Holly Holm, 44, to challenge for WBA lightweight belt

A few months after making her return to the boxing ring, Holly Holm is getting her championship shot, as the 44-year-old will square off with Stephanie Han for the WBA lightweight title, her team announced on Wednesday.

Their Jan. 3 bout is part of a co-main event at the San Juan, Puerto Rico, collection of fights, with Amanda Serrano-Erika Cruz co-headlining.

A former UFC women's bantamweight champion, Holm stepped away from mixed martial arts following a noteworthy run that included an upset of Ronda Rousey in 2015. Earlier this year, she signed with Most Valuable Promotions, the Jake Paul-helmed promotions company, and won her return bout in June in a lopsided decision over Yolanda Vega.

Boxing certainly isn't new to Holm, who prior to her 16-fight UFC run posted a 34-2-3 record on the professional circuit, with nine knockouts. She won titles at the light welterweight and welterweight divisions, defending her titles 16 times.

A native of Albuquerque, N.M., Holm is a member of the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

She will challenge Han of El Paso, Texas, who has remained flawless (11-0, three knockouts) to date. She took the WBA title from Hannah Terlep with an opening-round knockout in February, then successfully defended her title against Paulina Angel in August.

"Holly Holm is back challenging for a boxing world title, 12 years after leaving the sport and doing it with MVP," Paul said in a joint statement with MVP co-founder Nakisa Badarian. "She is facing a multi-faceted athlete in Stephanie Han who is a champion, a mother and a police officer."

--Field Level Media