Wikipedia

List of UFC champions

(Redirected fromUFC Light Heavyweight Championship)

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

Historical notes

At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993,mixed martial artswas not sanctioned in the United States, and did not includeweight classes.Instead of the traditional championship model, the UFC held tournaments with the winner receiving a permanent appellation.[2]Inresponse to criticismfrom SenatorJohn McCainthat 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 withUFC 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), andlightweight,which encompassed all competitors 199 pounds (90 kg) and under. AtUFC 14thelightweightdivision would be renamed tomiddleweight,though it would still encompass all fighters 199 pounds (90 kg) and under.[4]Thelightweightmoniker would later return atUFC 16with a new division consisting of those competitors 170 pounds (77 kg) and under.[5]Two years later a fourth weight class, thebantamweightdivision, arrived atUFC 26and included all fighters 155 pounds (70 kg) and under.[4]

In 2000, theNew Jersey State Athletic Control Boardcompletely took over MMA regulation in its home state and developed newrules and weight classesthat eventually became thede factorule set for all mixed martial arts.[6]The UFC realigned their weight classes to comply with these new regulations in 2001, beginning withUFC 31.[7]At the time, this brought the total number of active divisions in the UFC to five:lightweight,welterweight,middleweight,light heavyweight,andheavyweight.

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 organizationWorld Extreme Cagefighting(WEC). Due to the WEC's focus on lighter weight fighters, this merger necessitated the addition of both thefeatherweightandbantamweightdivisions to the UFC, starting withThe 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 theflyweightdivision to their ranks, beginning withUFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann.[9]

In November 2012, as a result of the forthcoming dissolution of their sister organizationStrikeforce,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 atUFC 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'sstrawweightdivision,[11]the first bout took place atUFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller.[12] In late 2016, a featherweight division was introduced for the women with the first bout to be for theinaugural championshipatUFC 208on February 11, 2017. In that same year the UFC announced the Women's Flyweight division would officially be added, with the winner of the26th season of The Ultimate Fighterto be named the inaugural champion.

Current champions

[13]

Men

Division Champion Since Defenses
Heavyweight Jon Jones Mar 4, 2023 1
Tom Aspinall(interim) Nov 11, 2023 1
Light Heavyweight Alex Pereira Nov 11, 2023 3
Middleweight Dricus du Plessis Jan 20, 2024 2
Welterweight Belal Muhammad Jul 27, 2024 0
Lightweight Islam Makhachev Oct 22, 2022 4
Featherweight Ilia Topuria Feb 17, 2024 1
Bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili Sep 14, 2024 1
Flyweight Alexandre Pantoja Jul 8, 2023 3

Women

Division Champion Since Defenses
Bantamweight Julianna Peña Oct 5, 2024 0
Flyweight Valentina Shevchenko Sep 14, 2024 0
Strawweight Zhang Weili Nov 12, 2022 3

Men's championship history

Heavyweight Championship

206 to 265 lb (93 to 120 kg)
The UFCSuperfight Championshipwas unified with theUFC 11Tournament Championshipto determine the inaugural UFC Heavyweight Champion on February 7, 1997, whenMark ColemandefeatedDan SevernatUFC 12.[4]

No. Name Event Date Reign
(total)		 Defenses
1 Mark Coleman
def.Dan Severn 		UFC 12
Dothan, AL, US 		Feb 7, 1997 170 days
2 Maurice Smith UFC 14
Birmingham, AL, US 		Jul 27, 1997 147 days

1. def.Tank AbbottatUFC 15on Oct 17, 1997

3 Randy Couture UFC 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.
4 Bas Rutten
def.Kevin Randleman 		UFC 20
Birmingham, AL, US 		May 7, 1999 34 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]
5 Kevin Randleman
def.Pete Williams 		UFC 23
Tokyo, Japan 		Nov 19, 1999 364 days

1. def.Pedro RizzoatUFC 26on Jun 9, 2000

6 Randy Couture(2) UFC 28
Atlantic City, NJ, US 		Nov 17, 2000 490 days
(490+ days)

1. def.Pedro RizzoatUFC 31on May 4, 2001
2. def.Pedro RizzoatUFC 34on Nov 2, 2001

7 Josh Barnett UFC 36
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Mar 22, 2002 126 days
Barnett was stripped of the title on July 26, 2002, after testing positive for anabolic steroids in a post-fight drug test.[15]
8 Ricco Rodriguez
def.Randy Couture 		UFC 39
Uncasville, CT, US 		Sep 27, 2002 154 days
9 Tim Sylvia UFC 41
Atlantic City, NJ, US 		Feb 28, 2003 229 days

1. def.Gan McGeeatUFC 44on 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]
10 Frank Mir
def.Tim Sylvia 		UFC 48
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jun 19, 2004 419 days
— Andrei Arlovski
def.Tim Sylviafor interim title 		UFC 51
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Feb 5, 2005 —

1. def.Justin EilersatUFC 53on 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]
11 Andrei Arlovski
promoted to undisputed champion 		— Aug 12, 2005 246 days

1. def.Paul BuentelloatUFC 55on Oct 7, 2005

12 Tim Sylvia(2) UFC 59
Anaheim, CA, US 		Apr 15, 2006 322 days
(551 days)

1. def.Andrei ArlovskiatUFC 61on Jul 8, 2006
2. def.Jeff MonsonatUFC 65on Nov 18, 2006

13 Randy Couture(3) UFC 68
Columbus, OH, US 		Mar 3, 2007 623 days
(1,113+ days)

1. def.Gabriel GonzagaatUFC 74on Aug 25, 2007

— Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
def.Tim Sylviafor interim title 		UFC 81
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Feb 2, 2008 —
14 Brock Lesnar UFC 91
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Nov 15, 2008 707 days

1. def. interim championFrank MiratUFC 100on Jul 11, 2009
2. def. interim championShane CarwinatUFC 116on Jul 3, 2010

— Frank Mir
def. interim championAntônio Rodrigo Nogueira 		UFC 92
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 27, 2008 —
— Shane Carwin
def.Frank Mirfor interim title 		UFC 111
Newark, NJ, US 		Mar 27, 2010 —
15 Cain Velasquez UFC 121
Anaheim, CA, US 		Oct 23, 2010 385 days
16 Junior dos Santos UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos
Anaheim, CA, US 		Nov 12, 2011 413 days

1. def.Frank MiratUFC 146on May 26, 2012

17 Cain Velasquez(2) UFC 155
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 29, 2012 896 days
(1,281 days)

1. def.Antônio SilvaatUFC 160on May 25, 2013
2. def.Junior dos SantosatUFC 166on Oct 19, 2013

— Fabrício Werdum
def.Mark Huntfor interim title 		UFC 180
Mexico City, Mexico 		Nov 15, 2014 —
18 Fabrício Werdum UFC 188
Mexico City, Mexico 		Jun 13, 2015 336 days
19 Stipe Miocic UFC 198
Curitiba, Brazil 		May 14, 2016 784 days

1. def.Alistair OvereematUFC 203on Sep 10, 2016
2. def.Junior dos SantosatUFC 211on May 13, 2017
3. def.Francis NgannouatUFC 220on Jan 20, 2018

20 Daniel Cormier UFC 226
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jul 7, 2018 406 days

1. def.Derrick LewisatUFC 230on Nov 3, 2018

21 Stipe Miocic(2) UFC 241
Anaheim, CA, US 		Aug 17, 2019 588 days
(1,372 days)

1. def.Daniel CormieratUFC 252on Aug 15, 2020

22 Francis Ngannou UFC 260
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Mar 27, 2021 659 days

1. def. interim championCiryl GaneatUFC 270on Jan 22, 2022

— Ciryl Gane
def.Derrick Lewisfor 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]
23 Jon Jones
def.Ciryl Gane 		UFC 285
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Mar 4, 2023 720 days
(incumbent)

1. def.Stipe MiocicatUFC 309on Nov 16, 2024

— Tom Aspinall
def.Sergei Pavlovichfor interim title 		UFC 295
New York City, NY, US 		Nov 11, 2023 468 days
(incumbent)

1. def.Curtis BlaydesatUFC 304on Jul 27, 2024

Light Heavyweight Championship

186 to 205 lb (84 to 93 kg)
The Light Heavyweight Championship was known as the Middleweight Championship prior toUFC 31(May 4, 2001). ThePride World Middleweight Championship(205.03 lb) was unified with the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on September 8, 2007, whenQuinton JacksondefeatedDan HendersonatUFC 75.[4]

No. Name Event Date Reign
(Total)		 Defenses
1 Frank Shamrock
def.Kevin Jackson 		UFC Japan
Yokohama, Japan 		Dec 21, 1997 703 days

1. def. Igor Zinoviev atUFC 16on Mar 13, 1998
2. def.Jeremy HornatUFC 17on May 15, 1998
3. def.John LoberatUFC Brazilon Oct 16, 1998
4. def.Tito OrtizatUFC 22on Sep 24, 1999

Shamrock vacated the title on November 24, 1999, when he retired from the UFC, citing a lack of competition.[1]
2 Tito Ortiz
def.Wanderlei Silva 		UFC 25
Tokyo, Japan 		Apr 14, 2000 1,260 days

1. def.Yuki KondoatUFC 29on Dec 16, 2000
2. def.Evan TanneratUFC 30on Feb 23, 2001
3. def.Elvis SinosicatUFC 32on Jun 29, 2001
4. def.Vladimir MatyushenkoatUFC 33on Sep 28, 2001
5. def.Ken ShamrockatUFC 40on Nov 22, 2002

— Randy Couture
def.Chuck Liddellfor interim title 		UFC 43
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jun 6, 2003 —
3 Randy Couture UFC 44
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Sep 26, 2003 127 days
4 Vitor Belfort UFC 46
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jan 31, 2004 203 days
5 Randy Couture(2) UFC 49
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Aug 21, 2004 238 days
(365 days)
6 Chuck Liddell UFC 52
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Apr 16, 2005 770 days

1. def.Jeremy HornatUFC 54on Aug 20, 2005
2. def.Randy CoutureatUFC 57on Feb 4, 2006
3. def.Renato SobralatUFC 62on Aug 26, 2006
4. def.Tito OrtizatUFC 66on Dec 30, 2006

7 Quinton Jackson UFC 71
Las Vegas, NV, US 		May 26, 2007 406 days

1. def.Dan HendersonatUFC 75on Sep 8, 2007

8 Forrest Griffin UFC 86
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jul 5, 2008 175 days
9 Rashad Evans UFC 92
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 27, 2008 147 days
10 Lyoto Machida UFC 98
Las Vegas, NV, US 		May 23, 2009 350 days

1. def.Maurício RuaatUFC 104on Oct 24, 2009

11 Maurício Rua UFC 113
Montreal, QC, Canada 		May 8, 2010 315 days
12 Jon Jones UFC 128
Newark, NJ, US 		Mar 19, 2011 1,501 days

1. def.Quinton JacksonatUFC 135on Sep 24, 2011
2. def.Lyoto MachidaatUFC 140on Dec 10, 2011
3. def.Rashad EvansatUFC 145on Apr 21, 2012
4. def.Vitor BelfortatUFC 152on Sep 22, 2012
5. def.Chael SonnenatUFC 159on Apr 27, 2013
6. def.Alexander GustafssonatUFC 165on Sep 21, 2013
7. def.Glover TeixeiraatUFC 172on Apr 26, 2014
8. def.Daniel CormieratUFC 182on 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]
13 Daniel Cormier
def.Anthony Johnson 		UFC 187
Las Vegas, NV, US 		May 23, 2015 1,315 days

1. def.Alexander GustafssonatUFC 192on Oct 3, 2015
2. def.Anthony JohnsonatUFC 210on Apr 8, 2017
3. def.Volkan OezdemiratUFC 220on Jan 20, 2018

— Jon Jones
def.Ovince Saint Preuxfor 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 atUFC 214on 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]
14 Jon Jones(2)
def.Alexander Gustafsson 		UFC 232
Inglewood, CA, US 		Dec 29, 2018 597 days
(2,098 days)

1. def.Anthony SmithatUFC 235on Mar 2, 2019
2. def.Thiago SantosatUFC 239on Jul 6, 2019
3. def.Dominick ReyesatUFC 247on 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]
15 Jan Błachowicz
def.Dominick Reyes 		UFC 253
Abu Dhabi, UAE 		Sep 27, 2020 398 days

1. def.Israel AdesanyaatUFC 259on Mar 6, 2021

16 Glover Teixeira UFC 267
Abu Dhabi, UAE 		Oct 30, 2021 225 days
17 Jiří Procházka UFC 275
Kallang, Singapore 		Jun 12, 2022 164 days
Procházka vacated the belt on November 23, 2022, after suffering a severe shoulder injury.[25][26]
Jan BłachowiczandMagomed Ankalaevfought to a draw for the vacant title on December 10, 2022, atUFC 282in Las Vegas, NV, US.[27]
18 Jamahal Hill
def.Glover Teixeira 		UFC 283
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 		Jan 21, 2023 174 days
Hill vacated the belt on July 14, 2023, after suffering an achilles tendon rupture.[28]
19 Alex Pereira
def.Jiří Procházka 		UFC 295
New York City, NY, US 		Nov 11, 2023 468 days
(incumbent)

1. def.Jamahal HillatUFC 300on Apr 13, 2024
2. def.Jiří ProcházkaatUFC 303on Jun 29, 2024
3. def.Khalil Rountree Jr.atUFC 307on Oct 5, 2024

Middleweight Championship

171 to 185 lb (78 to 84 kg)
ThePride World Welterweight Championship(182.98 lb) was unified with the UFC Middleweight Championship on March 1, 2008, whenAnderson SilvadefeatedDan HendersonatUFC 82.[29]

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Dave Menne
def.Gil Castillo 		UFC 33
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Sep 28, 2001 105 days
2 Murilo Bustamante UFC 35
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jan 11, 2002 267 days

1. def.Matt LindlandatUFC 37on May 10, 2002

Bustamante was stripped of the title on October 5, 2002, when he left the UFC forPride.[1]
3 Evan Tanner
def.David Terrell 		UFC 51
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Feb 5, 2005 119 days
4 Rich Franklin UFC 53
Atlantic City, NJ, US 		Jun 4, 2005 497 days

1. def.Nate QuarryatUFC 56on Nov 19, 2005
2. def.David LoiseauatUFC 58on Mar 4, 2006

5 Anderson Silva UFC 64
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Oct 14, 2006 2,457 days

1. def.Nate MarquardtatUFC 73on Jul 7, 2007
2. def.Rich FranklinatUFC 77on Oct 20, 2007
3. def.Dan HendersonatUFC 82on Mar 1, 2008
4. def.Patrick CôtéatUFC 90on Oct 25, 2008
5. def.Thales LeitesatUFC 97on Apr 18, 2009
6. def.Demian MaiaatUFC 112on Apr 10, 2010
7. def.Chael SonnenatUFC 117on Aug 7, 2010
8. def.Vitor BelfortatUFC 126on Feb 5, 2011
9. def.Yushin OkamiatUFC 134on Aug 27, 2011
10. def.Chael SonnenatUFC 148on Jul 7, 2012

6 Chris Weidman UFC 162
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jul 6, 2013 889 days

1. def.Anderson SilvaatUFC 168on Dec 28, 2013
 2. def.Lyoto MachidaatUFC 175on Jul 5, 2014
3. def.Vitor BelfortatUFC 187on May 23, 2015

7 Luke Rockhold UFC 194
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 12, 2015 175 days
8 Michael Bisping UFC 199
Inglewood, CA, US 		Jun 4, 2016 518 days

1. def.Dan HendersonatUFC 204on Oct 8, 2016

— Robert Whittaker
def.Yoel Romerofor interim title 		UFC 213
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jul 8, 2017 —
9 Georges St-Pierre UFC 217
New York City, NY, US 		Nov 4, 2017 33 days
St-Pierre vacated the title on December 7, 2017, due toulcerative colitis.[30][31]
10 Robert Whittaker
promoted to undisputed champion 		— Dec 7, 2017 660 days
— Israel Adesanya
def.Kelvin Gastelumfor interim title 		UFC 236
Atlanta, GA, US 		Apr 13, 2019 —
11 Israel Adesanya UFC 243
Melbourne, Australia 		Oct 6, 2019 1,134 days

1. def.Yoel RomeroatUFC 248on Mar 7, 2020
2. def.Paulo CostaatUFC 253on Sep 27, 2020
3. def.Marvin VettoriatUFC 263on Jun 12, 2021
4. def.Robert WhittakeratUFC 271on Feb 12, 2022
5. def.Jared CannonieratUFC 276on Jul 2, 2022

12 Alex Pereira UFC 281
New York City, NY, US 		Nov 12, 2022 147 days
13 Israel Adesanya(2) UFC 287
Miami, FL, US 		Apr 8, 2023 155 days
(1,289 days)
14 Sean Strickland UFC 293
Sydney, Australia 		Sep 10, 2023 132 days
15 Dricus du Plessis UFC 297
Toronto, ON, Canada 		Jan 20, 2024 398 days
(incumbent)

1. def.Israel AdesanyaatUFC 305on Aug 18, 2024
2. def.Sean StricklandatUFC 312on Feb 9, 2025

Welterweight Championship

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

No. Name Event Date Reign
(Total)		 Defenses
1 Pat Miletich
def.Mikey Burnett 		UFC Brazil
São Paulo, Brazil 		Oct 16, 1998 931 days

1. def.Jorge PatinoatUFC 18on Jan 8, 1999
2. def.André PederneirasatUFC 21on Jul 16, 1999
3. def.John AlessioatUFC 26on Jun 9, 2000
4. def.Kenichi YamamotoatUFC 29on Dec 16, 2000

2 Carlos Newton UFC 31
Atlantic City, NJ, US 		May 4, 2001 183 days
3 Matt Hughes UFC 34
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Nov 2, 2001 820 days

1. def.Hayato SakuraiatUFC 36on Mar 22, 2002
2. def.Carlos NewtonatUFC 38on Jul 13, 2002
3. def.Gil CastilloatUFC 40on Nov 22, 2002
4. def.Sean SherkatUFC 42on Apr 25, 2003
5. def.Frank TriggatUFC 45on Nov 21, 2003

4 B.J. Penn UFC 46
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jan 31, 2004 107 days
Penn was stripped of the title on May 17, 2004, when he left the UFC forK-1.[32]
5 Matt Hughes(2)
def.Georges St-Pierre 		UFC 50
Atlantic City, NJ, US 		Oct 22, 2004 757 days
(1,577 days)

1. def.Frank TriggatUFC 52on Apr 16, 2005
2. def.B.J. PennatUFC 63on Sep 23, 2006

6 Georges St-Pierre UFC 65
Sacramento, CA, US 		Nov 18, 2006 140 days
7 Matt Serra UFC 69
Houston, TX, US 		Apr 7, 2007 378 days
— Georges St-Pierre
def.Matt Hughesfor interim title 		UFC 79
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 29, 2007 —
8 Georges St-Pierre(2) UFC 83
Montreal, QC, Canada 		Apr 19, 2008 2,064 days
(2,204 days)

1. def.Jon FitchatUFC 87on Aug 9, 2008
2. def.B.J. PennatUFC 94on Jan 31, 2009
3. def.Thiago AlvesatUFC 100on Jul 11, 2009
4. def.Dan HardyatUFC 111on Mar 27, 2010
5. def.Josh KoscheckatUFC 124on Dec 11, 2010
6. def.Jake ShieldsatUFC 129on Apr 30, 2011
7. def. interim championCarlos ConditatUFC 154on Nov 17, 2012
 8. def.Nick DiazatUFC 158on Mar 16, 2013
9. def.Johny HendricksatUFC 167on Nov 16, 2013

— Carlos Condit
def.Nick Diazfor 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]
9 Johny Hendricks
def.Robbie Lawler 		UFC 171
Dallas, TX, US 		Mar 15, 2014 266 days
10 Robbie Lawler UFC 181
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 6, 2014 602 days

1. def.Rory MacDonaldatUFC 189on Jul 11, 2015
2. def.Carlos ConditatUFC 195on Jan 2, 2016

11 Tyron Woodley UFC 201
Atlanta, GA, US 		Jul 30, 2016 945 days

1. drew withStephen ThompsonatUFC 205on Nov 12, 2016
2. def.Stephen ThompsonatUFC 209on Mar 4, 2017
3. def.Demian MaiaatUFC 214on Jul 29, 2017
4. def.Darren TillatUFC 228on Sep 8, 2018

— Colby Covington
def.Rafael dos Anjosfor 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]
12 Kamaru Usman UFC 235
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Mar 2, 2019 1,267 days

1. def.Colby CovingtonatUFC 245on Dec 14, 2019
2. def.Jorge MasvidalatUFC 251on Jul 12, 2020
3. def.Gilbert BurnsatUFC 258on Feb 13, 2021
4. def.Jorge MasvidalatUFC 261on Apr 24, 2021
5. def.Colby CovingtonatUFC 268on Nov 6, 2021

13 Leon Edwards UFC 278
Salt Lake City, UT, US 		Aug 20, 2022 707 days

1. def.Kamaru UsmanatUFC 286on Mar 18, 2023
2. def.Colby CovingtonatUFC 296on Dec 16, 2023

14 Belal Muhammad UFC 304
Manchester, England, UK 		Jul 27, 2024 209 days
(incumbent)

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). TheStrikeforce Lightweight Championshipwas unified (perhaps unofficially) with the UFC Lightweight Championship on April 20, 2013, whenBenson HendersondefeatedGilbert MelendezatUFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez.[35]

No. Name Event Date Reign
(Total)		 Defenses
1 Jens Pulver
def.Caol Uno 		UFC 30
Atlantic City, NJ, US 		Feb 23, 2001 393 days

1. def.Dennis HallmanatUFC 33on Sep 28, 2001
2. def.B.J. PennatUFC 35on 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. PennandCaol Unofought to a draw on February 28, 2003, atUFC 41in Atlantic City, NJ, US in the finale of a four-man tournament for the vacant title.[1]
2 Sean Sherk
def.Kenny Florian 		UFC 64
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Oct 14, 2006 420 days

1. def.Hermes FrançaatUFC 73on 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]
3 B.J. Penn
def.Joe Stevenson 		UFC 80
Newcastle, England, UK 		Jan 19, 2008 812 days

1. def.Sean SherkatUFC 84on May 24, 2008
2. def.Kenny FlorianatUFC 101on Aug 8, 2009
3. def.Diego SanchezatUFC 107on Dec 12, 2009

4 Frankie Edgar UFC 112
Abu Dhabi, UAE 		Apr 10, 2010 687 days

1. def.B.J. PennatUFC 118on Aug 28, 2010
2. drew withGray MaynardatUFC 125on Jan 1, 2011
3. def.Gray MaynardatUFC 136on Oct 8, 2011

5 Benson Henderson UFC 144
Saitama, Japan 		Feb 26, 2012 552 days

1. def.Frankie EdgaratUFC 150on Aug 11, 2012
2. def.Nate DiazatUFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diazon Dec 8, 2012
3. def.Gilbert MelendezatUFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendezon Apr 20, 2013

6 Anthony Pettis UFC 164
Milwaukee, WI, US 		Aug 31, 2013 560 days

1. def.Gilbert MelendezatUFC 181on Dec 6, 2014

7 Rafael dos Anjos UFC 185
Dallas, TX, US 		Mar 14, 2015 481 days

1. def.Donald CerroneatUFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2on Dec 19, 2015

8 Eddie Alvarez UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jul 7, 2016 128 days
9 Conor McGregor UFC 205
New York City, NY, US 		Nov 12, 2016 511 days
— Tony Ferguson
def.Kevin Leefor 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]
10 Khabib Nurmagomedov
def.Al Iaquinta 		UFC 223
Brooklyn, NY, US 		Apr 7, 2018 1,077 days

1. def.Conor McGregoratUFC 229on Oct 6, 2018
2. def. interim championDustin PoirieratUFC 242on Sep 7, 2019
3. def. interim championJustin GaethjeatUFC 254on Oct 24, 2020

— Dustin Poirier
def.Max Hollowayfor interim title 		UFC 236
Atlanta, GA, US 		Apr 13, 2019 —
— Justin Gaethje
def.Tony Fergusonfor 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]
11 Charles Oliveira
def.Michael Chandler 		UFC 262
Houston, TX, US 		May 15, 2021 357 days

1. def.Dustin PoirieratUFC 269on Dec 11, 2021

Oliveira was stripped of the title on May 7, 2022 after failing to make weight for his title defense againstJustin GaethjeatUFC 274.[40]
12 Islam Makhachev
def.Charles Oliveira 		UFC 280
Abu Dhabi, UAE 		Oct 22, 2022 853 days
(incumbent)

1. def.Alexander VolkanovskiatUFC 284on Feb 12, 2023
2. def.Alexander VolkanovskiatUFC 294on Oct 21, 2023
3. def.Dustin PoirieratUFC 302on Jun 1, 2024
4. def.Renato MoicanoatUFC 311on Jan 18, 2025

Featherweight Championship

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

No. Name Event Date Reign
(Total)		 Defenses
1 José Aldo
promoted to undisputed champion 		UFC 123
Auburn Hills, MI, US 		Nov 20, 2010 1,848 days

1. def.Mark HominickatUFC 129on Apr 30, 2011
2. def.Kenny FlorianatUFC 136on Oct 8, 2011
3. def.Chad MendesatUFC 142on Jan 14, 2012
4. def.Frankie EdgaratUFC 156on Feb 2, 2013
5. def.Jung Chan-sungatUFC 163on Aug 3, 2013
6. def.Ricardo LamasatUFC 169on Feb 1, 2014
7. def.Chad MendesatUFC 179on Oct 25, 2014

— Conor McGregor
def.Chad Mendesfor interim title 		UFC 189
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jul 11, 2015 —
2 Conor McGregor UFC 194
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 12, 2015 350 days
— José Aldo
def.Frankie Edgarfor 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]
3 José Aldo(2)
promoted to undisputed champion 		— Nov 26, 2016 189 days
(2,037 days)
— Max Holloway
def.Anthony Pettisfor interim title 		UFC 206
Toronto, ON, Canada 		Dec 10, 2016 —
4 Max Holloway UFC 212
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 		Jun 3, 2017 925 days

1. def.José AldoatUFC 218on Dec 2, 2017
2. def.Brian OrtegaatUFC 231on Dec 8, 2018
3. def.Frankie EdgaratUFC 240on Jul 27, 2019

5 Alexander Volkanovski UFC 245
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 14, 2019 1,526 days

1. def.Max HollowayatUFC 251on Jul 12, 2020
2. def.Brian OrtegaatUFC 266on Sep 25, 2021
3. def.Jung Chan-sungatUFC 273on Apr 9, 2022
4. def.Max HollowayatUFC 276on Jul 2, 2022
5. def. interim championYair RodríguezatUFC 290on Jul 8, 2023

— Yair Rodríguez
def.Josh Emmettfor interim title 		UFC 284
Perth, Australia 		Feb 12, 2023 —
6 Ilia Topuria UFC 298
Anaheim, CA, US 		Feb 17, 2024 370 days
(incumbent)

1. def.Max HollowayatUFC 308on Oct 26, 2024

Bantamweight Championship

126 to 135 lb (57 to 61 kg)
Prior to UFC-WEC merger,Dominick Cruzwas theWEC Bantamweight Champion.AtWEC 53,Cruz defeatedScott Jorgensento retain the WEC Bantamweight Championship and was awarded the inaugural UFC Bantamweight Championship.[44]

No. Name Event Date Reign
(Total)		 Defenses
1 Dominick Cruz
def.Scott Jorgensen 		WEC 53
Glendale, AZ, US 		Dec 16, 2010 1,117 days

1. def.Urijah FaberatUFC 132on Jul 2, 2011
2. def.Demetrious JohnsonatUFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnsonon Oct 1, 2011

— Renan Barão
def.Urijah Faberfor interim title 		UFC 149
Calgary, AB, Canada 		Jul 21, 2012 —

1. def.Michael McDonaldatUFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonaldon Feb 16, 2013
2. def.Eddie WinelandatUFC 165on 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]
2 Renan Barão
promoted to undisputed champion 		— Jan 6, 2014 138 days

1. def.Urijah FaberatUFC 169on Feb 1, 2014

3 T.J. Dillashaw UFC 173
Las Vegas, NV, US 		May 24, 2014 603 days

1. def.Joe SotoatUFC 177on Aug 30, 2014
2. def.Renan BarãoatUFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barão 2on Jul 25, 2015

4 Dominick Cruz(2) UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz
Boston, MA, US 		Jan 17, 2016 348 days
(1,465 days)

1. def.Urijah FaberatUFC 199on Jun 4, 2016

5 Cody Garbrandt UFC 207
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 30, 2016 309 days
6 T.J. Dillashaw(2) UFC 217
New York City, NY, US 		Nov 4, 2017 501 days
(1,104 days)

1. def.Cody GarbrandtatUFC 227on Aug 4, 2018

Dillashaw vacated the title on March 20, 2019, due to a failed drug test.[46]
7 Henry Cejudo
def.Marlon Moraes 		UFC 238
Chicago, IL, US 		Jun 8, 2019 352 days

1. def.Dominick CruzatUFC 249on May 9, 2020

Cejudo announced his retirement on May 9, 2020. The title was officially vacated on May 24, 2020.[47]
8 Petr Yan
def.José Aldo 		UFC 251
Abu Dhabi, UAE 		Jul 12, 2020 237 days
9 Aljamain Sterling UFC 259
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Mar 6, 2021 896 days

1. def. interim championPetr YanatUFC 273on Apr 9, 2022
2. def.T.J. DillashawatUFC 280on Oct 22, 2022
3. def.Henry CejudoatUFC 288on May 6, 2023

— Petr Yan
def.Cory Sandhagenfor interim title 		UFC 267
Abu Dhabi, UAE 		Oct 30, 2021 —
10 Sean O'Malley UFC 292
Boston, MA, US 		Aug 19, 2023 393 days

1. def.Marlon VeraatUFC 299on Mar 9, 2024

11 Merab Dvalishvili UFC 306
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Sep 14, 2024 160 days
(incumbent)

1. def.Umar NurmagomedovatUFC 311on Jan 18, 2025

Flyweight Championship

116 to 125 lb (53 to 57 kg)
Demetrious JohnsondefeatedJoseph Benavidezon September 22, 2012, atUFC 152in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the finale of a four-man tournament for the inaugural title.[48]

No. Name Event Date Reign
(Total)		 Defenses
1 Demetrious Johnson
def.Joseph Benavidez 		UFC 152
Toronto, ON, Canada 		Sep 22, 2012 2,142 days

1. def.John DodsonatUFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodsonon Jan 26, 2013
2. def.John MoragaatUFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moragaon Jul 27, 2013
3. def.Joseph BenavidezatUFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2on Dec 14, 2013
4. def.Ali BagautinovatUFC 174on June 14, 2014
5. def.Chris CariasoatUFC 178on Sep 27, 2014
6. def.Kyoji HoriguchiatUFC 186on Apr 25, 2015
7. def.John DodsonatUFC 191on Sep 5, 2015
8. def.Henry CejudoatUFC 197on Apr 23, 2016
9. def.Tim ElliottatThe Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finaleon Dec 3, 2016
10. def.Wilson ReisatUFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reison Apr 15, 2017
11. def.Ray BorgatUFC 216on Oct 7, 2017

2 Henry Cejudo UFC 227
Los Angeles, CA, US 		Aug 4, 2018 574 days 1. def.T.J. DillashawatUFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashawon 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]
3 Deiveson Figueiredo
def.Joseph Benavidez 		UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2
Abu Dhabi, UAE 		Jul 19, 2020 328 days

1. def.Alex PerezatUFC 255on Nov 21, 2020
2. drew withBrandon MorenoatUFC 256on Dec 12, 2020

4 Brandon Moreno UFC 263
Glendale, AZ, US 		Jun 12, 2021 223 days
5 Deiveson Figueiredo(2) UFC 270
Anaheim, CA, US 		Jan 22, 2022 364 days
(692 days)
— Brandon Moreno
def.Kai Kara-Francefor interim title 		UFC 277
Dallas, TX, US 		Jul 30, 2022 —
6 Brandon Moreno(2) UFC 283
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 		Jan 21, 2023 168 days
(391 days)
7 Alexandre Pantoja UFC 290
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jul 8, 2023 594 days
(incumbent)

1. def.Brandon RoyvalatUFC 296on Dec 16, 2023
2. def.Steve ErcegatUFC 301on May 4, 2024
3. def.Kai AsakuraatUFC 310on Dec 7, 2024

Women's championship history

Women's Bantamweight Championship

126 to 135 lb (57 to 61 kg)
Prior to its folding and absorption by the UFC,Ronda Rouseywas theStrikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion.Rousey was awarded the inaugural UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship on December 6, 2012, at aUFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diazpre-event press conference.[50]

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Ronda Rousey
promoted to undisputed champion 		UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz
Seattle, WA, US 		Dec 6, 2012 1,074 days

1. def.Liz CarmoucheatUFC 157on Feb 23, 2013
2. def.Miesha TateatUFC 168on Dec 28, 2013
3. def.Sara McMannatUFC 170on Feb 22, 2014
4. def.Alexis DavisatUFC 175on Jul 5, 2014
5. def.Cat ZinganoatUFC 184on Feb 28, 2015
6. def.Bethe CorreiaatUFC 190on Aug 1, 2015

2 Holly Holm UFC 193
Melbourne, Australia 		Nov 15, 2015 111 days
3 Miesha Tate UFC 196
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Mar 5, 2016 126 days
4 Amanda Nunes UFC 200
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Jul 9, 2016 1,981 days

1. def.Ronda RouseyatUFC 207on Dec 30, 2016
2. def.Valentina ShevchenkoatUFC 215on Sep 9, 2017
3. def.Raquel PenningtonatUFC 224on May 12, 2018
4. def.Holly HolmatUFC 239on Jul 6, 2019
5. def.Germaine de RandamieatUFC 245on Dec 14, 2019

5 Julianna Peña UFC 269
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 11, 2021 232 days
6 Amanda Nunes(2) UFC 277
Dallas, TX, US 		Jul 30, 2022 325 days
(2,306 days) 		1. def.Irene AldanaatUFC 289on Jun 10, 2023
Nunes announced her retirement on June 10, 2023.[51]The title was officially vacated on June 20, 2023.
7 Raquel Pennington
def.Mayra Bueno Silva 		UFC 297
Toronto, ON, Canada 		Jan 20, 2024 255 days
8 Julianna Peña(2) UFC 307
Salt Lake City, UT, US 		Oct 5, 2024 139 days
(incumbent)

Women's Flyweight Championship

116 to 125 lb (53 to 57 kg)
The inaugural title was contested on December 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, NV, US atThe Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale.The inaugural title fight was between two fighters who appeared on the26th season of The Ultimate Fighter.

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Nicco Montaño
def.Roxanne Modafferi 		The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 1, 2017 280 days
Montaño was stripped of the title on September 7, 2018, after she was forced to withdraw from her title defense atUFC 228due to weight cut issues.[52]
2 Valentina Shevchenko
def.Joanna Jędrzejczyk 		UFC 231
Toronto, ON, Canada 		Dec 8, 2018 1,547 days

1. def.Jessica EyeatUFC 238on Jun 8, 2019
2. def.Liz CarmoucheatUFC Fight Night: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2on Aug 10, 2019
3. def.Katlyn ChookagianatUFC 247on Feb 8, 2020
4. def.Jennifer MaiaatUFC 255on Nov 21, 2020
5. def.Jéssica AndradeatUFC 261on Apr 24, 2021
6. def.Lauren MurphyatUFC 266on Sep 25, 2021
7. def.Taila SantosatUFC 275on Jun 12, 2022

3 Alexa Grasso UFC 285
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Mar 4, 2023 561 days

1. drew withValentina ShevchenkoatUFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2on Sep 16, 2023

4 Valentina Shevchenko(2) UFC 306
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Sep 14, 2024 160 days
(incumbent)

Women's Strawweight Championship

106 to 115 lb (48 to 52 kg)
Previously theInvicta FC Strawweight Champion,Carla EsparzadefeatedRose Namajunasfor the inaugural title on December 12, 2014, in the tournament finale ofThe Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned.[11]

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Carla Esparza
def.Rose Namajunas 		The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale
Las Vegas, NV, US 		Dec 12, 2014 92 days
2 Joanna Jędrzejczyk UFC 185
Dallas, TX, US 		Mar 14, 2015 966 days

1. def.Jessica PenneatUFC Fight Night: Jędrzejczyk vs. Penneon Jun 20, 2015
2. def.Valérie LétourneauatUFC 193on Nov 15, 2015
3. def.Cláudia GadelhaatThe Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finaleon Jul 8, 2016
4. def.Karolina KowalkiewiczatUFC 205on Nov 12, 2016
5. def.Jéssica AndradeatUFC 211on May 13, 2017

3 Rose Namajunas UFC 217
New York City, NY, US 		Nov 4, 2017 554 days

1. def.Joanna JędrzejczykatUFC 223on Apr 7, 2018

4 Jéssica Andrade UFC 237
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 		May 11, 2019 112 days
5 Zhang Weili UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang
Shenzhen, China 		Aug 31, 2019 603 days

1. def.Joanna JędrzejczykatUFC 248on Mar 7, 2020

6 Rose Namajunas(2) UFC 261
Jacksonville, FL, US 		Apr 24, 2021 378 days
(932 days)

1. def.Zhang WeiliatUFC 268on Nov 6, 2021

7 Carla Esparza(2) UFC 274
Phoenix, AZ, US 		May 7, 2022 190 days
(282 days)
8 Zhang Weili(2) UFC 281
New York City, NY, US 		Nov 12, 2022 832 days
(incumbent)

1. def.Amanda LemosatUFC 292on Aug 19, 2023
2. def.Yan XiaonanatUFC 300on Apr 13, 2024
3. def.Tatiana SuarezatUFC 312on Feb 9, 2025

Defunct titles

Superfight Championship

Theopenweighttitle 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.[53]

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
Ken ShamrockandRoyce Graciefought to a draw on April 7, 1995, atUFC 5in Charlotte, NC, US for the inaugural Superfight title.[1]
1 Ken Shamrock
def.Dan Severn 		UFC 6
Casper, WY, US 		Jul 14, 1995 308 days

1. drew withOleg TaktarovatUFC 7on Sep 8, 1995
 2. def.Kimo LeopoldoatUFC 8on Feb 16, 1996

2 Dan Severn UFC 9
Detroit, MI, US 		May 17, 1996 266 days
Mark Colemandefeated Severn on February 7, 1997, atUFC 12in Dothan, AL, US. This bout unified the UFC Superfight Championship with the UFC 11 Tournament Championship to determine the inauguralUFC Heavyweight Champion.[4]

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 atUFC 208.[54]

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Germaine de Randamie
def.Holly Holm 		UFC 208
Brooklyn, NY, US 		Feb 11, 2017 128 days
de Randamie was stripped of the title on June 19, 2017, after she refused to defend the title againstCris Cyborg.[55]
2 Cris Cyborg
def.Tonya Evinger 		UFC 214
Anaheim, CA, US 		Jul 29, 2017 517 days

1. def.Holly HolmatUFC 219on Dec 30, 2017
2. def.Yana KunitskayaatUFC 222on Mar 3, 2018

3 Amanda Nunes UFC 232
Inglewood, CA, US 		Dec 29, 2018 1,634 days

1. def.Felicia SpenceratUFC 250on Jun 6, 2020
2. def.Megan AndersonatUFC 259on Mar 6, 2021

Nunes announced her retirement on June 10, 2023.[51]The title was officially vacated on June 20, 2023.

Tournament winners

Event Date Division Winner Runner-up
UFC 1 Nov 12, 1993 Openweight Royce Gracie Gerard Gordeau
UFC 2 Mar 11, 1994 Openweight Royce Gracie(2) Patrick Smith
UFC 3 Sep 9, 1994 Openweight Steve Jennum Harold Howard
UFC 4 Dec 16, 1994 Openweight Royce Gracie(3) Dan Severn
UFC 5 Apr 7, 1995 Openweight Dan Severn Dave Beneteau
UFC 6 Jul 14, 1995 Openweight Oleg Taktarov Tank Abbott
UFC 7 Sep 8, 1995 Openweight Marco Ruas Paul Varelans
The Ultimate Ultimate Dec 16, 1995 Openweight Dan Severn(2) Oleg Taktarov
UFC 8 Feb 16, 1996 Openweight Don Frye Gary Goodridge
UFC 10 Jul 12, 1996 Openweight Mark Coleman Don Frye
UFC 11 Sep 20, 1996 Openweight Mark Coleman(2) Scott Ferrozzo
The Ultimate Ultimate 2 Dec 7, 1996 Openweight Don Frye(2) Tank Abbott
UFC 12 Feb 7, 1997 Heavyweight Vitor Belfort Scott Ferrozzo
Light Heavyweight Jerry Bohlander Nick Sanzo
UFC 13 May 30, 1997 Heavyweight Randy Couture Steven Graham
LightHeavyweight Guy Mezger Tito Ortiz
UFC 14 Jul 27, 1997 Heavyweight Mark Kerr Dan Bobish
LightHeavyweight Kevin Jackson Tony Fryklund
UFC 15 Oct 17, 1997 Heavyweight Mark Kerr(2) Dwayne Cason
Ultimate Japan Dec 21, 1997 Heavyweight Kazushi Sakuraba Marcus Silveira
UFC 16 Mar 13, 1998 Welterweight Pat Miletich Chris Brennan
UFC 17 May 15, 1998 Middleweight Dan Henderson Carlos Newton
UFC 23 Nov 19, 1999 Middleweight Kenichi Yamamoto Katsuhisa Fujii
UFC 39
UFC 41 		Feb 28, 2003 Lightweight B.J. Penndrew withCaol Unoin the finale of the 4-man tournament.
UFC on FX 2
UFC on FX 3
UFC 152 		Sep 22, 2012 Flyweight Demetrious Johnson Joseph Benavidez

The Ultimate Fighter

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.

Season Finale Division Winner Runner-up
TUF 1: Team Couture vs. Team Liddell Apr 9, 2005 Light Heavyweight Forrest Griffin Stephan Bonnar
Middleweight Diego Sanchez Kenny Florian
TUF 2: Team Hughes vs. Team Franklin Nov 5, 2005 Heavyweight Rashad Evans Brad Imes
Welterweight Joe Stevenson Luke Cummo
TUF 3: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock Jun 24, 2006 Middleweight Kendall Grove Ed Herman
Light Heavyweight Michael Bisping Josh Haynes
TUF 4: The Comeback Nov 11, 2006 Middleweight Travis Lutter Patrick Côté
Welterweight Matt Serra Chris Lytle
TUF 5: Team Pulver vs. Team Penn Jun 23, 2007 Lightweight Nate Diaz Manny Gamburyan
TUF 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra Dec 8, 2007 Welterweight Mac Danzig Tom Speer
TUF 7: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest Jun 21, 2008 Middleweight Amir Sadollah C. B. Dollaway
TUF 8: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir Dec 13, 2008 Light Heavyweight Ryan Bader Vinny Magalhães
Lightweight Efrain Escudero Phillipe Nover
TUF 9: United States vs. United Kingdom Jun 20, 2009 Lightweight Ross Pearson Andre Winner
Welterweight James Wilks DaMarques Johnson
TUF 10: Heavyweights Dec 5, 2009 Heavyweight Roy Nelson Brendan Schaub
TUF 11: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Jun 19, 2010 Middleweight Court McGee Kris McCray
TUF 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Dec 4, 2010 Lightweight Jonathan Brookins Michael Johnson
TUF 13: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos Jun 4, 2011 Welterweight Tony Ferguson Ramsey Nijem
TUF 14: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller Dec 3, 2011 Bantamweight John Dodson T.J. Dillashaw
Featherweight Diego Brandão Dennis Bermudez
TUF 15: Live Jun 1, 2012 Lightweight Michael Chiesa Al Iaquinta
TUF: Brazil Jun 23, 2012 Featherweight Rony Jason Godofredo Pepey
Middleweight Cezar Ferreira Sérgio Moraes
TUF 16: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Dec 15, 2012 Welterweight Colton Smith Mike Ricci
TUF: The Smashes Dec 15, 2012 Lightweight Norman Parke Colin Fletcher
Welterweight Robert Whittaker Brad Scott
TUF 17: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Apr 13, 2013 Middleweight Kelvin Gastelum Uriah Hall
TUF: Brazil 2 Jun 8, 2013 Welterweight Leonardo Santos William Macario
TUF 18: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Nov 30, 2013 Bantamweight Chris Holdsworth Davey Grant
Women's Bantamweight Julianna Peña Jessica Rakoczy
TUF: China Mar 1, 2014 Welterweight Zhang Lipeng Wang Sai
Ago 23, 2014 Featherweight Ning Guangyou Yang Jianping
TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia Apr 16, 2014 Welterweight Chad Laprise Olivier Aubin-Mercier
Middleweight Elias Theodorou Sheldon Westcott
TUF: Brazil 3 May 31, 2014 Middleweight Warlley Alves Márcio Alexandre Júnior
Heavyweight Antônio Carlos Júnior Vitor Miranda
TUF 19: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn Jul 6, 2014 Middleweight Eddie Gordon Dhiego Lima
Light Heavyweight Corey Anderson Matt Van Buren
TUF: Latin America Nov 15, 2014 Bantamweight Alejandro Pérez José Alberto Quiñónez
Featherweight Yair Rodríguez Leonardo Morales
TUF 20: A Champion Will Be Crowned Dec 12, 2014 Women's Strawweight Carla Esparza Rose Namajunas
TUF 21: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians Jul 12, 2015 Welterweight Kamaru Usman Hayder Hassan
TUF: Brazil 4 Aug 1, 2015 Bantamweight Reginaldo Vieira Dileno Lopes
Lightweight Glaico França Fernando Bruno
TUF: Latin America 2 Nov 21, 2015 Lightweight Enrique Barzola Horacio Gutiérrez
Welterweight Erick Montaño Enrique Marín
TUF 22: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Dec 11, 2015 Lightweight Ryan Hall Artem Lobov
TUF 23: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Jul 8, 2016 Women's Strawweight Tatiana Suarez Amanda Cooper
Light Heavyweight Andrew Sanchez Khalil Rountree Jr.
TUF: Latin America 3 Nov 5, 2016 Lightweight Martin Bravo Claudio Puelles
TUF 24: Tournament of Champions Dec 3, 2016 Flyweight Tim Elliott Hiromasa Ougikubo
TUF 25: Redemption Jul 7, 2017 Welterweight Jesse Taylor Dhiego Lima
TUF 26: A New World Champion Dec 1, 2017 Women's Flyweight Nicco Montaño Roxanne Modafferi
TUF 27: Undefeated Jul 6, 2018 Featherweight Brad Katona Jay Cucciniello
Lightweight Michael Trizano Joe Giannetti
TUF 28: Heavy Hitters Nov 30, 2018 Heavyweight Juan Espino Justin Frazier
Women's Featherweight Macy Chiasson Pannie Kianzad
TUF 29: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega Aug 28, 2021 Bantamweight Ricky Turcios Brady Hiestand
Middleweight Bryan Battle Gilbert Urbina
TUF 30: Team Peña vs. Team Nunes Aug 6, 2022 Heavyweight Mohammed Usman Zac Pauga
Women's Flyweight Juliana Miller Brogan Walker-Sanchez
TUF 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler Aug 19, 2023 Bantamweight Brad Katona Cody Gibson
Lightweight Kurt Holobaugh Austin Hubbard
TUF 32: Team Grasso vs. Team Shevchenko Aug 24, 2024 Featherweight Mairon Santos Kaan Ofli
Middleweight Ryan Loder Robert Valentin

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. Countries that are tied are separated by number of individual champions. 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.

Country Division
championships		 Tournament
championships		 Total
championships		 Individual
champions
United States 82 17 99 72
Brazil 24 6 30 22
Russia 4 1 5 4
Mexico 4 - 4 3
Canada 4 - 4 2
England 3 - 3 3
Nigeria 3 - 3 2
Australia 2 - 2 2
Georgia 2 - 2 2
Netherlands 2 - 2 2
Poland 2 - 2 2
China 2 - 2 1
Ireland 2 - 2 1
Kyrgyzstan 2 - 2 1
Belarus 1 - 1 1
Cameroon 1 - 1 1
France 1 - 1 1
Czech Republic 1 - 1 1
South Africa 1 - 1 1
Japan 0 2 2 2

TUF winners by nationality

Country TUF
winners
United States 35
Brazil 8
Mexico 5
Canada 4
England 3
China 2
Nigeria 2
Australia 1
Jamaica 1
Northern Ireland 1
Peru 1
Spain 1

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. Tournamentchampionshipsand TUF winners are not included.

Title wins Champion Division
Win
Loss
Draw
No-Contest
16 Jon Jones Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight		 2
14		 0
0		 0
1
13 Georges St-Pierre Middleweight
Welterweight		 1
12		 0
2
12 Demetrious Johnson Bantamweight
Flyweight		 0
12		 1
1
11 Anderson Silva Middleweight 11 2
Amanda Nunes Women's Featherweight
Women's Bantamweight		 3
8		 0
1
9 Randy Couture Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight		 6
3		 3
3
Matt Hughes Welterweight 9 3
Valentina Shevchenko Women's Bantamweight
Women's Flyweight		 0
9		 1
1		 0
1
8 José Aldo Featherweight
Bantamweight		 8
0		 3
1
Israel Adesanya Light Heavyweight
Middleweight		 0
8		 1
3
6 Joanna Jędrzejczyk Women's Flyweight
Women's Strawweight		 0
6		 1
3
Daniel Cormier Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight		 2
4		 2
1		 0
1
Tito Ortiz Light Heavyweight 6 3
Alexander Volkanovski Lightweight
Featherweight		 0
6		 2
1
Stipe Miocic Heavyweight 6 3
Ronda Rousey Women's Bantamweight 6 2
Kamaru Usman Welterweight 6 2
Zhang Weili Women's Strawweight 6 2
5 B.J. Penn Welterweight
Lightweight		 1
4		 2
3		 0
1
Max Holloway Lightweight
Featherweight		 0
5		 1
4
Tim Sylvia Heavyweight 5 4
T.J. Dillashaw Bantamweight
Flyweight		 5
0		 2
1
Chuck Liddell Light Heavyweight 5 2
Dominick Cruz Bantamweight 5 2
Pat Miletich Welterweight 5 1
Alex Pereira Light Heavyweight
Middleweight		 4
1		 0
1
Frank Shamrock Light Heavyweight 5 0
Islam Makhachev Lightweight 5 0
4 Rose Namajunas Women's Strawweight 4 3
Cain Velasquez Heavyweight 4 2
Renan Barão Bantamweight 4 2
Tyron Woodley Welterweight 4 1 1
Henry Cejudo Bantamweight
Flyweight		 2
2		 1
1
Benson Henderson Lightweight 4 1
Chris Weidman Middleweight 4 1
Aljamain Sterling Bantamweight 4 1
Khabib Nurmagomedov Lightweight 4 0
Alexandre Pantoja Flyweight 4 0

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]

Defenses Champion Division Period
11 Demetrious Johnson Flyweight Sep 22, 2012 — Aug 4, 2018
10 Anderson Silva Middleweight Oct 14, 2006 — Jul 6, 2013
9 Georges St-Pierre Welterweight Apr 19, 2008 — Dec 13, 2013
8 Jon Jones Light Heavyweight Mar 19, 2011 — Apr 28, 2015
7 José Aldo Featherweight Nov 20, 2010 — Dec 12, 2015
Valentina Shevchenko Women's Flyweight Dec 8, 2018 — Mar 4, 2023
6 Ronda Rousey Women's Bantamweight Dec 6, 2012 — Nov 15, 2015
5 Tito Ortiz Light Heavyweight Apr 14, 2000 — Sep 26, 2003
Matt Hughes Welterweight Nov 2, 2001 — Jan 31, 2004
Joanna Jędrzejczyk Women's Strawweight Mar 14, 2015 — Nov 4, 2017
Amanda Nunes Women's Bantamweight Jul 9, 2016 — Dec 11, 2021
Kamaru Usman Welterweight Mar 2, 2019 — Aug 20, 2022
Israel Adesanya Middleweight Oct 6, 2019 — Nov 12, 2022
Alexander Volkanovski Featherweight Dec 14, 2019 — Feb 17, 2024
4 Frank Shamrock Light Heavyweight Dec 21, 1997 — Nov 24, 1999
Pat Miletich Welterweight Oct 16, 1998 — May 4, 2001
Chuck Liddell Light Heavyweight Apr 16, 2005 — May 26, 2007
Tyron Woodley[a] Welterweight Jul 30, 2016 — Mar 2, 2019
Islam Makhachev Lightweight Oct 22, 2022 — Present
3 B.J. Penn Lightweight Jan 19, 2008 — Apr 10, 2010
Frankie Edgar[b] Lightweight Apr 10, 2010 — Feb 26, 2012
Benson Henderson Lightweight Feb 26, 2012 — Aug 31, 2013
Renan Barão[c] Bantamweight Jul 21, 2012 — May 24, 2014
Chris Weidman Middleweight Jul 6, 2013 — Dec 12, 2015
Daniel Cormier[d] Light Heavyweight May 23, 2015 — Dec 28, 2018
Stipe Miocic Heavyweight May 14, 2016 — Jul 7, 2018
Max Holloway Featherweight Jun 3, 2017 — Dec 14, 2019
Jon Jones Light Heavyweight Dec 29, 2018 — Aug 17, 2020
Khabib Nurmagomedov Lightweight Apr 7, 2018 — Mar 19, 2021
Aljamain Sterling Bantamweight Mar 6, 2021 — Aug 19, 2023
Alex Pereira Light Heavyweight Nov 11, 2023 — Present
Alexandre Pantoja Flyweight Jul 8, 2023 — Present
Zhang Weili Women's Strawweight Nov 12, 2022 — Present
  • Bold— Incumbent champion.
  1. ^Woodley successfully defended the UFC Welterweight Championship three times and retained the title once following a draw againstStephen ThompsonatUFC 205.
  2. ^Edgar successfully defended the UFC Lightweight Championship twice and retained the title once following a draw againstGray MaynardatUFC 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 toJon Jonesattempting 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 atUFC 220.

Longest reigning champions

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

Longest individual reigns

Name Title Reign Weight class Successful defenses
1 Anderson Silva 2,457 days MW 10
2 Demetrious Johnson 2,142 days FLW 11
3 Georges St-Pierre 2,064 days WW 9
4 Amanda Nunes 1,981 days W-BW 5
5 José Aldo 1,848 days FTW 7
6 Amanda Nunes 1,634 days W-FTW 2
7 Valentina Shevchenko 1,547 days W-FLW 7
8 Alexander Volkanovski 1,526 days FTW 5
9 Jon Jones 1,501 days LHW 8
10 Daniel Cormier 1,315 days LHW 3

Longest combined reigns

Name Days as champion Reigns Weight class Cumulative title defenses
1 Amanda Nunes 3,940 days 3 W-BW,W-FTW 8
2 Jon Jones 2,818 days 3 LHW,HW 12
3 Anderson Silva 2,457 days 1 MW 10
4 Georges St-Pierre 2,237 days 3 WW,MW 9
5 Demetrious Johnson 2,142 days 1 FLW 11
6 José Aldo 2,037 days 2 FTW 7
7 Daniel Cormier 1,722 days 2 LHW,HW 4
8 Valentina Shevchenko 1,707 days 2 W-FLW 7
9 Matt Hughes 1,577 days 2 WW 7
10 Alexander Volkanovski 1,526 days 1 FTW 5
  • Bold— Incumbent champion.

Multi-division champions

Fighters who have wonchampionshipsin multiple weight classes.[58]Tournamentchampionshipsand TUF winners are not included.

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

Interim
Champion Division Won Lost Defenses Reign Total reign
1 Randy Couture Heavyweight Dec 21, 1997 (UFC Japan) Jan?, 1998 (stripped) 0 ?days 1,478 +? days
Nov 17, 2000 (UFC 28) Mar 22, 2002 (UFC 36) 2 490 days
Mar 3, 2007 (UFC 68) Nov 15, 2008 (UFC 91) 1 623 days
Light Heavyweight Jun 6, 2003 (UFC 43) Sep 26, 2003 (UFC 44) 0 -
Sep 26, 2003 (UFC 44) Jan 31, 2004 (UFC 46) 0 127 days
Aug 21, 2004 (UFC 49) Apr 16, 2005 (UFC 52) 0 238 days
2 B.J. Penn Welterweight Jan 31, 2004 (UFC 46) May 17, 2004 (stripped) 0 107 days 919 days
Lightweight Jan 19, 2008 (UFC 80) Apr 10, 2010 (UFC 112) 3 812 days
3 Conor McGregor Featherweight Jul 11, 2015 (UFC 189) Dec 12, 2015 (UFC 194) 0 - 861 days
Dec 12, 2015 (UFC 194) Nov 26, 2016 (stripped) 0 350 days
Lightweight Nov 12, 2016 (UFC 205) Apr 7, 2018 (stripped) 0 511 days
4 Georges St-Pierre Welterweight Nov 18, 2006 (UFC 65) Apr 7, 2007 (UFC 69) 0 140 days 2,237 days
Dec 29, 2007 (UFC 79) Apr 19, 2008 (UFC 83) 0 -
Apr 19, 2008 (UFC 83) Dec 13, 2013 (vacated) 9 2,064 days
Middleweight Nov 4, 2017 (UFC 217) Dec 7, 2017 (vacated) 0 33 days
5 Daniel Cormier Light Heavyweight May 23, 2015 (UFC 187) Dec 28, 2018 (vacated) 3 1,315 days 1,722 days
Heavyweight Jul 7, 2018 (UFC 226) Aug 17, 2019 (UFC 241) 1 407 days
6 Amanda Nunes Women's Bantamweight Jul 9, 2016 (UFC 200) Dec 11, 2021 (UFC 269) 5 1,981 days 3,940 days
Jul 30, 2022 (UFC 277) Jun 20, 2023 (vacated) 1 325 days
Women's Featherweight Dec 29, 2018 (UFC 232) Jun 20, 2023 (vacated) 2 1,634 days
7 Henry Cejudo Flyweight Aug 4, 2018 (UFC 227) Feb 29, 2020 (vacated) 1 574 days 926 days
Bantamweight Jun 8, 2019 (UFC 238) May 24, 2020 (vacated) 1 352 days
8 Jon Jones Light Heavyweight Mar 19, 2011 (UFC 128) Apr 28, 2015 (stripped) 8 1,501 days 2,818 days
Apr 23, 2016 (UFC 197) Nov 19, 2016 (stripped) 0 -
Dec 29, 2018 (UFC 232) Aug 17, 2020 (vacated) 3 597 days
Heavyweight Mar 4, 2023 (UFC 285) Incumbent 1 720 days
9 Alex Pereira Middleweight Nov 12, 2022 (UFC 281) Apr 8, 2023 (UFC 287) 0 147 days 615 days
Light Heavyweight Nov 11, 2023 (UFC 295) Incumbent 3 468 days

Simultaneous two division champions

  • Note:Defenses shown are while champion was a two division champion.
Champion Division Period Defenses Reign
1 Conor McGregor Featherweight Nov 12, 2016 – Nov 26, 2016 0 14 days
Lightweight 0
2 Daniel Cormier Light Heavyweight Jul 7, 2018 – Dec 28, 2018 0 174 days
Heavyweight 1
3 Amanda Nunes Women's Bantamweight Dec 29, 2018 – Dec 11, 2021 2 1,078 days
Women's Featherweight 2
4 Henry Cejudo Flyweight Jun 8, 2019 – Feb 29, 2020 0 266 days
Bantamweight 1
5 Amanda Nunes(2) Women's Featherweight Jul 30, 2022 – Jun 20, 2023 0 325 days
Women's Bantamweight 1
  • 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.

Event Date Championship Result Notes
UFC 56 Nov 19, 2005 Welterweight Matt Hughes(c) (170 lb) def. Joe Riggs(172.5 lb) Fight changed to non-title contest
UFC 67 Feb 3, 2007 Middleweight Anderson Silva(c) (185 lb) def. Travis Lutter(187 lb) Fight changed to non-title contest
UFC 206 Dec 10, 2016 InterimFeatherweight Max Holloway(145 lb) def. Anthony Pettis(148 lb) Only Holloway was eligible to win title
UFC 221 Feb 11, 2018 InterimMiddleweight Yoel Romero(187.7 lb) def. Luke Rockhold(185 lb) Only Rockhold was eligible to win title
UFC 225 Jun 9, 2018 Middleweight Robert Whittaker(c) (185 lb) def. Yoel Romero(185.2 lb) Fight changed to non-title contest
UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo Feb 29, 2020 Flyweight Deiveson Figueiredo(127.5 lb) def. Joseph Benavidez(124.5 lb) Only Benavidez was eligible to win title
UFC 274 May 7, 2022 Lightweight Charles 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

References

  1. ^abcdef"UFC Championship Lineage".The Orange County Register.July 2, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon November 3, 2007.RetrievedSeptember 14,2007.
  2. ^Plotz, David (November 7, 1999)."Fight Clubbed".Slate.RetrievedMarch 21,2007.
  3. ^Gentry III, Clyde (2003).No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Martial Arts Revolution(Paperback ed.). Milo Books. pp.106, 123.ISBN978-1-903854-30-3.
  4. ^abcdeHarshcore, Rod (2011-09-29)."UFC Weight Classes & Their Champions: A History".Yell! Magazine. Archived fromthe originalon 2023-04-10.RetrievedDecember 24,2012.
  5. ^Meltzer, Dave (April 18, 2009)."UFC 16: Frank's house".Yahoo! Sports.RetrievedJanuary 15,2013.
  6. ^"Mixed Martial Arts Unified Rules of Conduct".New Jersey State Athletic Control Board. 2000. Archived fromthe originalon April 3, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 8,2007.
  7. ^Trembow, Ivan (July 21, 2006)."New Jersey Commission Corrects Mainstream UFC Stories".MMAWeekly.Ivan's Blog.RetrievedSeptember 8,2007.
  8. ^Whitman, Mike (October 28, 2010)."UFC, WEC to Merge in 2011".Sherdog.RetrievedOctober 20,2012.
  9. ^Whitman, Matt (December 11, 2011)."UFC Adds Flyweight Class; 4-Man Title Tourney Begins March 3".Sherdog.RetrievedOctober 20,2012.
  10. ^Whitman, Mike (November 9, 2012)."Report: Strikeforce Champion Ronda Rousey to Join UFC in 2013, Strikeforce to Fold".Sherdog.RetrievedDecember 12,2012.
  11. ^abDoyle, Dave (December 11, 2013)."'TUF 20' will feature all-women's cast; crown first UFC strawweight champion ".MMAFighting.RetrievedDecember 15,2013.
  12. ^Cruz, Guilherme (June 11, 2014)."Strawweights Claudia Gadelha, Tina Lahdemaki meet at UFC Fight Night 45".MMAFighting.RetrievedJune 11,2014.
  13. ^"UFC Division Champions & Featured Fighters".Ultimate Fighting Championship.Retrieved13 February2022.
  14. ^Rutten, Bas."Bas Rutten Biography".Archived fromthe originalon May 20, 2007.RetrievedSeptember 12,2007.
  15. ^Fitzgerald, Tom (November 26, 2006)."UFC fighter flunks drug test".Las Vegas Review-Journal.RetrievedSeptember 12,2007.
  16. ^Fitzgerald, Tom (November 26, 2006)."Fighting outside the box".San Francisco Chronicle.RetrievedSeptember 12,2007.
  17. ^Staff (August 13, 2005)."UFC Strips Mir of Heavyweight Belt, Arlovski New Champion".Sherdog.RetrievedSeptember 12,2007.
  18. ^Mahjouri, Shakiel (January 14, 2023)."UFC releases heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou from contract, strips him of title".CBS Sports.RetrievedJanuary 14,2023.
  19. ^"Jon Jones stripped of title, Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson for belt headlines UFC 187".mmafighting. April 28, 2015.RetrievedApril 28,2015.
  20. ^Staff (2016-11-09)."UFC strips Jon Jones of interim light heavyweight title on heels of one-year suspension".mmajunkie.Retrieved2016-11-09.
  21. ^Marc Raimondi (2017-09-13)."Daniel Cormier reinstated as UFC light heavyweight champion".mmafighting.Retrieved2017-09-13.
  22. ^Ariel Helwani (2018-12-28)."Daniel Cormier to relinquish UFC light heavyweight title".espn.Retrieved2018-12-28.
  23. ^Mike Bohn (2020-08-17)."Jon Jones vacates UFC title: 'It's officially up for grabs'".mmajunkie.Retrieved2020-08-17.
  24. ^"Jon Jones Announces he's vacated the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship".UFC.Retrieved2020-08-18.
  25. ^Kevin Iole (2022-11-23)."UFC 282: Jiri Prochazka injured, vacates light heavyweight championship; Blachowicz-Ankalaev title bout booked".sports.yahoo.Retrieved2022-11-23.
  26. ^Nolan King (2022-11-23)."Jiri Prochazka apologizes for UFC 282 withdrawal, explains vacating light heavyweight title".mmajunkie.usatoday.Retrieved2022-11-23.
  27. ^Doherty, Dan (2022-12-11)."UFC 282: Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz Fight to Puzzling Draw".Cageside Press.Retrieved2022-12-11.
  28. ^"Jamahal Hill relinquishes UFC light heavyweight title after ruptured Achilles tendon".mmajunkie.usatoday.14 July 2023.
  29. ^Kyte, Spencer (October 19, 2012)."Champion vs. Champion: A UFC History".UFC.RetrievedDecember 24,2012.
  30. ^Brett Okamoto (December 2, 2017)."Dana White: Georges St-Pierre will be 'out for a minute' with colitis".espn.RetrievedDecember 8,2017.
  31. ^Brett Okamoto (December 7, 2017)."Georges St-Pierre vacates middleweight title; Robert Whittaker takes spot".espn.RetrievedDecember 8,2017.
  32. ^"Zuffa Strips Penn of Title".Sherdog. May 18, 2004.RetrievedDecember 9,2007.
  33. ^"It's official: Georges St-Pierre vacating UFC welterweight title".mmajunkie. December 13, 2013.RetrievedDecember 13,2013.
  34. ^Steven Marrocco (2018-07-24)."Tyron Woodley vs. Darren Till title fight headlines UFC 228; Colby Covington to be stripped (updated)".mmajunkie.Retrieved2018-09-09.
  35. ^"Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez, Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir set for UFC on FOX 7".MMA Fighting. 2013-01-15.Retrieved2014-08-12.
  36. ^Meltzer, Dave (December 9, 2007)."Sherk stripped of lightweight title".Yahoo! Sports.RetrievedDecember 10,2007.
  37. ^"Breaking! Dana White addresses the UFC's complicated lightweight title picture | BJPenn".2018-04-02.
  38. ^"Khabib Nurmagomedov announces his retirement following emotional victory over Justin Gaethje in UFC 254 main event mmafighting".2020-10-24.
  39. ^Brett Okamoto (2021-03-19)."Dana White: Khabib Nurmagomedov officially retired; Michael Chandler-Charles Oliveira for title".espn.Retrieved2021-03-19.
  40. ^"Update On The UFC 274 Main Event".UFC.2022-05-06.Retrieved2022-05-06.
  41. ^Morgan, John; Stupp, Dann (November 20, 2010)."New UFC Champion Jose Aldo officially awarded title belt".MMAjunkie. Archived fromthe originalon October 23, 2012.RetrievedOctober 20,2012.
  42. ^"McGregor vacates featherweight title, Aldo now undisputed champion".UFC.November 26, 2016.RetrievedNovember 26,2016.
  43. ^"Conor McGregor: UFC never contacted me about relinquishing the featherweight title".mmafighting. December 18, 2016.RetrievedDecember 18,2016.
  44. ^Nelson, Chris (December 14, 2010)."Harris Eager to Crown First UFC Bantamweight Champ".Sherdog.RetrievedOctober 20,2012.
  45. ^"Dominick Cruz out, vacates bantamweight title; Urijah Faber now meets Renan Barao at UFC 169".mmajunkie. January 6, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 6,2014.
  46. ^"T.J. Dillashaw suspended for failed drug test, relinquishes UFC bantamweight title".BloodyElbow. March 20, 2019.RetrievedMarch 20,2019.
  47. ^"Henry Cejudo explains decision to retire after UFC 249 win: 'I want to leave on top".MMAJunkie. May 10, 2020.RetrievedMay 10,2020.
  48. ^Mrosko, Geno (September 23, 2012)."UFC 152 results: Demetrious Johnson wins flyweight title with split decision victory over Joseph Benavidez".MMAmania.RetrievedDecember 24,2012.
  49. ^"Deiveson Figueiredo KO's Joseph Benavidez; flyweight title stays vacant".espn.March 2020.
  50. ^Gerbasi, Thomas (December 6, 2012)."The UFC Crowns Its First Queen".UFC.RetrievedJanuary 7,2013.
  51. ^abNolan King (2023-06-10)."UFC 289 results: Amanda Nunes retires after one-sided title defense vs. Irene Aldana".mmajunkie.
  52. ^Marc Raimondi (2018-09-07)."Dana White says Nicco Montaño is no longer the UFC women's flyweight champion".mmafighting.Retrieved2018-09-07.
  53. ^Meltzer, Dave (April 8, 2009)."Relive UFC 6: Clash of the Titans".Sports.yahoo.RetrievedJanuary 8,2013.
  54. ^Staff (2016-12-13)."Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie fight for inaugural featherweight title at UFC 208".mmajunkie.Retrieved2016-12-13.
  55. ^Staff (2017-06-19)."'Cyborg' vs. Megan Anderson for title at UFC 214 after Germaine de Randamie stripped ".mmajunkie.Retrieved2017-06-19.
  56. ^"Most wins in UFC title bouts".Fightmatrix.RetrievedDecember 24,2012.
  57. ^"Most consecutive UFC title defenses".Fightmatrix.RetrievedDecember 24,2012.
  58. ^"MMA All-time Record Holders".Sports Illustrated.Archived fromthe originalon May 17, 2012.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_UFC_champions&oldid=1276807518#Light_Heavyweight_Championship"