List of UFC champions


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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.[1]

 

Historical notes

At the time of the UFC’s inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classes. Instead of the traditional championship model, the UFC held tournaments with the winner receiving a permanent appellation.[2] In response to criticism from Senator John McCain that saw the loss of its television deal and the banning of the sport in thirty-six states, the UFC increased its cooperation with state athletic commissions and introduced weight classes in 1997, starting with UFC 12, and began introducing weight-specific titles.[3]

The original codification for weight classes introduced only two divisions: heavyweight, which grouped together all competitors above 200 pounds (91 kg), and lightweight, which encompassed all competitors 199 pounds (90 kg) and under. At UFC 14 the lightweight division would be renamed to middleweight, though it would still encompass all fighters 199 pounds (90 kg) and under.[4] The lightweight moniker would later return at UFC 16 with a new division consisting of those competitors 170 pounds (77 kg) and under.[5] Two years later a fourth weight class, the bantamweight division, arrived at UFC 26 and included all fighters 155 pounds (70 kg) and under.[4]

In 2000, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board completely took over MMA regulation in its home state and developed new rules and weight classes that eventually became the de facto rule set for all mixed martial arts.[6] The UFC realigned their weight classes to comply with these new regulations in 2001, beginning with UFC 31.[7] At the time, this brought the total number of active divisions in the UFC to five: lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.

It would be nearly ten years before the UFC would expand their divisional offerings to include any of the lower weight classes. The first additions came in late 2010 when the UFC merged with their sister organization World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). Due to the WEC’s focus on lighter weight fighters, this merger necessitated the addition of both the featherweight and bantamweight divisions to the UFC, starting with The Ultimate Fighter season 12 finale.[8] In early 2012 the UFC decided they would delve even further into the lower weight classes when they announced the introduction of the flyweight division to their ranks, beginning with UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann.[9]

In November 2012, as a result of the forthcoming dissolution of their sister organization Strikeforce, the UFC announced they would be adding female fighters to their roster for the first time in the promotion’s history. Initially, only the women’s bantamweight division was brought over, with the division’s premiere bout taking place at UFC 157.[10] A little over a year later, the UFC announced they would be expanding their weight classes for female fighters with the addition of a women’s strawweight division,[11] the first bout took place at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller.[12]
In late 2016, a featherweight division was introduced for the women with the first bout to be for the inaugural championship at UFC 208 on February 11, 2017. In that same year the UFC announced the Women’s Flyweight division would officially be added, with the winner of the 26th season of The Ultimate Fighter to be named the inaugural champion.

Current champions

[13]

Men

DivisionChampionSinceDefenses
HeavyweightUnited States Jon JonesMar 4, 20230
England Tom Aspinall (interim)Nov 11, 20230
Light HeavyweightBrazil Alex PereiraNov 11, 20231
MiddleweightSouth Africa Dricus du PlessisJan 20, 20240
WelterweightEngland Leon EdwardsAug 20, 20222
LightweightRussia Islam MakhachevOct 22, 20222
FeatherweightGeorgia (country) Ilia TopuriaFeb 17, 20240
BantamweightUnited States Sean O’MalleyAug 19, 20231
FlyweightBrazil Alexandre PantojaJul 8, 20231

Women[edit]

DivisionChampionSinceDefenses
FeatherweightVacantJun 20, 2023—
BantamweightUnited States Raquel PenningtonJan 20, 20240
FlyweightMexico Alexa GrassoMar 4, 20231
StrawweightChina Zhang WeiliNov 12, 20222

Men’s championship history

Heavyweight Championship

206 to 265 lb (93 to 120 kg)
The UFC Superfight Championship was unified with the UFC 11 Tournament Championship to determine the inaugural UFC Heavyweight Champion on February 7, 1997, when Mark Coleman defeated Dan Severn at UFC 12.[4]

No.NameEventDateReign
(total)		Defenses
1United States Mark Coleman
def. Dan Severn		UFC 12
Dothan, AL, US		Feb 7, 1997170 days
2United States Maurice SmithUFC 14
Birmingham, AL, US		Jul 27, 1997147 days 1. def. Tank Abbott at UFC 15 on Oct 17, 1997
3United States Randy CoutureUFC Japan
Yokohama, Japan		Dec 21, 1997? days
Couture was stripped of the title in January 1998, when he left the UFC due to a contract dispute.
4Netherlands Bas Rutten
def. Kevin Randleman		UFC 20
Birmingham, AL, US		May 7, 199934 days
Rutten vacated the title in June 1999 in order to drop down to Light Heavyweight. He retired soon after due to training injuries.[14]
5United States Kevin Randleman
def. Pete Williams		UFC 23
Tokyo, Japan		Nov 19, 1999364 days 1. def. Pedro Rizzo at UFC 26 on Jun 9, 2000
6United States Randy Couture (2)UFC 28
Atlantic City, NJ, US		Nov 17, 2000490 days
(490+ days)		 1. def. Pedro Rizzo at UFC 31 on May 4, 2001
2. def. Pedro Rizzo at UFC 34 on Nov 2, 2001
7United States Josh BarnettUFC 36
Las Vegas, NV, US		Mar 22, 2002126 days
Barnett was stripped of the title on July 26, 2002, after testing positive for anabolic steroids in a post-fight drug test.[15]
8United States Ricco Rodriguez
def. Randy Couture		UFC 39
Uncasville, CT, US		Sep 27, 2002154 days
9United States Tim SylviaUFC 41
Atlantic City, NJ, US		Feb 28, 2003229 days 1. def. Gan McGee at UFC 44 on Sep 26, 2003
Sylvia was stripped of the title on October 15, 2003, after testing positive for anabolic steroids in a post-fight drug test.[16]
10United States Frank Mir
def. Tim Sylvia		UFC 48
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jun 19, 2004419 days
—Belarus Andrei Arlovski
def. Tim Sylvia for interim title		UFC 51
Las Vegas, NV, US		Feb 5, 2005— 1. def. Justin Eilers at UFC 53 on Jun 4, 2005
Mir was stripped of the title on August 12, 2005, for inactivity resulting from injuries he sustained in a road accident.[17]
11Belarus Andrei Arlovski
promoted to undisputed champion		—Aug 12, 2005246 days 1. def. Paul Buentello at UFC 55 on Oct 7, 2005
12United States Tim Sylvia (2)UFC 59
Anaheim, CA, US		Apr 15, 2006322 days
(551 days)		 1. def. Andrei Arlovski at UFC 61 on Jul 8, 2006
2. def. Jeff Monson at UFC 65 on Nov 18, 2006
13United States Randy Couture (3)UFC 68
Columbus, OH, US		Mar 3, 2007623 days
(1,113+ days)		 1. def. Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 on Aug 25, 2007
—Brazil Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
def. Tim Sylvia for interim title		UFC 81
Las Vegas, NV, US		Feb 2, 2008—
14United States Brock LesnarUFC 91
Las Vegas, NV, US		Nov 15, 2008707 days 1. def. interim champion Frank Mir at UFC 100 on Jul 11, 2009
2. def. interim champion Shane Carwin at UFC 116 on Jul 3, 2010
—United States Frank Mir
def. interim champion Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira		UFC 92
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 27, 2008—
—United States Shane Carwin
def. Frank Mir for interim title		UFC 111
Newark, NJ, US		Mar 27, 2010—
15United States Cain VelasquezUFC 121
Anaheim, CA, US		Oct 23, 2010385 days
16Brazil Junior dos SantosUFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos
Anaheim, CA, US		Nov 12, 2011413 days 1. def. Frank Mir at UFC 146 on May 26, 2012
17United States Cain Velasquez (2)UFC 155
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 29, 2012896 days
(1,281 days)		 1. def. Antônio Silva at UFC 160 on May 25, 2013
2. def. Junior dos Santos at UFC 166 on Oct 19, 2013
—Brazil Fabrício Werdum
def. Mark Hunt for interim title		UFC 180
Mexico City, Mexico		Nov 15, 2014—
18Brazil Fabrício WerdumUFC 188
Mexico City, Mexico		Jun 13, 2015336 days
19United States Stipe MiocicUFC 198
Curitiba, Brazil		May 14, 2016784 days 1. def. Alistair Overeem at UFC 203 on Sep 10, 2016
2. def. Junior dos Santos at UFC 211 on May 13, 2017
3. def. Francis Ngannou at UFC 220 on Jan 20, 2018
20United States Daniel CormierUFC 226
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jul 7, 2018406 days 1. def. Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 on Nov 3, 2018
21United States Stipe Miocic (2)UFC 241
Anaheim, CA, US		Aug 17, 2019588 days
(1,372 days)		 1. def. Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 on Aug 15, 2020
22Cameroon Francis NgannouUFC 260
Las Vegas, NV, US		Mar 27, 2021659 days 1. def. interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on Jan 22, 2022
—France Ciryl Gane
def. Derrick Lewis for interim title		UFC 265
Houston, TX, US		Aug 7, 2021—
Ngannou was stripped of the title on January 14, 2023 when he left the UFC due to a contract dispute.[18]
23United States Jon Jones
def. Ciryl Gane		UFC 285
Las Vegas, NV, US		Mar 4, 2023410 days
(incumbent)
—England Tom Aspinall
def. Sergei Pavlovich for interim title		UFC 295
New York City, NY, US		Nov 11, 2023158 days
(incumbent)

Light Heavyweight Championship[edit]

186 to 205 lb (84 to 93 kg)
The Light Heavyweight Championship was known as the Middleweight Championship prior to UFC 31 (May 4, 2001).
The Pride World Middleweight Championship (205.03 lb) was unified with the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on September 8, 2007, when Quinton Jackson defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 75.[4]

No.NameEventDateReign
(Total)		Defenses
1United States Frank Shamrock
def. Kevin Jackson		UFC Japan
Yokohama, Japan		Dec 21, 1997703 days 1. def. Igor Zinoviev at UFC 16 on Mar 13, 1998
2. def. Jeremy Horn at UFC 17 on May 15, 1998
3. def. John Lober at UFC Brazil on Oct 16, 1998
4. def. Tito Ortiz at UFC 22 on Sep 24, 1999
Shamrock vacated the title on November 24, 1999, when he retired from the UFC, citing a lack of competition.[1]
2United States Tito Ortiz
def. Wanderlei Silva		UFC 25
Tokyo, Japan		Apr 14, 20001,260 days 1. def. Yuki Kondo at UFC 29 on Dec 16, 2000
2. def. Evan Tanner at UFC 30 on Feb 23, 2001
3. def. Elvis Sinosic at UFC 32 on Jun 29, 2001
4. def. Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 33 on Sep 28, 2001
5. def. Ken Shamrock at UFC 40 on Nov 22, 2002
—United States Randy Couture
def. Chuck Liddell for interim title		UFC 43
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jun 6, 2003—
3United States Randy CoutureUFC 44
Las Vegas, NV, US		Sep 26, 2003127 days
4Brazil Vitor BelfortUFC 46
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jan 31, 2004203 days
5United States Randy Couture (2)UFC 49
Las Vegas, NV, US		Aug 21, 2004238 days
(365 days)
6United States Chuck LiddellUFC 52
Las Vegas, NV, US		Apr 16, 2005770 days 1. def. Jeremy Horn at UFC 54 on Aug 20, 2005
2. def. Randy Couture at UFC 57 on Feb 4, 2006
3. def. Renato Sobral at UFC 62 on Aug 26, 2006
4. def. Tito Ortiz at UFC 66 on Dec 30, 2006
7United States Quinton JacksonUFC 71
Las Vegas, NV, US		May 26, 2007406 days 1. def. Dan Henderson at UFC 75 on Sep 8, 2007
8United States Forrest GriffinUFC 86
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jul 5, 2008175 days
9United States Rashad EvansUFC 92
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 27, 2008147 days
10Brazil Lyoto MachidaUFC 98
Las Vegas, NV, US		May 23, 2009350 days 1. def. Maurício Rua at UFC 104 on Oct 24, 2009
11Brazil Maurício RuaUFC 113
Montreal, QC, Canada		May 8, 2010315 days
12United States Jon JonesUFC 128
Newark, NJ, US		Mar 19, 20111,501 days 1. def. Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 on Sep 24, 2011
2. def. Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 on Dec 10, 2011
3. def. Rashad Evans at UFC 145 on Apr 21, 2012
4. def. Vitor Belfort at UFC 152 on Sep 22, 2012
5. def. Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 on Apr 27, 2013
6. def. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 on Sep 21, 2013
7. def. Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 on Apr 26, 2014
8. def. Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 on Jan 3, 2015
Jones was stripped of the title on April 28, 2015, due to his involvement and arrest in a felony hit-and-run.[19]
13United States Daniel Cormier
def. Anthony Johnson		UFC 187
Las Vegas, NV, US		May 23, 20151,315 days 1. def. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192 on Oct 3, 2015
2. def. Anthony Johnson at UFC 210 on Apr 8, 2017
3. def. Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 on Jan 20, 2018
—United States Jon Jones
def. Ovince Saint Preux for interim title		UFC 197
Las Vegas, NV, US		Apr 23, 2016—
Jones was stripped of the interim title on November 9, 2016, due to his one-year suspension related to a failed pre-fight drug test.[20]
Jones won the undisputed title at UFC 214 on July 29, 2017, but was stripped on September 13, 2017, after his win was overturned to a no-contest due to a failed pre-fight drug test. Cormier was then retroactively reinstated as champion.[21]
Cormier vacated the title on December 28, 2018, 174 days after winning the heavyweight title.[22]
14United States Jon Jones (2)
def. Alexander Gustafsson		UFC 232
Inglewood, CA, US		Dec 29, 2018597 days
(2,098 days)		 1. def. Anthony Smith at UFC 235 on Mar 2, 2019
2. def. Thiago Santos at UFC 239 on Jul 6, 2019
3. def. Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 on Feb 8, 2020
Jones vacated the belt on August 17, 2020, citing issues with the UFC over salary negotiation and the desire to compete at heavyweight.[23][24]
15Poland Jan Błachowicz
def. Dominick Reyes		UFC 253
Abu Dhabi, UAE		Sep 27, 2020398 days 1. def. Israel Adesanya at UFC 259 on Mar 6, 2021
16Brazil Glover TeixeiraUFC 267
Abu Dhabi, UAE		Oct 30, 2021225 days
17Czech Republic Jiří ProcházkaUFC 275
Kallang, Singapore		Jun 12, 2022164 days
Procházka vacated the belt on November 23, 2022, after suffering a severe shoulder injury.[25][26]
Jan Błachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought to a draw for the vacant title on December 10, 2022, at UFC 282 in Las Vegas, NV, US.[27]
18United States Jamahal Hill
def. Glover Teixeira		UFC 283
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil		Jan 21, 2023174 days
Hill vacated the belt on July 14, 2023, after suffering an achilles tendon rupture.[28]
19Brazil Alex Pereira
def. Jiří Procházka		UFC 295
New York City, NY, US		Nov 11, 2023158 days
(incumbent)		 1. def. Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 on Apr 13, 2024

Middleweight Championship[edit]

171 to 185 lb (78 to 84 kg)
The Pride World Welterweight Championship (182.98 lb) was unified with the UFC Middleweight Championship on March 1, 2008, when Anderson Silva defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 82.[29]

No.NameEventDateReignDefenses
1United States Dave Menne
def. Gil Castillo		UFC 33
Las Vegas, NV, US		Sep 28, 2001105 days
2Brazil Murilo BustamanteUFC 35
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jan 11, 2002267 days 1. def. Matt Lindland at UFC 37 on May 10, 2002
Bustamante was stripped of the title on October 5, 2002, when he left the UFC for Pride.[1]
3United States Evan Tanner
def. David Terrell		UFC 51
Las Vegas, NV, US		Feb 5, 2005119 days
4United States Rich FranklinUFC 53
Atlantic City, NJ, US		Jun 4, 2005497 days 1. def. Nate Quarry at UFC 56 on Nov 19, 2005
2. def. David Loiseau at UFC 58 on Mar 4, 2006
5Brazil Anderson SilvaUFC 64
Las Vegas, NV, US		Oct 14, 20062,457 days 1. def. Nate Marquardt at UFC 73 on Jul 7, 2007
2. def. Rich Franklin at UFC 77 on Oct 20, 2007
3. def. Dan Henderson at UFC 82 on Mar 1, 2008
4. def. Patrick Côté at UFC 90 on Oct 25, 2008
5. def. Thales Leites at UFC 97 on Apr 18, 2009
6. def. Demian Maia at UFC 112 on Apr 10, 2010
7. def. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 on Aug 7, 2010
8. def. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 on Feb 5, 2011
9. def. Yushin Okami at UFC 134 on Aug 27, 2011
10. def. Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 on Jul 7, 2012
6United States Chris WeidmanUFC 162
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jul 6, 2013889 days 1. def. Anderson Silva at UFC 168 on Dec 28, 2013

2. def. Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 on Jul 5, 2014
3. def. Vitor Belfort at UFC 187 on May 23, 2015
7United States Luke RockholdUFC 194
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 12, 2015175 days
8England Michael BispingUFC 199
Inglewood, CA, US		Jun 4, 2016518 days 1. def. Dan Henderson at UFC 204 on Oct 8, 2016
—Australia Robert Whittaker
def. Yoel Romero for interim title		UFC 213
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jul 8, 2017—
9Canada Georges St-PierreUFC 217
New York City, NY, US		Nov 4, 201733 days
St-Pierre vacated the title on December 7, 2017, due to ulcerative colitis.[30][31]
10Australia Robert Whittaker
promoted to undisputed champion		—Dec 7, 2017660 days
—Nigeria Israel Adesanya
def. Kelvin Gastelum for interim title		UFC 236
Atlanta, GA, US		Apr 13, 2019—
11Nigeria Israel AdesanyaUFC 243
Melbourne, Australia		Oct 6, 20191,134 days 1. def. Yoel Romero at UFC 248 on Mar 7, 2020
2. def. Paulo Costa at UFC 253 on Sep 27, 2020
3. def. Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 on Jun 12, 2021
4. def. Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 on Feb 12, 2022
5. def. Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on Jul 2, 2022
12Brazil Alex PereiraUFC 281
New York City, NY, US		Nov 12, 2022147 days
13Nigeria Israel Adesanya (2)UFC 287
Miami, FL, US		Apr 8, 2023155 days
(1,289 days)
14United States Sean StricklandUFC 293
Sydney, Australia		Sep 10, 2023132 days
15South Africa Dricus du PlessisUFC 297
Toronto, ON, Canada		Jan 20, 202488 days
(incumbent)

Welterweight Championship

156 to 170 lb (71 to 77 kg)
The Welterweight Championship was known as the Lightweight Championship prior to UFC 31 (May 4, 2001).

No.NameEventDateReign
(Total)		Defenses
1United States Pat Miletich
def. Mikey Burnett		UFC Brazil
São Paulo, Brazil		Oct 16, 1998931 days 1. def. Jorge Patino at UFC 18 on Jan 8, 1999
2. def. André Pederneiras at UFC 21 on Jul 16, 1999
3. def. John Alessio at UFC 26 on Jun 9, 2000
4. def. Kenichi Yamamoto at UFC 29 on Dec 16, 2000
2Canada Carlos NewtonUFC 31
Atlantic City, NJ, US		May 4, 2001183 days
3United States Matt HughesUFC 34
Las Vegas, NV, US		Nov 2, 2001820 days 1. def. Hayato Sakurai at UFC 36 on Mar 22, 2002
2. def. Carlos Newton at UFC 38 on Jul 13, 2002
3. def. Gil Castillo at UFC 40 on Nov 22, 2002
4. def. Sean Sherk at UFC 42 on Apr 25, 2003
5. def. Frank Trigg at UFC 45 on Nov 21, 2003
4United States B.J. PennUFC 46
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jan 31, 2004107 days
Penn was stripped of the title on May 17, 2004, when he left the UFC for K-1.[32]
5United States Matt Hughes (2)
def. Georges St-Pierre		UFC 50
Atlantic City, NJ, US		Oct 22, 2004757 days
(1,577 days)		 1. def. Frank Trigg at UFC 52 on Apr 16, 2005
2. def. B.J. Penn at UFC 63 on Sep 23, 2006
6Canada Georges St-PierreUFC 65
Sacramento, CA, US		Nov 18, 2006140 days
7United States Matt SerraUFC 69
Houston, TX, US		Apr 7, 2007378 days
—Canada Georges St-Pierre
def. Matt Hughes for interim title		UFC 79
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 29, 2007—
8Canada Georges St-Pierre (2)UFC 83
Montreal, QC, Canada		Apr 19, 20082,064 days
(2,204 days)		 1. def. Jon Fitch at UFC 87 on Aug 9, 2008
2. def. B.J. Penn at UFC 94 on Jan 31, 2009
3. def. Thiago Alves at UFC 100 on Jul 11, 2009
4. def. Dan Hardy at UFC 111 on Mar 27, 2010
5. def. Josh Koscheck at UFC 124 on Dec 11, 2010
6. def. Jake Shields at UFC 129 on Apr 30, 2011
7. def. interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 154 on Nov 17, 2012

8. def. Nick Diaz at UFC 158 on Mar 16, 2013
9. def. Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 on Nov 16, 2013
—United States Carlos Condit
def. Nick Diaz for interim title		UFC 143
Las Vegas, NV, US		Feb 4, 2012—
St-Pierre vacated the title on December 13, 2013, when he decided to take time off.[33]
9United States Johny Hendricks
def. Robbie Lawler		UFC 171
Dallas, TX, US		Mar 15, 2014266 days
10United States Robbie LawlerUFC 181
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 6, 2014602 days 1. def. Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 on Jul 11, 2015
2. def. Carlos Condit at UFC 195 on Jan 2, 2016
11United States Tyron WoodleyUFC 201
Atlanta, GA, US		Jul 30, 2016945 days 1. drew with Stephen Thompson at UFC 205 on Nov 12, 2016
2. def. Stephen Thompson at UFC 209 on Mar 4, 2017
3. def. Demian Maia at UFC 214 on Jul 29, 2017
4. def. Darren Till at UFC 228 on Sep 8, 2018
—United States Colby Covington
def. Rafael dos Anjos for interim title		UFC 225
Chicago, IL, US		Jun 9, 2018—
Covington was stripped of the interim title on September 8, 2018, due to injury.[34]
12Nigeria Kamaru UsmanUFC 235
Las Vegas, NV, US		Mar 2, 20191,267 days 1. def. Colby Covington at UFC 245 on Dec 14, 2019
2. def. Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 on Jul 12, 2020
3. def. Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 on Feb 13, 2021
4. def. Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 on Apr 24, 2021
5. def. Colby Covington at UFC 268 on Nov 6, 2021
13England Leon EdwardsUFC 278
Salt Lake City, UT, US		Aug 20, 2022606 days
(incumbent)		 1. def. Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 on Mar 18, 2023
2. def. Colby Covington at UFC 296 on Dec 16, 2023

Lightweight Championship

146 to 155 lb (66 to 70 kg)
The Lightweight Championship was known as the Bantamweight Championship prior to UFC 31 (May 4, 2001).
The Strikeforce Lightweight Championship was unified (perhaps unofficially) with the UFC Lightweight Championship on April 20, 2013, when Benson Henderson defeated Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez.[35]

No.NameEventDateReign
(Total)		Defenses
1United States Jens Pulver
def. Caol Uno		UFC 30
Atlantic City, NJ, US		Feb 23, 2001393 days 1. def. Dennis Hallman at UFC 33 on Sep 28, 2001
2. def. B.J. Penn at UFC 35 on Jan 11, 2002
Pulver was stripped of the title on March 23, 2002, when he left the UFC due to a contract dispute.[1]
B.J. Penn and Caol Uno fought to a draw on February 28, 2003, at UFC 41 in Atlantic City, NJ, US in the finale of a four-man tournament for the vacant title.[1]
2United States Sean Sherk
def. Kenny Florian		UFC 64
Las Vegas, NV, US		Oct 14, 2006420 days 1. def. Hermes França at UFC 73 on Jul 7, 2007
Sherk was stripped of the title on December 8, 2007, after testing positive for anabolic steroids in a post-fight drug test.[36]
3United States B.J. Penn
def. Joe Stevenson		UFC 80
Newcastle, England, UK		Jan 19, 2008812 days 1. def. Sean Sherk at UFC 84 on May 24, 2008
2. def. Kenny Florian at UFC 101 on Aug 8, 2009
3. def. Diego Sanchez at UFC 107 on Dec 12, 2009
4United States Frankie EdgarUFC 112
Abu Dhabi, UAE		Apr 10, 2010687 days 1. def. B.J. Penn at UFC 118 on Aug 28, 2010
2. drew with Gray Maynard at UFC 125 on Jan 1, 2011
3. def. Gray Maynard at UFC 136 on Oct 8, 2011
5United States Benson HendersonUFC 144
Saitama, Japan		Feb 26, 2012552 days 1. def. Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 on Aug 11, 2012
2. def. Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz on Dec 8, 2012
3. def. Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez on Apr 20, 2013
6United States Anthony PettisUFC 164
Milwaukee, WI, US		Aug 31, 2013560 days 1. def. Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181 on Dec 6, 2014
7Brazil Rafael dos AnjosUFC 185
Dallas, TX, US		Mar 14, 2015481 days 1. def. Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 on Dec 19, 2015
8United States Eddie AlvarezUFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jul 7, 2016128 days
9Republic of Ireland Conor McGregorUFC 205
New York City, NY, US		Nov 12, 2016511 days
—United States Tony Ferguson
def. Kevin Lee for interim title		UFC 216
Las Vegas, NV, US		Oct 7, 2017—
Both McGregor and Ferguson were stripped of their titles on April 7, 2018, due to inactivity and injury, respectively.[37]
10Russia Khabib Nurmagomedov
def. Al Iaquinta		UFC 223
Brooklyn, NY, US		Apr 7, 20181,077 days 1. def. Conor McGregor at UFC 229 on Oct 6, 2018
2. def. interim champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 on Sep 7, 2019
3. def. interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on Oct 24, 2020
—United States Dustin Poirier
def. Max Holloway for interim title		UFC 236
Atlanta, GA, US		Apr 13, 2019—
—United States Justin Gaethje
def. Tony Ferguson for interim title		UFC 249
Jacksonville, FL, US		May 9, 2020—
Nurmagomedov announced his retirement on October 24, 2020.[38] The title was officially vacated on March 19, 2021.[39]
11Brazil Charles Oliveira
def. Michael Chandler		UFC 262
Houston, TX, US		May 15, 2021357 days 1. def. Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 on Dec 11, 2021
Oliveira was stripped of the title on May 7, 2022 after failing to make weight for his title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274.[40]
12Russia Islam Makhachev
def. Charles Oliveira		UFC 280
Abu Dhabi, UAE		Oct 22, 2022543 days
(incumbent)		 1. def. Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 on Feb 12, 2023
2. def. Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 on Oct 21, 2023

Featherweight Championship

136 to 145 lb (61 to 66 kg)
Prior to the UFC-WEC merger, José Aldo was the WEC Featherweight Champion. Aldo was awarded the inaugural UFC Featherweight Championship on November 20, 2010, at UFC 123 in a ceremony prior to the event.[41]

No.NameEventDateReign
(Total)		Defenses
1Brazil José Aldo
promoted to undisputed champion		UFC 123
Auburn Hills, MI, US		Nov 20, 20101,848 days 1. def. Mark Hominick at UFC 129 on Apr 30, 2011
2. def. Kenny Florian at UFC 136 on Oct 8, 2011
3. def. Chad Mendes at UFC 142 on Jan 14, 2012
4. def. Frankie Edgar at UFC 156 on Feb 2, 2013
5. def. Jung Chan-sung at UFC 163 on Aug 3, 2013
6. def. Ricardo Lamas at UFC 169 on Feb 1, 2014
7. def. Chad Mendes at UFC 179 on Oct 25, 2014
—Republic of Ireland Conor McGregor
def. Chad Mendes for interim title		UFC 189
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jul 11, 2015—
2Republic of Ireland Conor McGregorUFC 194
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 12, 2015350 days
—Brazil José Aldo
def. Frankie Edgar for interim title		UFC 200
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jul 9, 2016—
McGregor was stripped of the title on November 26, 2016, 14 days after winning the lightweight title.[42][43]
3Brazil José Aldo (2)
promoted to undisputed champion		—Nov 26, 2016189 days
(2,037 days)
—United States Max Holloway
def. Anthony Pettis for interim title		UFC 206
Toronto, ON, Canada		Dec 10, 2016—
4United States Max HollowayUFC 212
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil		Jun 3, 2017925 days 1. def. José Aldo at UFC 218 on Dec 2, 2017
2. def. Brian Ortega at UFC 231 on Dec 8, 2018
3. def. Frankie Edgar at UFC 240 on Jul 27, 2019
5Australia Alexander VolkanovskiUFC 245
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 14, 20191,526 days 1. def. Max Holloway at UFC 251 on Jul 12, 2020
2. def. Brian Ortega at UFC 266 on Sep 25, 2021
3. def. Jung Chan-sung at UFC 273 on Apr 9, 2022
4. def. Max Holloway at UFC 276 on Jul 2, 2022
5. def. interim champion Yair Rodríguez at UFC 290 on Jul 8, 2023
—Mexico Yair Rodríguez
def. Josh Emmett for interim title		UFC 284
Perth, Australia		Feb 12, 2023—
6Georgia (country) Ilia TopuriaUFC 298
Anaheim, CA, US		Feb 17, 202460 days
(incumbent)

Bantamweight Championship

126 to 135 lb (57 to 61 kg)
Prior to UFC-WEC merger, Dominick Cruz was the WEC Bantamweight Champion. At WEC 53, Cruz defeated Scott Jorgensen to retain the WEC Bantamweight Championship and was awarded the inaugural UFC Bantamweight Championship.[44]

No.NameEventDateReign
(Total)		Defenses
1United States Dominick Cruz
def. Scott Jorgensen		WEC 53
Glendale, AZ, US		Dec 16, 20101,117 days 1. def. Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Jul 2, 2011
2. def. Demetrious Johnson at UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson on Oct 1, 2011
—Brazil Renan Barão
def. Urijah Faber for interim title		UFC 149
Calgary, AB, Canada		Jul 21, 2012— 1. def. Michael McDonald at UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald on Feb 16, 2013
2. def. Eddie Wineland at UFC 165 on Sep 21, 2013
Cruz vacated the title on January 6, 2014, after repeated injuries prevented him from returning to competition to defend his title.[45]
2Brazil Renan Barão
promoted to undisputed champion		—Jan 6, 2014138 days 1. def. Urijah Faber at UFC 169 on Feb 1, 2014
3United States T.J. DillashawUFC 173
Las Vegas, NV, US		May 24, 2014603 days 1. def. Joe Soto at UFC 177 on Aug 30, 2014
2. def. Renan Barão at UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barão 2 on Jul 25, 2015
4United States Dominick Cruz (2)UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz
Boston, MA, US		Jan 17, 2016348 days
(1,465 days)		 1. def. Urijah Faber at UFC 199 on Jun 4, 2016
5United States Cody GarbrandtUFC 207
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 30, 2016309 days
6United States T.J. Dillashaw (2)UFC 217
New York City, NY, US		Nov 4, 2017501 days
(1,104 days)		 1. def. Cody Garbrandt at UFC 227 on Aug 4, 2018
Dillashaw vacated the title on March 20, 2019, due to a failed drug test.[46]
7United States Henry Cejudo
def. Marlon Moraes		UFC 238
Chicago, IL, US		Jun 8, 2019352 days 1. def. Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 on May 9, 2020
Cejudo announced his retirement on May 9, 2020. The title was officially vacated on May 24, 2020.[47]
8Russia Petr Yan
def. José Aldo		UFC 251
Abu Dhabi, UAE		Jul 12, 2020237 days
9United States Aljamain SterlingUFC 259
Las Vegas, NV, US		Mar 6, 2021896 days 1. def. interim champion Petr Yan at UFC 273 on Apr 9, 2022
2. def. T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 on Oct 22, 2022
3. def. Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 on May 6, 2023
—Russia Petr Yan
def. Cory Sandhagen for interim title		UFC 267
Abu Dhabi, UAE		Oct 30, 2021—
10 United States Sean O’Malley UFC 292
Boston, MA, US		Aug 19, 2023242 days
(incumbent)		 1. def. Marlon Vera at UFC 299 on Mar 9, 2024

Flyweight Championship

116 to 125 lb (53 to 57 kg)
Demetrious Johnson defeated Joseph Benavidez on September 22, 2012, at UFC 152 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the finale of a four-man tournament for the inaugural title.[48]

No.NameEventDateReign
(Total)		Defenses
1United States Demetrious Johnson
def. Joseph Benavidez		UFC 152
Toronto, ON, Canada		Sep 22, 20122,142 days 1. def. John Dodson at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson on Jan 26, 2013
2. def. John Moraga at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga on Jul 27, 2013
3. def. Joseph Benavidez at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 on Dec 14, 2013
4. def. Ali Bagautinov at UFC 174 on June 14, 2014
5. def. Chris Cariaso at UFC 178 on Sep 27, 2014
6. def. Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC 186 on Apr 25, 2015
7. def. John Dodson at UFC 191 on Sep 5, 2015
8. def. Henry Cejudo at UFC 197 on Apr 23, 2016
9. def. Tim Elliott at The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale on Dec 3, 2016
10. def. Wilson Reis at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis on Apr 15, 2017
11. def. Ray Borg at UFC 216 on Oct 7, 2017
2United States Henry CejudoUFC 227
Los Angeles, CA, US		Aug 4, 2018574 days 1. def. T.J. Dillashaw at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw on Jan 19, 2019
Cejudo announced on December 20, 2019, that he would vacate his title to focus on defending the bantamweight title. It was officially vacated on February 29, 2020.[49]
3Brazil Deiveson Figueiredo
def. Joseph Benavidez		UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2
Abu Dhabi, UAE		Jul 19, 2020328 days 1. def. Alex Perez at UFC 255 on Nov 21, 2020
2. drew with Brandon Moreno at UFC 256 on Dec 12, 2020
4Mexico Brandon MorenoUFC 263
Glendale, AZ, US		Jun 12, 2021223 days
5Brazil Deiveson Figueiredo (2)UFC 270
Anaheim, CA, US		Jan 22, 2022364 days
(692 days)
—Mexico Brandon Moreno
def. Kai Kara-France for interim title		UFC 277
Dallas, TX, US		Jul 30, 2022—
6Mexico Brandon Moreno (2)UFC 283
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil		Jan 21, 2023168 days
(391 days)
7Brazil Alexandre PantojaUFC 290
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jul 8, 2023284 days
(incumbent)		 1. def. Brandon Royval at UFC 296 on Dec 16, 2023

Women’s championship history

Women’s Featherweight Championship

136 to 145 lb (62 to 66 kg)
The inaugural title was contested on February 11, 2017, in Brooklyn, NY, US at UFC 208.[50]

No.NameEventDateReignDefenses
1Netherlands Germaine de Randamie
def. Holly Holm		UFC 208
Brooklyn, NY, US		Feb 11, 2017128 days
de Randamie was stripped of the title on June 19, 2017, after she refused to defend the title against Cris Cyborg.[51]
2Brazil Cris Cyborg
def. Tonya Evinger		UFC 214
Anaheim, CA, US		Jul 29, 2017517 days 1. def. Holly Holm at UFC 219 on Dec 30, 2017
2. def. Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 222 on Mar 3, 2018
3Brazil Amanda NunesUFC 232
Inglewood, CA, US		Dec 29, 20181,634 days 1. def. Felicia Spencer at UFC 250 on Jun 6, 2020
2. def. Megan Anderson at UFC 259 on Mar 6, 2021
Nunes announced her retirement on June 10, 2023.[52] The title was officially vacated on June 20, 2023.

Women’s Bantamweight Championship

126 to 135 lb (57 to 61 kg)
Prior to its folding and absorption by the UFC, Ronda Rousey was the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion. Rousey was awarded the inaugural UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship on December 6, 2012, at a UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz pre-event press conference.[53]

No.NameEventDateReignDefenses
1United States Ronda Rousey
promoted to undisputed champion		UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz
Seattle, WA, US		Dec 6, 20121,074 days 1. def. Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 on Feb 23, 2013
2. def. Miesha Tate at UFC 168 on Dec 28, 2013
3. def. Sara McMann at UFC 170 on Feb 22, 2014
4. def. Alexis Davis at UFC 175 on Jul 5, 2014
5. def. Cat Zingano at UFC 184 on Feb 28, 2015
6. def. Bethe Correia at UFC 190 on Aug 1, 2015
2United States Holly HolmUFC 193
Melbourne, Australia		Nov 15, 2015111 days
3United States Miesha TateUFC 196
Las Vegas, NV, US		Mar 5, 2016126 days
4Brazil Amanda NunesUFC 200
Las Vegas, NV, US		Jul 9, 20161,981 days 1. def. Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 on Dec 30, 2016
2. def. Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 215 on Sep 9, 2017
3. def. Raquel Pennington at UFC 224 on May 12, 2018
4. def. Holly Holm at UFC 239 on Jul 6, 2019
5. def. Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245 on Dec 14, 2019
5United States Julianna PeñaUFC 269
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 11, 2021232 days
6Brazil Amanda Nunes (2)UFC 277
Dallas, TX, US		Jul 30, 2022325 days
(2,306 days)		 1. def. Irene Aldana at UFC 289 on Jun 10, 2023
Nunes announced her retirement on June 10, 2023.[52] The title was officially vacated on June 20, 2023.
7United States Raquel Pennington
def. Mayra Bueno Silva		UFC 297
Toronto, ON, Canada		Jan 20, 202488 days
(incumbent)

Women’s Flyweight Championship[edit]

116 to 125 lb (53 to 57 kg)
The inaugural title was contested on December 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, NV, US at The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale. The inaugural title fight was between two fighters who appeared on the 26th season of The Ultimate Fighter.

No.NameEventDateReignDefenses
1United States Nicco Montaño
def. Roxanne Modafferi		The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 1, 2017280 days
Montaño was stripped of the title on September 7, 2018, after she was forced to withdraw from her title defense at UFC 228 due to weight cut issues.[54]
2 Kyrgyzstan Valentina Shevchenko
def. Joanna Jędrzejczyk		UFC 231
Toronto, ON, Canada		Dec 8, 20181,547 days 1. def. Jessica Eye at UFC 238 on Jun 8, 2019
2. def. Liz Carmouche at UFC Fight Night: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2 on Aug 10, 2019
3. def. Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 247 on Feb 8, 2020
4. def. Jennifer Maia at UFC 255 on Nov 21, 2020
5. def. Jéssica Andrade at UFC 261 on Apr 24, 2021
6. def. Lauren Murphy at UFC 266 on Sep 25, 2021
7. def. Taila Santos at UFC 275 on Jun 12, 2022
3Mexico Alexa GrassoUFC 285
Las Vegas, NV, US		Mar 4, 2023410 days
(incumbent)		 1. drew with Valentina Shevchenko at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 on Sep 16, 2023

Women’s Strawweight Championship

106 to 115 lb (48 to 52 kg)
Previously the Invicta FC Strawweight Champion, Carla Esparza defeated Rose Namajunas for the inaugural title on December 12, 2014, in the tournament finale of The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned.[11]

No.NameEventDateReignDefenses
1United States Carla Esparza
def. Rose Namajunas		The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale
Las Vegas, NV, US		Dec 12, 201492 days
2 Poland Joanna JędrzejczykUFC 185
Dallas, TX, US		Mar 14, 2015966 days 1. def. Jessica Penne at UFC Fight Night: Jędrzejczyk vs. Penne on Jun 20, 2015
2. def. Valérie Létourneau at UFC 193 on Nov 15, 2015
3. def. Cláudia Gadelha at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale on Jul 8, 2016
4. def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 205 on Nov 12, 2016
5. def. Jéssica Andrade at UFC 211 on May 13, 2017
3 United States Rose NamajunasUFC 217
New York City, NY, US		Nov 4, 2017554 days 1. def. Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 223 on Apr 7, 2018
4 Brazil Jéssica AndradeUFC 237
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil		May 11, 2019112 days
5 China Zhang WeiliUFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang
Shenzhen, China		Aug 31, 2019603 days 1. def. Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 248 on Mar 7, 2020
6 United States Rose Namajunas (2)UFC 261
Jacksonville, FL, US		Apr 24, 2021378 days
(932 days)		 1. def. Zhang Weili at UFC 268 on Nov 6, 2021
7 United States Carla Esparza (2)UFC 274
Phoenix, AZ, US		May 7, 2022190 days
(282 days)
8 China Zhang Weili (2)UFC 281
New York City, NY, US		Nov 12, 2022522 days
(incumbent)		 1. def. Amanda Lemos at UFC 292 on Aug 19, 2023
2. def. Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300 on Apr 13, 2024

Defunct title

Superfight Championship

The openweight title used before the introduction of weight classes in 1997. It was designed to create a reigning UFC champion for the UFC tournament winners to challenge.[55]

No.NameEventDateReignDefenses
Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie fought to a draw on April 7, 1995, at UFC 5 in Charlotte, NC, US for the inaugural Superfight title.[1]
1 United States Ken Shamrock
def. Dan Severn		UFC 6
Casper, WY, US		Jul 14, 1995308 days 1. drew with Oleg Taktarov at UFC 7 on Sep 8, 1995

2. def. Kimo Leopoldo at UFC 8 on Feb 16, 1996
2United States Dan SevernUFC 9
Detroit, MI, US		May 17, 1996266 days
Mark Coleman defeated Severn on February 7, 1997, at UFC 12 in Dothan, AL, US. This bout unified the UFC Superfight Championship with the UFC 11 Tournament Championship to determine the inaugural UFC Heavyweight Champion.[4]

Tournament winners

EventDateDivisionWinnerRunner-up
UFC 1Nov 12, 1993OpenweightBrazil Royce GracieNetherlands Gerard Gordeau
UFC 2Mar 11, 1994OpenweightBrazil Royce Gracie (2)United States Patrick Smith
UFC 3Sep 9, 1994OpenweightUnited States Steve JennumCanada Harold Howard
UFC 4Dec 16, 1994OpenweightBrazil Royce Gracie (3)United States Dan Severn
UFC 5Apr 7, 1995OpenweightUnited States Dan SevernCanada Dave Beneteau
UFC 6Jul 14, 1995OpenweightRussia Oleg TaktarovUnited States Tank Abbott
UFC 7Sep 8, 1995OpenweightBrazil Marco RuasUnited States Paul Varelans
The Ultimate UltimateDec 16, 1995OpenweightUnited States Dan Severn (2)Russia Oleg Taktarov
UFC 8Feb 16, 1996OpenweightUnited States Don FryeTrinidad and Tobago Gary Goodridge
UFC 10Jul 12, 1996OpenweightUnited States Mark ColemanUnited States Don Frye
UFC 11Sep 20, 1996OpenweightUnited States Mark Coleman (2)United States Scott Ferrozzo
The Ultimate Ultimate 2Dec 7, 1996OpenweightUnited States Don Frye (2)United States Tank Abbott
UFC 12Feb 7, 1997HeavyweightBrazil Vitor BelfortUnited States Scott Ferrozzo
Light HeavyweightUnited States Jerry BohlanderUnited States Nick Sanzo
UFC 13May 30, 1997HeavyweightUnited States Randy CoutureUnited States Steven Graham
LightHeavyweightUnited States Guy MezgerUnited States Tito Ortiz
UFC 14Jul 27, 1997HeavyweightUnited States Mark KerrUnited States Dan Bobish
LightHeavyweightUnited States Kevin JacksonUnited States Tony Fryklund
UFC 15Oct 17, 1997HeavyweightUnited States Mark Kerr (2)United States Dwayne Cason
Ultimate JapanDec 21, 1997HeavyweightJapan Kazushi SakurabaBrazil Marcus Silveira
UFC 16Mar 13, 1998WelterweightUnited States Pat MiletichUnited States Chris Brennan
UFC 17May 15, 1998MiddleweightUnited States Dan HendersonCanada Carlos Newton
UFC 23Nov 19, 1999MiddleweightJapan Kenichi YamamotoJapan Katsuhisa Fujii
UFC 39
UFC 41		Feb 28, 2003LightweightB.J. Penn drew with Caol Uno in the finale of the 4-man tournament.
UFC on FX 2
UFC on FX 3
UFC 152		Sep 22, 2012FlyweightUnited States Demetrious JohnsonUnited States Joseph Benavidez

The Ultimate Fighter[edit]

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) is a reality television series and mixed martial arts competition produced by the UFC. The show features professional fighters living together and competing against one another in a tournament for a contract with the UFC.

SeasonFinaleDivisionWinnerRunner-up
TUF 1: Team Couture vs. Team LiddellApr 9, 2005Light HeavyweightUnited States Forrest GriffinUnited States Stephan Bonnar
MiddleweightUnited States Diego SanchezUnited States Kenny Florian
TUF 2: Team Hughes vs. Team FranklinNov 5, 2005HeavyweightUnited States Rashad EvansUnited States Brad Imes
WelterweightUnited States Joe StevensonUnited States Luke Cummo
TUF 3: Team Ortiz vs. Team ShamrockJun 24, 2006MiddleweightUnited States Kendall GroveUnited States Ed Herman
Light HeavyweightEngland Michael BispingUnited States Josh Haynes
TUF 4: The ComebackNov 11, 2006MiddleweightUnited States Travis LutterCanada Patrick Côté
WelterweightUnited States Matt SerraUnited States Chris Lytle
TUF 5: Team Pulver vs. Team PennJun 23, 2007LightweightUnited States Nate DiazArmenia Manny Gamburyan
TUF 6: Team Hughes vs. Team SerraDec 8, 2007WelterweightUnited States Mac DanzigUnited States Tom Speer
TUF 7: Team Rampage vs. Team ForrestJun 21, 2008MiddleweightUnited States Amir SadollahUnited States C. B. Dollaway
TUF 8: Team Nogueira vs. Team MirDec 13, 2008Light HeavyweightUnited States Ryan BaderBrazil Vinny Magalhães
LightweightMexico Efrain EscuderoUnited States Phillipe Nover
TUF 9: United States vs. United KingdomJun 20, 2009LightweightEngland Ross PearsonGrenada Andre Winner
WelterweightEngland James WilksUnited States DaMarques Johnson
TUF 10: HeavyweightsDec 5, 2009HeavyweightUnited States Roy NelsonUnited States Brendan Schaub
TUF 11: Team Liddell vs. Team OrtizJun 19, 2010MiddleweightUnited States Court McGeeUnited States Kris McCray
TUF 12: Team GSP vs. Team KoscheckDec 4, 2010LightweightUnited States Jonathan BrookinsUnited States Michael Johnson
TUF 13: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos SantosJun 4, 2011WelterweightUnited States Tony FergusonUnited States Ramsey Nijem
TUF 14: Team Bisping vs. Team MillerDec 3, 2011BantamweightUnited States John DodsonUnited States T.J. Dillashaw
FeatherweightBrazil Diego BrandãoUnited States Dennis Bermudez
TUF 15: LiveJun 1, 2012LightweightUnited States Michael ChiesaUnited States Al Iaquinta
TUF: BrazilJun 23, 2012FeatherweightBrazil Rony JasonBrazil Godofredo Pepey
MiddleweightBrazil Cezar FerreiraBrazil Sérgio Moraes
TUF 16: Team Carwin vs. Team NelsonDec 15, 2012WelterweightUnited States Colton SmithCanada Mike Ricci
TUF: The SmashesDec 15, 2012LightweightNorthern Ireland Norman ParkeEngland Colin Fletcher
WelterweightAustralia Robert WhittakerEngland Brad Scott
TUF 17: Team Jones vs. Team SonnenApr 13, 2013MiddleweightUnited States Kelvin GastelumJamaica Uriah Hall
TUF: Brazil 2Jun 8, 2013WelterweightBrazil Leonardo SantosBrazil William Macario
TUF 18: Team Rousey vs. Team TateNov 30, 2013BantamweightUnited States Chris HoldsworthEngland Davey Grant
Women’s BantamweightUnited States Julianna PeñaCanada Jessica Rakoczy
TUF: ChinaMar 1, 2014WelterweightChina Zhang LipengChina Wang Sai
Ago 23, 2014FeatherweightChina Ning GuangyouChina Yang Jianping
TUF Nations: Canada vs. AustraliaApr 16, 2014WelterweightCanada Chad LapriseCanada Olivier Aubin-Mercier
MiddleweightCanada Elias TheodorouCanada Sheldon Westcott
TUF: Brazil 3May 31, 2014MiddleweightBrazil Warlley AlvesBrazil Márcio Alexandre Júnior
HeavyweightBrazil Antônio Carlos JúniorBrazil Vitor Miranda
TUF 19: Team Edgar vs. Team PennJul 6, 2014MiddleweightJamaica Eddie GordonBrazil Dhiego Lima
Light HeavyweightUnited States Corey AndersonUnited States Matt Van Buren
TUF: Latin AmericaNov 15, 2014BantamweightMexico Alejandro PérezMexico José Alberto Quiñónez
FeatherweightMexico Yair RodríguezNicaragua Leonardo Morales
TUF 20: A Champion Will Be CrownedDec 12, 2014Women’s StrawweightUnited States Carla EsparzaUnited States Rose Namajunas
TUF 21: American Top Team vs. BlackziliansJul 12, 2015WelterweightNigeria Kamaru UsmanUnited States Hayder Hassan
TUF: Brazil 4Aug 1, 2015BantamweightBrazil Reginaldo VieiraBrazil Dileno Lopes
LightweightBrazil Glaico FrançaBrazil Fernando Bruno
TUF: Latin America 2Nov 21, 2015LightweightPeru Enrique BarzolaMexico Horacio Gutiérrez
WelterweightMexico Erick MontañoSpain Enrique Marín
TUF 22: Team McGregor vs. Team FaberDec 11, 2015LightweightUnited States Ryan HallRussia Artem Lobov
TUF 23: Team Joanna vs. Team CláudiaJul 8, 2016Women’s StrawweightUnited States Tatiana SuarezUnited States Amanda Cooper
Light HeavyweightUnited States Andrew SanchezUnited States Khalil Rountree Jr.
TUF: Latin America 3Nov 5, 2016LightweightMexico Martin BravoPeru Claudio Puelles
TUF 24: Tournament of ChampionsDec 3, 2016FlyweightUnited States Tim ElliottJapan Hiromasa Ougikubo
TUF 25: RedemptionJul 7, 2017WelterweightUnited States Jesse TaylorBrazil Dhiego Lima
TUF 26: A New World ChampionDec 1, 2017Women’s FlyweightUnited States Nicco MontañoUnited States Roxanne Modafferi
TUF 27: UndefeatedJul 6, 2018FeatherweightCanada Brad KatonaEngland Jay Cucciniello
LightweightUnited States Michael TrizanoUnited States Joe Giannetti
TUF 28: Heavy HittersNov 30, 2018HeavyweightSpain Juan EspinoUnited States Justin Frazier
Women’s FeatherweightUnited States Macy ChiassonSweden Pannie Kianzad
TUF 29: Team Volkanovski vs. Team OrtegaAug 28, 2021BantamweightUnited States Ricky TurciosUnited States Brady Hiestand
MiddleweightUnited States Bryan BattleUnited States Gilbert Urbina
TUF 30: Team Peña vs. Team NunesAug 6, 2022HeavyweightNigeria Mohammed UsmanUnited States Zac Pauga
Women’s FlyweightUnited States Juliana MillerUnited States Brogan Walker-Sanchez
TUF 31: Team McGregor vs. Team ChandlerAug 19, 2023BantamweightCanada Brad KatonaUnited States Cody Gibson
LightweightUnited States Kurt HolobaughUnited States Austin Hubbard

Championship wins by nationality

The table is divided by number of division championships, tournament championships, total championships, and individual champions. Fighters with multiple championship wins have each championship counted for the total. There is a distinction between the total number of championships won by a nationality and the number of individual fighters that won them. Division championships are the primary separation criteria due to being non-closed competition. It includes title holders and interim title holders. Interim champions who become undisputed champions are listed only once. Tournament championships are secondary due to many tournaments being country-specific and thus not generally a national achievement to win. Runners-up and TUF runners-up are not included.

CountryDivision
championships		Tournament
championships		Total
championships		Individual
champions
United States United States80169670
Brazil Brazil2452921
Russia Russia4154
Canada Canada4–42
Mexico Mexico4–43
England England3–33
Nigeria Nigeria3–32
Australia Australia2–22
Netherlands Netherlands2–22
Poland Poland2–22
China China2–21
Republic of Ireland Ireland2–21
Belarus Belarus1–11
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan1–11
Cameroon Cameroon1–11
France France1–11
Czech Republic Czech Republic1–11
South Africa South Africa1–11
Georgia (country) Georgia1–11
Japan Japan–222

TUF winners by nationality

CountryTUF
winners
United States United States35
Brazil Brazil8
Mexico Mexico5
Canada Canada4
England England3
China China2
Nigeria Nigeria2
Australia Australia1
Jamaica Jamaica1
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland1
Peru Peru1
Spain Spain1

Most wins in title bouts

Fighters with four or more championship and/or interim championship title wins.[56] Fighters with the same number of title wins are arranged in order of most title fights. Tournament championships and TUF winners are not included.

Title winsChampionDivisionWLDNC
15United States Jon JonesHeavyweight
Light Heavyweight		1
14		0
0		0
1
13Canada Georges St-PierreMiddleweight
Welterweight		1
12		0
2
12United States Demetrious JohnsonBantamweight
Flyweight		0
12		1
1
11Brazil Anderson SilvaMiddleweight112
Brazil Amanda NunesWomen’s Featherweight
Women’s Bantamweight		3
8		0
1
9United States Randy CoutureHeavyweight
Light Heavyweight		6
3		3
3
United States Matt HughesWelterweight93
8Brazil José AldoFeatherweight
Bantamweight		8
0		3
1
Kyrgyzstan Valentina ShevchenkoWomen’s Bantamweight
Women’s Flyweight		0
8		1
1		0
1
Nigeria Israel AdesanyaLight Heavyweight
Middleweight		0
8		1
2
6Poland Joanna JędrzejczykWomen’s Flyweight
Women’s Strawweight		0
6		1
3
United States Daniel CormierHeavyweight
Light Heavyweight		2
4		2
1		0
1
United States Tito OrtizLight Heavyweight63
Australia Alexander VolkanovskiLightweight
Featherweight		0
6		2
1
United States Ronda RouseyWomen’s Bantamweight62
United States Stipe MiocicHeavyweight62
Nigeria Kamaru UsmanWelterweight62
5United States B.J. PennWelterweight
Lightweight		1
4		2
3		0
1
United States Tim SylviaHeavyweight54
United States Max HollowayLightweight
Featherweight		0
5		1
3
United States T.J. DillashawBantamweight
Flyweight		5
0		2
1
United States Chuck LiddellLight Heavyweight52
United States Dominick CruzBantamweight52
China Zhang WeiliWomen’s Strawweight52
United States Pat MiletichWelterweight51
United States Frank ShamrockLight Heavyweight50
4United States Rose NamajunasWomen’s Strawweight43
United States Cain VelasquezHeavyweight42
Brazil Renan BarãoBantamweight42
United States Tyron WoodleyWelterweight411
United States Henry CejudoBantamweight
Flyweight		2
2		1
1
United States Benson HendersonLightweight41
United States Chris WeidmanMiddleweight41
United States Aljamain SterlingBantamweight41
Russia Khabib NurmagomedovLightweight40

Most consecutive title defenses

The following includes all UFC champions who were able to consecutively defend their title three times or more. Fighters with the same number of title defenses are listed chronologically.[57]

DefensesChampionDivisionPeriod
11United States Demetrious JohnsonFlyweightSep 22, 2012 — Aug 4, 2018
10Brazil Anderson SilvaMiddleweightOct 14, 2006 — Jul 6, 2013
9Canada Georges St-PierreWelterweightApr 19, 2008 — Dec 13, 2013
8United States Jon JonesLight HeavyweightMar 19, 2011 — Apr 28, 2015
7Brazil José AldoFeatherweightNov 20, 2010 — Dec 12, 2015
Kyrgyzstan Valentina ShevchenkoWomen’s FlyweightDec 8, 2018 — Mar 4, 2023
6United States Ronda RouseyWomen’s BantamweightDec 6, 2012 — Nov 15, 2015
5United States Tito OrtizLight HeavyweightApr 14, 2000 — Sep 26, 2003
United States Matt HughesWelterweightNov 2, 2001 — Jan 31, 2004
Poland Joanna JędrzejczykWomen’s StrawweightMar 14, 2015 — Nov 4, 2017
Brazil Amanda NunesWomen’s BantamweightJul 9, 2016 — Dec 11, 2021
Nigeria Kamaru UsmanWelterweightMar 2, 2019 — Aug 20, 2022
Nigeria Israel AdesanyaMiddleweightOct 6, 2019 — Nov 12, 2022
Australia Alexander VolkanovskiFeatherweightDec 14, 2019 — Feb 17, 2024
4United States Frank ShamrockLight HeavyweightDec 21, 1997 — Nov 24, 1999
United States Pat MiletichWelterweightOct 16, 1998 — May 4, 2001
United States Chuck LiddellLight HeavyweightApr 16, 2005 — May 26, 2007
United States Tyron Woodley[a]WelterweightJul 30, 2016 — Mar 2, 2019
3United States B.J. PennLightweightJan 19, 2008 — Apr 10, 2010
United States Frankie Edgar[b]LightweightApr 10, 2010 — Feb 26, 2012
United States Benson HendersonLightweightFeb 26, 2012 — Aug 31, 2013
Brazil Renan Barão[c]BantamweightJul 21, 2012 — May 24, 2014
United States Chris WeidmanMiddleweightJul 6, 2013 — Dec 12, 2015
United States Daniel Cormier[d]Light HeavyweightMay 23, 2015 — Dec 28, 2018
United States Stipe MiocicHeavyweightMay 14, 2016 — Jul 7, 2018
United States Max HollowayFeatherweightJun 3, 2017 — Dec 14, 2019
United States Jon JonesLight HeavyweightDec 29, 2018 — Aug 17, 2020
Russia Khabib NurmagomedovLightweightApr 7, 2018 — Mar 19, 2021
United States Aljamain SterlingBantamweightMar 6, 2021 — Aug 19, 2023
  • Bold — Incumbent champion.
  1. ^ Woodley successfully defended the UFC Welterweight Championship three times and retained the title once following a draw against Stephen Thompson at UFC 205.
  2. ^ Edgar successfully defended the UFC Lightweight Championship twice and retained the title once following a draw against Gray Maynard at UFC 125.
  3. ^ Barão successfully defended the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship twice before being promoted to undisputed champion and defending his title once more.
  4. ^ Cormier lost to Jon Jones attempting his 3rd consecutive defense. However, Jones’ win was later overturned to a no-contest due to a failed pre-fight drug test. Cormier was later reinstated as champion and made his 3rd successful title defense at UFC 220.

Longest reigning champions

The following is a list of the ten longest reigning UFC champions.

Longest individual reigns

NameTitle ReignWeight classSuccessful defenses
1Brazil Anderson Silva2,457 daysMW10
2United States Demetrious Johnson2,142 daysFLW11
3Canada Georges St-Pierre2,064 daysWW9
4Brazil Amanda Nunes1,981 daysW-BW5
5Brazil José Aldo1,848 daysFTW7
6Brazil Amanda Nunes1,634 daysW-FTW2
7Kyrgyzstan Valentina Shevchenko1,547 daysW-FLW7
8Australia Alexander Volkanovski1,526 daysFTW5
9United States Jon Jones1,501 daysLHW8
10United States Daniel Cormier1,315 daysLHW3

Longest combined reigns

NameDays as championReignsWeight classCumulative title defenses
1Brazil Amanda Nunes3,940 days3W-BW, W-FTW8
2Brazil Anderson Silva2,457 days1MW10
3United States Jon Jones2,508 days3LHW, HW11
4Canada Georges St-Pierre2,237 days3WW, MW9
5United States Demetrious Johnson2,142 days1FLW11
6Brazil José Aldo2,037 days2FTW7
7United States Daniel Cormier1,722 days2LHW, HW4
8United States Matt Hughes1,577 days2WW7
9Kyrgyzstan Valentina Shevchenko1,547 days1W-FLW7
10Australia Alexander Volkanovski1,526 days1FTW5
  • Bold — Incumbent champion.

Multi-division champions

Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes.[58] Tournament championships and TUF winners are not included.

Randy Couture is notably the first champion to hold belts in two different divisions, and one of the few to reclaim a title after being defeated. Conor McGregor was the first fighter to hold multiple titles simultaneously.

Interim
ChampionDivisionWonLostDefensesReignTotal reign
1United States Randy CoutureHeavyweightDec 21, 1997 (UFC Japan)Jan ?, 1998 (stripped)000? days1,478 + ? days
Nov 17, 2000 (UFC 28)Mar 22, 2002 (UFC 36)2490 days
Mar 3, 2007 (UFC 68)Nov 15, 2008 (UFC 91)1623 days
Light HeavyweightJun 6, 2003 (UFC 43)Sep 26, 2003 (UFC 44)0–
Sep 26, 2003 (UFC 44)Jan 31, 2004 (UFC 46)0127 days
Aug 21, 2004 (UFC 49)Apr 16, 2005 (UFC 52)0238 days
2United States B.J. PennWelterweightJan 31, 2004 (UFC 46)May 17, 2004 (stripped)0107 days919 days
LightweightJan 19, 2008 (UFC 80)Apr 10, 2010 (UFC 112)3812 days
3Republic of Ireland Conor McGregorFeatherweightJul 11, 2015 (UFC 189)Dec 12, 2015 (UFC 194)0–861 days
Dec 12, 2015 (UFC 194)Nov 26, 2016 (stripped)0350 days
LightweightNov 12, 2016 (UFC 205)Apr 7, 2018 (stripped)0511 days
4Canada Georges St-PierreWelterweightNov 18, 2006 (UFC 65)Apr 7, 2007 (UFC 69)0140 days2,237 days
Dec 29, 2007 (UFC 79)Apr 19, 2008 (UFC 83)0–
Apr 19, 2008 (UFC 83)Dec 13, 2013 (vacated)92,064 days
MiddleweightNov 4, 2017 (UFC 217)Dec 7, 2017 (vacated)033 days
5United States Daniel CormierLight HeavyweightMay 23, 2015 (UFC 187)Dec 28, 2018 (vacated)31,315 days1,722 days
HeavyweightJul 7, 2018 (UFC 226)Aug 17, 2019 (UFC 241)1407 days
6Brazil Amanda NunesWomen’s BantamweightJul 9, 2016 (UFC 200)Dec 11, 2021 (UFC 269)51,981 days3,940 days
Jul 30, 2022 (UFC 277)Jun 20, 2023 (vacated)1325 days
Women’s FeatherweightDec 29, 2018 (UFC 232)Jun 20, 2023 (vacated)21,634 days
7United States Henry CejudoFlyweightAug 4, 2018 (UFC 227)Feb 29, 2020 (vacated)1574 days926 days
BantamweightJun 8, 2019 (UFC 238)May 24, 2020 (vacated)1352 days
8United States Jon JonesLight HeavyweightMar 19, 2011 (UFC 128)Apr 28, 2015 (stripped)81,501 days2,508 days
Apr 23, 2016 (UFC 197)Nov 19, 2016 (stripped)0–
Dec 29, 2018 (UFC 232)Aug 17, 2020 (vacated)3597 days
HeavyweightMar 4, 2023 (UFC 285)Incumbent0410 days
9Brazil Alex PereiraMiddleweightNov 12, 2022 (UFC 281)Apr 8, 2023 (UFC 287)0147 days305 days
Light HeavyweightNov 11, 2023 (UFC 295)Incumbent1158 days

Simultaneous two division champions

  • Note: Defenses shown are while champion was a two division champion.
ChampionDivisionPeriodDefensesReign
1Republic of Ireland Conor McGregorFeatherweightNov 12, 2016 – Nov 26, 2016014 days
Lightweight0
2United States Daniel CormierLight HeavyweightJul 7, 2018 – Dec 28, 20180174 days
Heavyweight1
3Brazil Amanda NunesWomen’s BantamweightDec 29, 2018 – Dec 11, 202121,078 days
Women’s Featherweight2
4United States Henry CejudoFlyweightJun 8, 2019 – Feb 29, 20200266 days
Bantamweight1
5Brazil Amanda Nunes (2)Women’s FeatherweightJul 30, 2022 – Jun 20, 20230325 days
Women’s Bantamweight1
  • Bold – Active reigns.

Missed weight title fights

There have been multiple instances in UFC history where a fighter misses the required weight limit for a championship fight. The following fights were originally scheduled and advertised as title fights, with the contenders earning a title shot, but due to a fighter missing weight these fights took place, only one fighter was eligible for the title, or the fight was changed to a non-title fight.

EventDateChampionshipResultNotes
UFC 56Nov 19, 2005WelterweightMatt Hughes (c) (170 lb)def.Joe Riggs (172.5 lb)Fight changed to non-title contest
UFC 67Feb 3, 2007MiddleweightAnderson Silva (c) (185 lb)def.Travis Lutter (187 lb)Fight changed to non-title contest
UFC 206Dec 10, 2016Interim FeatherweightMax Holloway (145 lb)def.Anthony Pettis (148 lb)Only Holloway was eligible to win title
UFC 221Feb 11, 2018Interim MiddleweightYoel Romero (187.7 lb)def.Luke Rockhold (185 lb)Only Rockhold was eligible to win title
UFC 225Jun 9, 2018MiddleweightRobert Whittaker (c) (185 lb)def.Yoel Romero (185.2 lb)Fight changed to non-title contest
UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. FigueiredoFeb 29, 2020FlyweightDeiveson Figueiredo (127.5 lb)def.Joseph Benavidez (124.5 lb)Only Benavidez was eligible to win title
UFC 274May 7, 2022LightweightCharles Oliveira (c) (155.5 lb)def.Justin Gaethje (155 lb)Oliveira was stripped of the title, only Gaethje was eligible to win title

See also[edit]

  • List of current mixed martial arts champions
  • List of current UFC fighters
  • List of Pride Fighting Championships champions
  • List of Strikeforce champions
  • List of UFC events
  • List of UFC records
  • List of World Extreme Cagefighting champions
  • Mixed martial arts weight classes

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External links[edit]

  • Current Title Holders at UFC.com

 


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