holm home at 34-4-3 in boxing. Holm, who already had one title try against Han end after an accidental head clash, did not pretend the math made her happy.

“Honestly, I feel like I won that fight,” Holm said after the decision. “There’s always things, even in a win, that I want to do better, always. We always want perfection, but I really feel I won the fight, and that’s not any disrespect to Han at all. I have a lot of respect for her, it has nothing to do with that, I just feel that that fight was mine.”

Watch the post-fight interviews and immediate reactions below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa-itEtG5iQ&t=115s

The margin was thin: two Han cards by a single round swing, plus one even card. That is enough to keep a belt, and enough to make the challenger stare at the table like the numbers personally insulted her.

Han Keeps The Belt, Holm Leaves With Another Dispute

Their first WBA title fight ended early. In January, an accidental clash of heads opened a cut, and Han won by technical decision after the bout was stopped in the seventh round. Han was ahead 69-65, 69-64, and 68-65 at the stoppage, so Holm needed a finish or a major late swing.

The second fight produced a closer official result, but the belt stayed with Han. Holm had enough clean work to argue the decision, while Han had enough rounds banked on two cards to avoid the draw.

Han’s rise has been fast and useful for MVP. She turned professional in 2021, won the vacant WBA lightweight title by stopping Hannah Terlep in the first round in February 2025, then defended it against Paulina Angel before taking back-to-back fights with Holm. The first Holm win ended awkwardly because of the cut, but the record now shows two official victories over the same elite name.

Holm’s career history is why the loss will bother her. She was a multiple-time boxing world champion before moving into MMA, then became UFC bantamweight champion by knocking out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193. This late-career boxing return has been a serious title push, not a cameo built around an old highlight.

The rematch gives Holm a cleaner argument than January, but it does not change the official ledger. Han is now 2-0 against Holm, with one technical decision and one majority decision.

A trilogy would not need much explaining. One fight ended after an accidental head clash, and the rematch came down to two 96-94 scorecards with a draw on the third.

Fight clips and reactions:

Additional fight reactions:

Cris Cyborg wrote, “Boxing does what boxing does… @HollyHolm won that fight.”

Published on May 31, 2026 at 6:00 pm
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Jake Blend

Jake Blend
Jake Blend holds Bachelors in Journalism and has a passion for writing about mixed martial arts and any combat sports.

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