Holly Holm Turned Down Major Movie Role to Focus on UFC on Fox 20 Bout

Holly Holm apparently doesn’t want any distractions to get in the way of her Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Sherdog.com confirmed with Holm’s manager, Lenny Fresquez, that the fighter turned down opportunity to appear in a major studio movie because the filming dates conflicted with her training for a matchup with Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on Fox 20. TMZSports.com first reported the news.

Fresquez revealed to TMZ Sports that Holm has hired the Los Angeles-based Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) to handle that aspect of her career and that the former UFC champion has received “an unbelievable amount of calls” from people in the movie and TV industry.

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A former world champion boxer, Holm raised her stock to an all-time high when she knocked out Ronda Rousey in the second round at UFC 193 to claim the 135-pound title. The Jackson-Wink MMA representative relinquished the strap in a fifth-round submission loss to Miesha Tate at UFC 196. Still, thanks to her victory over Rousey, Holm remains one of the most recognizable figures in the sport today.

“The Preacher’s Daughter” dabbled in acting before facing Rousey, however, as she landed a role in the action drama "Fight Valley,” which is currently slated for a July 22 release. Holm appears in the movie alongside Tate and Cristiane Justino. Coincidentally, filming occurred shortly after it was announced that Holm, not Tate, would receive a title shot against Rousey.

For now, that will be Holm’s only venture into Hollywood, although more such work could be on the horizon when she is not in fight camp. UFC on Fox 20 takes place at the United Center in Chicago on July 23; Holm’s clash with Shevchenko will serve as the event’s headliner.