UFC_Welterweight_Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.[1]
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.
Men
| Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight |  Jon Jones |
Mar 4, 2023 | 0 |
 Tom Aspinall (interim) |
Nov 11, 2023 | 0 | |
| Light Heavyweight |  Alex Pereira |
Nov 11, 2023 | 1 |
| Middleweight |  Dricus du Plessis |
Jan 20, 2024 | 0 |
| Welterweight | Leon Edwards |
Aug 20, 2022 | 2 |
| Lightweight |  Islam Makhachev |
Oct 22, 2022 | 2 |
| Featherweight |  Ilia Topuria |
Feb 17, 2024 | 0 |
| Bantamweight | Sean O'Malley |
Aug 19, 2023 | 1 |
| Flyweight | Alexandre Pantoja |
Jul 8, 2023 | 1 |
Women
| Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bantamweight | Raquel Pennington |
Jan 20, 2024 | 0 |
| Flyweight |  Alexa Grasso |
Mar 4, 2023 | 1 |
| Strawweight |  Zhang Weili |
Nov 12, 2022 | 2 |
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. | 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 Abbott at UFC 15 on 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 Rizzo at UFC 26 on Jun 9, 2000 |
| 6 | Randy Couture (2) |
UFC 28 Atlantic City, NJ, US |
Nov 17, 2000 | 490 days (490+ days) |
1. def. Pedro Rizzo at UFC 31 on May 4, 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 | |
| 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 Arlovskidef. 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] | |||||
| 11 | Andrei Arlovski promoted to undisputed champion |
— | Aug 12, 2005 | 246 days |
1. def. Paul Buentello at UFC 55 on Oct 7, 2005 |
| 12 | Tim Sylvia (2) |
UFC 59 Anaheim, CA, US |
Apr 15, 2006 | 322 days (551 days) |
1. def. Andrei Arlovski at UFC 61 on Jul 8, 2006 |
| 13 | Randy Couture (3) |
UFC 68 Columbus, OH, US |
Mar 3, 2007 | 623 days (1,113+ days) |
1. def. Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 on Aug 25, 2007 |
| — | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Tim Sylvia for 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 champion Frank Mir at UFC 100 on Jul 11, 2009 |
| — | Frank Mir def. interim champion Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira |
UFC 92 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Dec 27, 2008 | — | |
| — | Shane Carwin def. Frank Mir for 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 | |
| 17 | Cain Velasquez (2) |
UFC 155 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Dec 29, 2012 | 896 days (1,281 days) |
1. def. Antônio Silva at UFC 160 on May 25, 2013 |
| — | Fabrício Werdum def. Mark Hunt for 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 Overeem at UFC 203 on Sep 10, 2016 |
| 20 | Daniel Cormier |
UFC 226 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Jul 7, 2018 | 406 days |
1. def. Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 on Nov 3, 2018 |
| 21 | Stipe Miocic (2) |
UFC 241 Anaheim, CA, US |
Aug 17, 2019 | 588 days (1,372 days) |
1. def. Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 on Aug 15, 2020 |
| 22 |  Francis Ngannou |
UFC 260 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Mar 27, 2021 | 659 days |
1. def. interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on Jan 22, 2022 |
| — |  Ciryl Ganedef. 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] | |||||
| 23 | Jon Jones def. Ciryl Gane |
UFC 285 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Mar 4, 2023 | 414 days (incumbent) |
|
| — | Tom Aspinall def. Sergei Pavlovich for interim title |
UFC 295 New York City, NY, US |
Nov 11, 2023 | 162 days (incumbent) |
|
Light Heavyweight Championship
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. | 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 at UFC 16 on Mar 13, 1998 |
| 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 Kondo at UFC 29 on Dec 16, 2000 |
| — | Randy Couture def. Chuck Liddell for 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 Horn at UFC 54 on Aug 20, 2005 |
| 7 | Quinton Jackson |
UFC 71 Las Vegas, NV, US |
May 26, 2007 | 406 days |
1. def. Dan Henderson at UFC 75 on 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 Rua at UFC 104 on 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 Jackson at UFC 135 on Sep 24, 2011 |
| 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 Gustafsson at UFC 192 on Oct 3, 2015 |
| — | 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] | |||||
| 14 | Jon Jones (2) def. Alexander Gustafsson |
UFC 232 Inglewood, CA, US |
Dec 29, 2018 | 597 days (2,098 days) |
1. def. Anthony Smith at UFC 235 on Mar 2, 2019 |
| 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 Błachowiczdef. Dominick Reyes |
UFC 253 Abu Dhabi, UAE |
Sep 27, 2020 | 398 days |
1. def. Israel Adesanya at UFC 259 on 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 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] | |||||
| 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 | 162 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 on Apr 13, 2024 |
Middleweight Championship
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. | 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 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] | |||||
| 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 Quarry at UFC 56 on Nov 19, 2005 |
| 5 | Anderson Silva |
UFC 64 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Oct 14, 2006 | 2,457 days |
1. def. Nate Marquardt at UFC 73 on Jul 7, 2007 |
| 6 | Chris Weidman |
UFC 162 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Jul 6, 2013 | 889 days |
1. def. Anderson Silva at UFC 168 on Dec 28, 2013 |
| 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 Henderson at UFC 204 on Oct 8, 2016 |
| — |  Robert Whittakerdef. Yoel Romero for 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 to ulcerative colitis.[30][31] | |||||
| 10 | Robert Whittaker promoted to undisputed champion |
— | Dec 7, 2017 | 660 days |
|
| — |  Israel Adesanyadef. Kelvin Gastelum for 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 Romero at UFC 248 on Mar 7, 2020 |
| 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 | 92 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. | 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 Patino at UFC 18 on Jan 8, 1999 |
| 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 Sakurai at UFC 36 on Mar 22, 2002 |
| 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 for K-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 Trigg at UFC 52 on Apr 16, 2005 |
| 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 Hughes for 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 Fitch at UFC 87 on Aug 9, 2008 |
| — | 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] | |||||
| 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 MacDonald at UFC 189 on Jul 11, 2015 |
| 11 | Tyron Woodley |
UFC 201 Atlanta, GA, US |
Jul 30, 2016 | 945 days |
1. drew with Stephen Thompson at UFC 205 on Nov 12, 2016 |
| — | 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] | |||||
| 12 | Kamaru Usman |
UFC 235 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Mar 2, 2019 | 1,267 days |
1. def. Colby Covington at UFC 245 on Dec 14, 2019 |
| 13 | Leon Edwards def. Kamaru Usman |
UFC 278 Salt Lake City, UT, US |
Aug 20, 2022 | 610 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 on Mar 18, 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. | 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 Hallman at UFC 33 on Sep 28, 2001 |
| 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] | |||||
| 2 | Sean Sherk def. Kenny Florian |
UFC 64 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Oct 14, 2006 | 420 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] | |||||
| 3 | B.J. Penn def. Joe Stevenson |
UFC 80 Newcastle, England, UK |
Jan 19, 2008 | 812 days |
1. def. Sean Sherk at UFC 84 on May 24, 2008 |
| 4 | Frankie Edgar |
UFC 112 Abu Dhabi, UAE |
Apr 10, 2010 | 687 days |
1. def. B.J. Penn at UFC 118 on Aug 28, 2010 |
| 5 | Benson Henderson |
UFC 144 Saitama, Japan |
Feb 26, 2012 | 552 days |
1. def. Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 on Aug 11, 2012 |
| 6 | Anthony Pettis |
UFC 164 Milwaukee, WI, US |
Aug 31, 2013 | 560 days |
1. def. Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181 on Dec 6, 2014 |
| 7 | Rafael dos Anjos |
UFC 185 Dallas, TX, US |
Mar 14, 2015 | 481 days |
1. def. Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 on 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 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] | |||||
| 10 | Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Al Iaquinta |
UFC 223 Brooklyn, NY, US |
Apr 7, 2018 | 1,077 days |
1. def. Conor McGregor at UFC 229 on Oct 6, 2018 |
| — | Dustin Poirier def. Max Holloway for interim title |
UFC 236 Atlanta, GA, US |
Apr 13, 2019 | — | |
| — | 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] | |||||
| 11 | Charles Oliveira def. Michael Chandler |
UFC 262 Houston, TX, US |
May 15, 2021 | 357 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] | |||||
| 12 | Islam Makhachev def. Charles Oliveira |
UFC 280 Abu Dhabi, UAE |
Oct 22, 2022 | 547 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. | 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 Hominick at UFC 129 on Apr 30, 2011 |
| — | Conor McGregor def. Chad Mendes for 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 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] | |||||
| 3 | José Aldo (2) promoted to undisputed champion |
— | Nov 26, 2016 | 189 days (2,037 days) |
|
| — | Max Holloway def. Anthony Pettis for 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 Aldo at UFC 218 on Dec 2, 2017 |
| 5 | Alexander Volkanovski |
UFC 245 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Dec 14, 2019 | 1,526 days |
1. def. Max Holloway at UFC 251 on Jul 12, 2020 |
| — | Yair Rodríguez def. Josh Emmett for interim title |
UFC 284 Perth, Australia |
Feb 12, 2023 | — | |
| 6 | Ilia Topuria |
UFC 298 Anaheim, CA, US |
Feb 17, 2024 | 64 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. | 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 Faber at UFC 132 on Jul 2, 2011 |
| — | 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 |
| 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 Faber at UFC 169 on Feb 1, 2014 |
| 3 | T.J. Dillashaw |
UFC 173 Las Vegas, NV, US |
May 24, 2014 | 603 days |
1. def. Joe Soto at UFC 177 on Aug 30, 2014 |
| 4 | Dominick Cruz (2) |
UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz Boston, MA, US |
Jan 17, 2016 | 348 days (1,465 days) |
1. def. Urijah Faber at UFC 199 on 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 Garbrandt at UFC 227 on 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 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] | |||||
| 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 champion Petr Yan at UFC 273 on Apr 9, 2022 |
| — | Petr Yan def. Cory Sandhagen for interim title |
UFC 267 Abu Dhabi, UAE |
Oct 30, 2021 | — | |
| 10 | Sean O'Malley |
UFC 292 Boston, MA, US |
Aug 19, 2023 | 246 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. | 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 Dodson at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson on Jan 26, 2013 |
| 2 | Henry Cejudo |
UFC 227 Los Angeles, CA, US |
Aug 4, 2018 | 574 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] | |||||
| 3 | Deiveson Figueiredo def. Joseph Benavidez |
UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 Abu Dhabi, UAE |
Jul 19, 2020 | 328 days |
1. def. Alex Perez at UFC 255 on Nov 21, 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-France for 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 | 288 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Brandon Royval at UFC 296 on Dec 16, 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.[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 Carmouche at UFC 157 on Feb 23, 2013 |
| 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 Rousey at UFC 207 on Dec 30, 2016 |
| 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 Aldana at UFC 289 on 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 | 92 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 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. | 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 at UFC 228 due to weight cut issues.[52] | |||||
| 2 |  Valentina Shevchenkodef. Joanna Jędrzejczyk |
UFC 231 Toronto, ON, Canada |
Dec 8, 2018 | 1,547 days |
1. def. Jessica Eye at UFC 238 on Jun 8, 2019 |
| 3 | Alexa Grasso |
UFC 285 Las Vegas, NV, US |
Mar 4, 2023 | 414 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. | 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 Penne at UFC Fight Night: Jędrzejczyk vs. Penne on Jun 20, 2015 |
| 3 | Rose Namajunas |
UFC 217 New York City, NY, US |
Nov 4, 2017 | 554 days |
1. def. Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 223 on 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 Jędrzejczyk at UFC 248 on Mar 7, 2020 |
| 6 | Rose Namajunas (2) |
UFC 261 Jacksonville, FL, US |
Apr 24, 2021 | 378 days (932 days) |
1. def. Zhang Weili at UFC 268 on 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 | 526 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Amanda Lemos at UFC 292 on Aug 19, 2023 |
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.[53]
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Ken Shamrock def. Dan Severn |
UFC 6 Casper, WY, US |
Jul 14, 1995 | 308 days |
1. drew with Oleg Taktarov at UFC 7 on Sep 8, 1995 |
| 2 | Dan Severn |
UFC 9 Detroit, MI, US |
May 17, 1996 | 266 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] | |||||
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.[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 against Cris Cyborg.[55] | |||||
| 2 | Cris Cyborg def. Tonya Evinger |
UFC 214 Anaheim, CA, US |
Jul 29, 2017 | 517 days |
1. def. Holly Holm at UFC 219 on Dec 30, 2017 |
| 3 | Amanda Nunes |
UFC 232 Inglewood, CA, US |
Dec 29, 2018 | 1,634 days |
1. def. Felicia Spencer at UFC 250 on Jun 6, 2020 |
| Nunes announced her retirement on June 10, 2023.[51] The title was officially vacated on June 20, 2023. | |||||
| 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. 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, 2012 | Flyweight | Demetrious Johnson |
Joseph Benavidez |
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.
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.
| Country | Division championships | Tournament championships | Total championships | Individual champions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 80 | 16 | 96 | 70 |
| Brazil | 24 | 5 | 29 | 21 |
| Russia | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Canada | 4 | - | 4 | 2 |
| Mexico | 4 | - | 4 | 3 |
| England | 3 | - | 3 | 3 |
| Nigeria | 3 | - | 3 | 2 |
| Australia | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Netherlands | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Poland | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| China | 2 | - | 2 | 1 |
| Ireland | 2 | - | 2 | 1 |
| Belarus | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Cameroon | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
| France | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
| South Africa | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Japan | - | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 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 |
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 wins | Champion | Division | W | L | D | NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Jon Jones | Heavyweight Light Heavyweight | 1 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 | |||
| 8 | José Aldo | Featherweight Bantamweight | 8 0 | 3 1 | ||
| Valentina Shevchenko | Women's Bantamweight Women's Flyweight | 0 8 | 1 1 | 0 1 | ||
| Israel Adesanya | Light Heavyweight Middleweight | 0 8 | 1 2 | |||
| 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 | |||
| Ronda Rousey | Women's Bantamweight | 6 | 2 | |||
| Stipe Miocic | Heavyweight | 6 | 2 | |||
| Kamaru Usman | Welterweight | 6 | 2 | |||
| 5 | B.J. Penn | Welterweight Lightweight | 1 4 | 2 3 | 0 1 | |
| Tim Sylvia | Heavyweight | 5 | 4 | |||
| Max Holloway | Lightweight Featherweight | 0 5 | 1 3 | |||
| T.J. Dillashaw | Bantamweight Flyweight | 5 0 | 2 1 | |||
| Chuck Liddell | Light Heavyweight | 5 | 2 | |||
| Dominick Cruz | Bantamweight | 5 | 2 | |||
| Zhang Weili | Women's Strawweight | 5 | 2 | |||
| Pat Miletich | Welterweight | 5 | 1 | |||
| Frank Shamrock | Light Heavyweight | 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 |
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[lower-alpha 1] |
Welterweight | Jul 30, 2016 — Mar 2, 2019 | |
| 3 | B.J. Penn | Lightweight | Jan 19, 2008 — Apr 10, 2010 |
| Frankie Edgar[lower-alpha 2] |
Lightweight | Apr 10, 2010 — Feb 26, 2012 | |
| Benson Henderson | Lightweight | Feb 26, 2012 — Aug 31, 2013 | |
| Renan Barão[lower-alpha 3] | Bantamweight | Jul 21, 2012 — May 24, 2014 | |
| Chris Weidman | Middleweight | Jul 6, 2013 — Dec 12, 2015 | |
| Daniel Cormier[lower-alpha 4] | 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 |
- Bold — Incumbent champion.
- Woodley successfully defended the UFC Welterweight Championship three times and retained the title once following a draw against Stephen Thompson at UFC 205.
- Edgar successfully defended the UFC Lightweight Championship twice and retained the title once following a draw against Gray Maynard at UFC 125.
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 | Anderson Silva | 2,457 days | 1 | MW | 10 |
| 3 | Jon Jones | 2,512 days | 3 | LHW, HW | 11 |
| 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 | Matt Hughes | 1,577 days | 2 | WW | 7 |
| 9 | Valentina Shevchenko | 1,547 days | 1 | W-FLW | 7 |
| 10 | Alexander Volkanovski | 1,526 days | 1 | FTW | 5 |
- Bold — Incumbent champion.
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 |
| Champion | Division | Won | Lost | Defenses | Reign | Total reign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Couture |
Heavyweight | Dec 21, 1997 (UFC Japan) | Jan ?, 1998 (stripped) | 0 | 00? 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 | 2,512 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 | 0 | 414 days | |||
| 9 | Alex Pereira |
Middleweight | Nov 12, 2022 (UFC 281) | Apr 8, 2023 (UFC 287) | 0 | 147 days | 309 days |
| Light Heavyweight | Nov 11, 2023 (UFC 295) | Incumbent | 1 | 162 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.
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 | Interim Featherweight | Max Holloway (145 lb) | def. | Anthony Pettis (148 lb) | Only Holloway was eligible to win title |
| UFC 221 | Feb 11, 2018 | Interim Middleweight | 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 |
def. | Justin Gaethje (155 lb) | Oliveira was stripped of the title, only Gaethje was eligible to win title |
- "UFC Championship Lineage". The Orange County Register. July 2, 2007. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
- Plotz, David (November 7, 1999). "Fight Clubbed". Slate. Retrieved March 21, 2007.
- Gentry III, Clyde (2003). No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Martial Arts Revolution (Paperback ed.). Milo Books. pp. 106, 123. ISBN 978-1-903854-30-3.
- Harshcore, Rod (2011-09-29). "UFC Weight Classes & Their Champions: A History". Yell! Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-04-10. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
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