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List of UFC champions

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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 unsanctioned 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. 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 TUF 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 2.[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: Cerrone vs. Miller.[12]

Current champions

Timeline of all champions.
Men[13]
Division Champion Since Defenses
Heavyweight Brazil Fabrício Werdum Jun 13, 2015 0
Light Heavyweight United States Daniel Cormier May 23, 2015 1
United States Jon Jones
(Interim champion) 		Apr 23, 2016 0
Middleweight United States Luke Rockhold Dec 12, 2015 0
Welterweight United States Robbie Lawler Dec 6, 2014 2
Lightweight Brazil Rafael dos Anjos Mar 14, 2015 1
Featherweight Republic of Ireland Conor McGregor Dec 12, 2015 0
Bantamweight United States Dominick Cruz Jan 17, 2016 0
Flyweight United States Demetrious Johnson Sep 22, 2012 8
Women[13]
Division Champion Since Defenses
Bantamweight United States Miesha Tate Mar 5, 2016 0
Strawweight Poland Joanna Jędrzejczyk Mar 14, 2015 2

Men's championship history

Heavyweight Championship

206 to 265 lb (93 to 120 kg)
The UFC Superfight Championship was unified with the UFC 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 United States Mark Coleman
def. Dan Severn 		UFC 12
Dothan, AL, USA 		Feb 7, 1997 170 days
2 United States Maurice Smith UFC 14
Birmingham, AL, USA 		Jul 27, 1997 147 days

1. def. David Abbott at UFC 15 on Oct 17, 1997

3 United States 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 Netherlands Bas Rutten
def. Kevin Randleman 		UFC 20
Birmingham, AL, USA 		May 7, 1999 ? 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 United States 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 United States Randy Couture (2) UFC 28
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		Nov 17, 2000 490 days
(490+ days)

1. def. Pedro Rizzo at UFC 31 on May 4, 2001
2. def. Pedro Rizzo at UFC 34 on Nov 2, 2001

7 United States Josh Barnett UFC 36
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		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 United States Ricco Rodriguez
def. Randy Couture 		UFC 39
Uncasville, CT, USA 		Sep 27, 2002 154 days
9 United States Tim Sylvia UFC 41
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		Feb 28, 2003 229 days

1. def. Gan McGee at UFC 44 on Sep 26, 2003

Sylvia was stripped of the title on October 15, 2003, after testing positive for anabolic steroids in a post-fight drug test.[16]
10 United States Frank Mir
def. Tim Sylvia 		UFC 48
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Jun 19, 2004 419 days
- Belarus Andrei Arlovski
def. Tim Sylvia for interim title 		UFC 51
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		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 Belarus Andrei Arlovski
promoted to undisputed champion 		— Aug 12, 2005 246 days

1. def. Paul Buentello at UFC 55 on Oct 7, 2005

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

1. def. Andrei Arlovski at UFC 61 on Jul 8, 2006
2. def. Jeff Monson at UFC 65 on Nov 18, 2006

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

1. def. Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 on Aug 25, 2007

- Brazil Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
def. Tim Sylvia for interim title 		UFC 81
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Feb 2, 2008 —
14 United States Brock Lesnar UFC 91
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Nov 15, 2008 707 days

1. def. interim champion Frank Mir at UFC 100 on Jul 11, 2009
2. def. interim champion Shane Carwin at UFC 116 on Jul 3, 2010

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

1. def. Frank Mir at UFC 146 on May 26, 2012

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

1. def. Antônio Silva at UFC 160 on May 25, 2013
2. def. Junior dos Santos at UFC 166 on Oct 19, 2013

- Brazil Fabrício Werdum
def. Mark Hunt for interim title 		UFC 180
Mexico City, Mexico 		Nov 15, 2014 —
18 Brazil Fabrício Werdum UFC 188
Mexico City, Mexico 		Jun 13, 2015 3450 days
(incumbent)

Light Heavyweight Championship

186 to 205 lb (84 to 93 kg) The Light Heavyweight Title was known as the Middleweight Title prior to UFC 31 (May 4, 2001). The Pride World Middleweight Title (204.6 lb) was unified with the UFC Light Heavyweight Title on September 8, 2007, when Quinton Jackson defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 75.[4]

No. Name Event Date Reign
(Total)		 Defenses
1 United States 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
2. def. Jeremy Horn at UFC 17 on May 15, 1998
3. def. John Lober at UFC Brazil on Oct 16, 1998
4. def. Tito Ortiz at UFC 22 on Sep 24, 1999

Shamrock vacated the title on November 24, 1999, when he retired from the UFC, citing a lack of competition.[1]
2 United States 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
2. def. Evan Tanner at UFC 30 on Feb 23, 2001
3. def. Elvis Sinosic at UFC 32 on Jun 29, 2001
4. def. Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 33 on Sep 28, 2001
5. def. Ken Shamrock at UFC 40 on Nov 22, 2002

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

1. def. Jeremy Horn at UFC 54 on Aug 20, 2005
2. def. Randy Couture at UFC 57 on Feb 4, 2006
3. def. Renato Sobral at UFC 62 on Aug 26, 2006
4. def. Tito Ortiz at UFC 66 on Dec 30, 2006

7 United States Quinton Jackson UFC 71
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		May 26, 2007 406 days

1. def. Dan Henderson at UFC 75 on Sep 8, 2007

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

1. def. Maurício Rua at UFC 104 on Oct 24, 2009

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

1. def. Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 on Sep 24, 2011
2. def. Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 on Dec 10, 2011
3. def. Rashad Evans at UFC 145 on Apr 21, 2012
4. def. Vitor Belfort at UFC 152 on Sep 22, 2012
5. def. Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 on Apr 27, 2013
6. def. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 on Sep 21, 2013
7. def. Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 on Apr 26, 2014
8. def. Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 on Jan 3, 2015

Jones was stripped of the title on April 28, 2015, due to his involvement and arrest in a felony hit-and-run.[18]
13 United States Daniel Cormier
def. Anthony Johnson 		UFC 187
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		May 23, 2015 3,471 days
(incumbent)

1. def. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192 on Oct 3, 2015

- United States Jon Jones
def. Ovince Saint Preux for interim title 		UFC 197
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Apr 23, 2016 3,135 days
(incumbent)

Middleweight Championship

171 to 185 lb (77 to 84 kg) The Pride World Welterweight Title (183 lb) was unified with the UFC Middleweight Title on March 1, 2008, when Anderson Silva defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 82.[19]

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Dave Menne
def. Gil Castillo 		UFC 33
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Sep 28, 2001 105 days
2 Brazil Murilo Bustamante UFC 35
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		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 United States Evan Tanner
def. David Terrell 		UFC 51
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Feb 5, 2005 119 days
4 United States Rich Franklin UFC 53
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		Jun 4, 2005 497 days

1. def. Nate Quarry at UFC 56 on Nov 19, 2005
2. def. David Loiseau at UFC 58 on Mar 4, 2006

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

1. def. Nate Marquardt at UFC 73 on Jul 7, 2007
2. def. Rich Franklin at UFC 77 on Oct 20, 2007
3. def. Dan Henderson at UFC 82 on Mar 1, 2008
4. def. Patrick Côté at UFC 90 on Oct 25, 2008
5. def. Thales Leites at UFC 97 on Apr 18, 2009
6. def. Demian Maia at UFC 112 on Apr 10, 2010
7. def. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 on Aug 7, 2010
8. def. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 on Feb 5, 2011
9. def. Yushin Okami at UFC 134 on Aug 27, 2011
10. def. Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 on Jul 7, 2012

6 United States Chris Weidman UFC 162
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		July 6, 2013 888 days

1. def. Anderson Silva at UFC 168 on Dec 28, 2013
2. def. Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 on Jul 5, 2014
3. def. Vitor Belfort at UFC 187 on May 23, 2015

7 United States Luke Rockhold UFC 194
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Dec 12, 2015 3268 days
(incumbent)

Welterweight Championship

156 to 170 lb (70 to 77 kg) The Welterweight Title was known as the Lightweight Title prior to UFC 31 (May 4, 2001).

No. Name Event Date Reign
(Total)		 Defenses
1 United States 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. def. Andre Pederneiras at UFC 21 on Jul 16, 1999
3. def. John Alessio at UFC 26 on Jun 9, 2000
4. def. Kenichi Yamamoto at UFC 29 on Dec 16, 2000

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

1. def. Hayato Sakurai at UFC 36 on Mar 22, 2002
2. def. Carlos Newton at UFC 38 on Jul 13, 2002
3. def. Gil Castillo at UFC 40 on Nov 22, 2002
4. def. Sean Sherk at UFC 42 on Apr 25, 2003
5. def. Frank Trigg at UFC 45 on Nov 21, 2003

4 United States B.J. Penn UFC 46
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Jan 31, 2004 107 days
Penn was stripped of the title on May 17, 2004, when he left the UFC for K-1.[20]
5 United States Matt Hughes (2)
def. Georges St-Pierre 		UFC 50
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		Oct 22, 2004 757 days
(1,577 days)

1. def. Frank Trigg at UFC 52 on Apr 16, 2005
2. def. B.J. Penn at UFC 63 on Sep 23, 2006

6 Canada Georges St-Pierre UFC 65
Sacramento, CA, USA 		Nov 18, 2006 140 days
7 United States Matt Serra UFC 69
Houston, TX, USA 		Apr 7, 2007 378 days
- Canada Georges St-Pierre
def. Matt Hughes for interim title 		UFC 79
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Dec 29, 2007 —
8 Canada 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
2. def. B.J. Penn at UFC 94 on Jan 31, 2009
3. def. Thiago Alves at UFC 100 on Jul 11, 2009
4. def. Dan Hardy at UFC 111 on Mar 27, 2010
5. def. Josh Koscheck at UFC 124 on Dec 11, 2010
6. def. Jake Shields at UFC 129 on Apr 30, 2011
7. def. interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 154 on Nov 17, 2012
8. def. Nick Diaz at UFC 158 on Mar 16, 2013
9. def. Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 on Nov 16, 2013

- United States Carlos Condit
def. Nick Diaz for interim title 		UFC 143
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Feb 4, 2012 —
St-Pierre vacated the title on December 13, 2013, when he decided to take time off from the sport.[21]
9 United States Johny Hendricks
def. Robbie Lawler 		UFC 171
Dallas, TX, USA 		Mar 15, 2014 266 days
10 United States Robbie Lawler UFC 181
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Dec 6, 2014 3,639 days
(incumbent)

1. def. Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 on Jul 11, 2015
2. def. Carlos Condit at UFC 195 on Jan 2, 2016

Lightweight Championship

146 to 155 lb (66 to 70 kg) The Lightweight Title was known as the Bantamweight Title prior to UFC 31 (May 4, 2001). The Strikeforce Lightweight Title was unified (perhaps unofficially) with the UFC Lightweight Title on April 20, 2013, when Benson Henderson defeated Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez.[22]

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Jens Pulver
def. Caol Uno 		UFC 30
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		Feb 23, 2001 393 days

1. def. Dennis Hallman at UFC 33 on Sep 28, 2001
2. def. B.J. Penn at UFC 35 on Jan 11, 2002

Pulver was stripped of the title on March 23, 2002, when he left the UFC due to a contract dispute.[1]
B.J. Penn and Caol Uno fought to a draw on February 28, 2003, at UFC 41 in Atlantic City, NJ, USA in the finale of a 4-man tournament for the vacant title.[1]
2 United States Sean Sherk
def. Kenny Florian 		UFC 64
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Oct 14, 2006 420 days

1. def. Hermes Franca 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.[23]
3 United States 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
2. def. Kenny Florian at UFC 101 on Aug 8, 2009
3. def. Diego Sanchez at UFC 107 on Dec 12, 2009

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

1. def. B.J. Penn at UFC 118 on Aug 28, 2010
2. draw with Gray Maynard at UFC 125 on Jan 1, 2011
3. def. Gray Maynard at UFC 136 on Oct 8, 2011

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

1. def. Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 on Aug 11, 2012
2. def. Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz on Dec 8, 2012
3. def. Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez on Apr 20, 2013

6 United States Anthony Pettis UFC 164
Milwaukee, WI, USA 		Aug 31, 2013 560 days

1. def. Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181 on Dec 6, 2014

7 Brazil Rafael dos Anjos UFC 185
Dallas, TX, USA 		Mar 14, 2015 3541 days
(incumbent)

1. def. Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2 on Dec 19, 2015

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.[24]

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

1. def. Mark Hominick at UFC 129 on Apr 30, 2011
2. def. Kenny Florian at UFC 136 on Oct 8, 2011
3. def. Chad Mendes at UFC 142 on Jan 14, 2012
4. def. Frankie Edgar at UFC 156 on Feb 2, 2013
5. def. Chan-Sung Jung at UFC 163 on Aug 3, 2013
6. def. Ricardo Lamas at UFC 169 on Feb 1, 2014
7. def. Chad Mendes at UFC 179 on Oct 25, 2014

- Republic of Ireland Conor McGregor
def. Chad Mendes for interim title 		UFC 189
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Jul 11, 2015 —
2 Republic of Ireland Conor McGregor UFC 194
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Dec 12, 2015 3268 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 Champion.[25]

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Dominick Cruz
def. Scott Jorgensen 		WEC 53
Glendale, AZ, USA 		Dec 16, 2010 1,117 days

1. def. Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Jul 2, 2011
2. def. Demetrious Johnson at UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson on Oct 1, 2011

- Brazil Renan Barão
def. Urijah Faber for interim title 		UFC 149
Calgary, AB, Canada 		Jul 21, 2012 —

1. def. Michael McDonald at UFC on Fuel TV: Barao vs. McDonald on Feb 16, 2013
2. def. Eddie Wineland at UFC 165 on Sep 21, 2013

Cruz vacated the title on January 6, 2014, after repeated injuries prevented him from returning to competition to defend his title.[26]
2 Brazil Renan Barão
promoted to undisputed champion 		— Jan 6, 2014 138 days

1. def. Urijah Faber at UFC 169 on Feb 1, 2014

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

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

4 United States Dominick Cruz (2) UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz
Boston, MA, USA 		Jan 17, 2016 3232 days
(4349 days)
(incumbent)

Flyweight Championship

116 to 125 lb (53 to 57 kg) Demetrious Johnson defeated Joseph Benavidez on September 22, 2012, at UFC 152 in Toronto, ON, Canada in the finale of a 4-man tournament for the inaugural title.[27]

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Demetrious Johnson
def. Joseph Benavidez 		UFC 152
Toronto, ON, Canada 		Sep 22, 2012 4,444 days
(incumbent)

1. def. John Dodson at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson on Jan 26, 2013
2. def. John Moraga at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga on Jul 27, 2013
3. def. Joseph Benavidez at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 on Dec 14, 2013
4. def. Ali Bagautinov at UFC 174 on June 14, 2014
5. def. Chris Cariaso at UFC 178 on Sep 27, 2014
6. def. Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC 186 on Apr 25, 2015
7. def. John Dodson at UFC 191 on Sep 5, 2015
8. def. Henry Cejudo at UFC 197 on Apr 23, 2016

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 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.[28]

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

1. def. Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 on Feb 23, 2013
2. def. Miesha Tate at UFC 168 on Dec 28, 2013
3. def. Sara McMann at UFC 170 on Feb 22, 2014
4. def. Alexis Davis at UFC 175 on Jul 5, 2014
5. def. Cat Zingano at UFC 184 on Feb 28, 2015
6. def. Bethe Correia at UFC 190 on Aug 1, 2015

2 United States Holly Holm UFC 193
Melbourne, Australia 		Nov 15, 2015 111 days
3 United States Miesha Tate UFC 196
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Mar 5, 2016 3184 days
(incumbent)

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 for The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned.[11]

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Carla Esparza
def. Rose Namajunas 		The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale
Las Vegas, NV, USA 		Dec 12, 2014 92 days
2 Poland Joanna Jędrzejczyk UFC 185
Dallas, TX, USA 		Mar 14, 2015 3541 days
(incumbent)

1. def. Jessica Penne at UFC Fight Night: Jędrzejczyk vs. Penne on Jun 20, 2015
2. def. Valérie Létourneau at UFC 193 on Nov 15, 2015

Superfight Championship (defunct)

An 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.[29]

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, USA for the inaugural Superfight title.[1]
1 United States Ken Shamrock
def. Dan Severn 		UFC 6
Casper, WY, USA 		Jul 14, 1995 308 days

1. drew with Oleg Taktarov at UFC 7 on Sep 8, 1995
2. def. Kimo Leopoldo at UFC 8 on Feb 16, 1996

2 United States Dan Severn UFC 9
Detroit, MI, USA 		May 17, 1996 266 days
Mark Coleman defeated Severn on February 7, 1997 at UFC 12 in Dothan, AL, USA. This bout unified the UFC Superfight Championship with the UFC Tournament Championship to determine the inaugural UFC Heavyweight Champion.[4]

Tournament winners

Event Date Division Winner Runner-up
UFC 1 Nov 12, 1993 None Brazil Royce Gracie Netherlands Gerard Gordeau
UFC 2 Mar 11, 1994 None Brazil Royce Gracie (2) United States Patrick Smith
UFC 3 Sep 9, 1994 None United States Steve Jennum Canada Harold Howard
UFC 4 Dec 16, 1994 None Brazil Royce Gracie (3) United States Dan Severn
UFC 5 Apr 7, 1995 None United States Dan Severn Canada Dave Beneteau
UFC 6 Jul 14, 1995 None Russia Oleg Taktarov United States David Abbott
UFC 7 Sep 8, 1995 None Brazil Marco Ruas United States Paul Varelans
The Ultimate Ultimate Dec 16, 1995 None United States Dan Severn (2) Russia Oleg Taktarov
UFC 8 Feb 16, 1996 None United States Don Frye Trinidad and Tobago Gary Goodridge
UFC 10 Jul 12, 1996 None United States Mark Coleman United States Don Frye
UFC 11 Sep 20, 1996 None United States Mark Coleman (2) United States Scott Ferrozzo
The Ultimate Ultimate 2 Dec 7, 1996 None United States Don Frye (2) United States David Abbott
UFC 12 Feb 7, 1997 Heavyweight Brazil Vitor Belfort United States Scott Ferrozzo
Lightweight United States Jerry Bohlander United States Nick Sanzo
UFC 13 May 30, 1997 Heavyweight United States Randy Couture United States Steven Graham
Lightweight United States Guy Mezger United States Tito Ortiz
UFC 14 July 27, 1997 Heavyweight United States Mark Kerr United States Dan Bobish
Middleweight United States Kevin Jackson United States Tony Fryklund
UFC 15 Oct 17, 1997 Heavyweight United States Mark Kerr (2) United States Dwayne Cason
Ultimate Japan Dec 21, 1997 Heavyweight Japan Kazushi Sakuraba Brazil Marcus Silveira
UFC 16 Mar 13, 1998 Lightweight United States Pat Miletich United States Chris Brennan
UFC 17 May 15, 1998 Middleweight United States Dan Henderson Canada Carlos Newton
UFC 23 Nov 19, 1999 Middleweight Japan Kenichi Yamamoto Japan 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 United States Demetrious Johnson United States Joseph Benavidez

The Ultimate Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter 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 United States Forrest Griffin United States Stephan Bonnar
Middleweight United States Diego Sanchez United States Kenny Florian
TUF 2: Team Hughes vs. Team Franklin Nov 5, 2005 Heavyweight United States Rashad Evans United States Brad Imes
Welterweight United States Joe Stevenson United States Luke Cummo
TUF 3: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock Jun 24, 2006 Middleweight United States Kendall Grove United States Ed Herman
Light Heavyweight England Michael Bisping United States Josh Haynes
TUF 4: The Comeback Nov 11, 2006 Middleweight United States Travis Lutter Canada Patrick Côté
Welterweight United States Matt Serra United States Chris Lytle
TUF 5: Team Pulver vs. Team Penn Jun 23, 2007 Lightweight United States Nate Diaz Armenia Manvel Gamburyan
TUF 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra Dec 8, 2007 Welterweight United States Mac Danzig United States Tommy Speer
TUF 7: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest Jun 21, 2008 Middleweight United States Amir Sadollah United States C.B. Dollaway
TUF 8: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir Dec 13, 2008 Light Heavyweight United States Ryan Bader Brazil Vinicius Magalhães
Lightweight Mexico Efrain Escudero United States Phillipe Nover
TUF 9: United States vs. United Kingdom Jun 20, 2009 Lightweight England Ross Pearson Grenada Andre Winner
Welterweight England James Wilks United States DaMarques Johnson
TUF 10: Heavyweights Dec 5, 2009 Heavyweight United States Roy Nelson United States Brendan Schaub
TUF 11: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Jun 19, 2010 Middleweight United States Court McGee Germany Kris McCray
TUF 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Dec 4, 2010 Lightweight United States Jonathan Brookins United States Michael Johnson
TUF 13: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos Jun 4, 2011 Welterweight United States Tony Ferguson United States Ramsey Nijem
TUF 14: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller Dec 3, 2011 Bantamweight United States John Dodson United States T.J. Dillashaw
Featherweight Brazil Diego Brandao United States Dennis Bermudez
TUF 15: Live Jun 1, 2012 Lightweight United States Michael Chiesa United States Al Iaquinta
TUF: Brazil Jun 23, 2012 Featherweight Brazil Rony Mariano Bezerra Brazil Godofredo Pepey
Middleweight Brazil Cezar Ferreira Brazil Sergio Moraes
TUF 16: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Dec 15, 2012 Welterweight United States Colton Smith Canada Mike Ricci
TUF: The Smashes Dec 15, 2012 Lightweight Northern Ireland Norman Parke England Colin Fletcher
Welterweight New Zealand Robert Whittaker England Brad Scott
TUF 17: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Apr 13, 2013 Middleweight United States Kelvin Gastelum Jamaica Uriah Hall
TUF: Brazil 2 Jun 8, 2013 Welterweight Brazil Leonardo Santos Brazil William Macario
TUF 18: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Nov 30, 2013 Bantamweight United States Chris Holdsworth England David Grant
Women's Bantamweight United States Julianna Peña Canada Jessica Rakoczy
TUF: China Nov 30, 2013 Featherweight China Ning Guangyou China Yang Jianping
Welterweight China Zhang Lipeng China Wang Sai
TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia Apr 16, 2014 Welterweight Canada Chad Laprise Canada Olivier Aubin-Mercier
Middleweight Canada Elias Theodorou Canada Sheldon Westcott
TUF: Brazil 3 May 31, 2014 Middleweight Brazil Warlley Alves Brazil Márcio Alexandre Júnior
Heavyweight Brazil Antônio Carlos Júnior Brazil Vitor Miranda
TUF 19: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn Jul 6, 2014 Middleweight Jamaica Eddie Gordon Brazil Dhiego Lima
Light Heavyweight United States Corey Anderson United States Matt Van Buren
TUF: Latin America Nov 15, 2014 Bantamweight Mexico Alejandro Pérez Mexico José Alberto Quiñonez
Featherweight Mexico Yair Rodríguez Nicaragua Leonardo Morales
TUF 20: A Champion Will Be Crowned Dec 12, 2014 Women's Strawweight United States Carla Esparza United States Rose Namajunas
TUF 21: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians Jul 12, 2015 Welterweight Nigeria Kamaru Usman United States Hayder Hassan
TUF: Brazil 4 Aug 1, 2015 Bantamweight Brazil Reginaldo Vieira Brazil Dileno Lopes
Lightweight Brazil Glaico França Brazil Fernando Bruno
TUF: Latin America 2 Nov 21, 2015 Lightweight Peru Enrique Barzola Mexico Horacio Gutiérrez
Welterweight Mexico Erick Montaño Spain Enrique Marín
TUF 22: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Dec 11, 2015 Lightweight United States Ryan Hall Russia Artem Lobov

Champions by nationality

Division champions include title holders and interim title holders. Interim champions who become undisputed champions are listed only once. Tournament runners-up and The Ultimate Fighter runners-up are not included.

Country Division
champions		 Tournament
champions		 TUF
Winners		 Total
United States USA 53 16 24 93
Brazil Brazil 11 5 8 24
Canada Canada 3 - 2 5
Mexico Mexico - - 4 4
England England - - 3 3
China China - - 2 2
Japan Japan - 2 - 2
Belarus Belarus 1 - - 1
Republic of Ireland Ireland 1 - - 1
Jamaica Jamaica - - 1 1
Netherlands Netherlands 1 - - 1
New Zealand New Zealand - - 1 1
Nigeria Nigeria - - 1 1
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland - - 1 1
Peru Peru - - 1 1
Poland Poland 1 - - 1
Russia Russia - 1 - 1

Most wins in title bouts

Fighters with four or more championship and/or interim championship title wins.[30] Fighters with the same number of title wins are arranged in order of most title fights. Tournament championships and The Ultimate Fighter winners are not included.

Title wins Champion Division Record in title fights
12 Canada Georges St-Pierre Welterweight 12 - 2 - 0
11 Brazil Anderson Silva Middleweight 11 - 2 - 0
10 United States Jon Jones Light Heavyweight 10 - 0 - 0
9 United States Randy Couture Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight
 6 - 3 - 0
3 - 3 - 0
United States Matt Hughes Welterweight 9 - 3 - 0
United States Demetrious Johnson Bantamweight
Flyweight
 0 - 1 - 0
9 - 0 - 0
7 Brazil José Aldo Featherweight 7 - 1 - 0
6 United States Tito Ortiz Light Heavyweight 6 - 3 - 0
United States Ronda Rousey Women's Bantamweight 6 - 1 - 0
5 United States B.J. Penn Welterweight
Lightweight
 1 - 2 - 0
4 - 3 - 1
United States Tim Sylvia Heavyweight 5 - 4 - 0
United States Chuck Liddell Light Heavyweight 5 - 2 - 0
United States Pat Miletich Welterweight 5 - 1 - 0
United States Frank Shamrock Light Heavyweight 5 - 0 - 0
4 United States Cain Velasquez Heavyweight 4 - 2 - 0
Brazil Renan Barão Bantamweight 4 - 2 - 0
United States Benson Henderson Lightweight 4 - 1 - 0
United States Chris Weidman Middleweight 4 - 1 - 0
United States Dominick Cruz Bantamweight 4 - 0 - 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.[31]

Defenses Champion Division Period
10 Brazil Anderson Silva Middleweight Oct 14, 2006 - Jul 6, 2013
9 Canada Georges St-Pierre Welterweight Apr 19, 2008 - Dec 13, 2013
8 United States Jon Jones Light Heavyweight Mar 19, 2011 - Apr 28, 2015
United States Demetrious Johnson Flyweight Sep 22, 2012 – present
7 Brazil José Aldo Featherweight Nov 20, 2010 – Dec 12, 2015
6 United States Ronda Rousey Women's Bantamweight Dec 6, 2012 – Nov 15, 2015
5 United States Tito Ortiz Light Heavyweight Apr 14, 2000 - Sep 26, 2003
United States Matt Hughes Welterweight Nov 2, 2001 - Jan 31, 2004
4 United States Frank Shamrock Light Heavyweight Dec 21, 1997 - Nov 24, 1999
United States Pat Miletich Welterweight Oct 16, 1998 - May 4, 2001
United States Chuck Liddell Light Heavyweight Apr 16, 2005 - May 26, 2007
3 United States B.J. Penn Lightweight Jan 19, 2008 - Apr 10, 2010
United States Frankie Edgar[a] Lightweight Apr 10, 2010 - Feb 26, 2012
United States Benson Henderson Lightweight Feb 26, 2012 - Aug 31, 2013
Brazil Renan Barão[b] Bantamweight Jul 21, 2012 - May 24, 2014
United States Chris Weidman Middleweight Jul 6, 2013 – Dec 12, 2015
  1. ^ Edgar successfully defended the UFC Lightweight Championship twice and retained the title once following a draw against Gray Maynard at UFC 125.
  2. ^ Barão successfully defended the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship twice before being promoted to undisputed champion and defending his title once more.

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. Brazil Anderson Silva 2,457 days Middleweight 10
2. Canada Georges St-Pierre 2,064 days Welterweight 9
3. Brazil Jose Aldo 1,848 days Featherweight 7
4. United States Jon Jones 1,501 days Light Heavyweight 8
5. United States Demetrious Johnson 4,444 days
(incumbent)		 Flyweight 8
6. United States Tito Ortiz 1,260 days Light Heavyweight 5
7. United States Dominick Cruz 1,117 days Bantamweight 2
8. United States Ronda Rousey 1,074 days Women's Bantamweight 6
9. United States Pat Miletich 931 days Welterweight 4
10. United States Cain Velasquez 896 days Heavyweight 2

Longest combined reigns

Name Days as champion Number of reigns Weight class Cumulative title defenses
1. Brazil Anderson Silva 2,457 days 1 Middleweight 10
2. Canada Georges St-Pierre 2,204 days 2 Welterweight 9
3. Brazil Jose Aldo 1,848 days 1 Featherweight 7
4. United States Matt Hughes 1,577 days 2 Welterweight 7
5. United States Jon Jones 1,501 days 1 Light Heavyweight 8
6. United States Randy Couture 1,478+ days 5 Heavyweight,
Light Heavyweight		 3
7. United States Demetrious Johnson 4,444 days
(incumbent)		 1 Flyweight 8
8. United States Cain Velasquez 1,281 days 2 Heavyweight 2
9. United States Tito Ortiz 1,260 days 1 Light Heavyweight 5
10. United States Dominick Cruz 4,349 days
(incumbent)		 2 Bantamweight 2

Multi-division champions

Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes.[32] Tournament championships and The Ultimate Fighter winners are not included.

Champion Division Won Lost Defenses Reign Total reign
United States 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
Light Heavyweight 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
Heavyweight Mar 3, 2007 (UFC 68) Nov 15, 2008 (UFC 91) 1 623 days
United States 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

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "UFC Championship Lineage". The Orange County Register. July 2, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  2. ^ Plotz, David (November 7, 1999). "Fight Clubbed". Slate.com. Retrieved March 21, 2007.
  3. ^ Gentry III, Clyde (2003). No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Martial Arts Revolution (Paperback ed.). Milo Books. pp. 106, 123. ISBN 1-903854-30-X.
  4. ^ a b c d e Harshcore, Rod. "UFC Weight Classes & Their Champions: A History". Yell! Magazine. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  5. ^ Meltzer, Dave (April 18, 2009). "UFC 16: Frank's house". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  6. ^ "Mixed Martial Arts Unified Rules of Conduct". New Jersey State Athletic Control Board. 2000. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
  7. ^ Trembow, Ivan (July 21, 2006). "New Jersey Commission Corrects Mainstream UFC Stories". MMAWeekly.com. Ivan's Blog. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
  8. ^ Whitman, Mike (October 28, 2010). "UFC, WEC to Merge in 2011". Sherdog.com. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  9. ^ Whitman, Matt (December 11, 2011). "UFC Adds Flyweight Class; 4-Man Title Tourney Begins March 3". Sherdog.com. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  10. ^ Whitman, Mike (November 9, 2012). "Report: Strikeforce Champion Ronda Rousey to Join UFC in 2013, Strikeforce to Fold". Sherdog.com. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Doyle, Dave (December 11, 2013). "'TUF 20' will feature all-women's cast; crown first UFC strawweight champion". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  12. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (June 11, 2014). "Strawweights Claudia Gadelha, Tina Lahdemaki meet at UFC Fight Night 45". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Fighters". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  14. ^ Rutten, Bas. "Bas Rutten Biography". Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  15. ^ Fitzgerald, Tom (November 26, 2006). "UFC fighter flunks drug test". SFgate.com: the San Francisco Chronicle website. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  16. ^ Fitzgerald, Tom (November 26, 2006). "Fighting outside the box". SFgate.com: the San Francisco Chronicle website. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  17. ^ Staff (August 13, 2005). "UFC Strips Mir of Heavyweight Belt, Arlovski New Champion". Sherdog.com. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  18. ^ "Jon Jones stripped of title, Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson for belt headlines UFC 187". mmafighting.com. April 28, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  19. ^ Kyte, Spencer (October 19, 2012). "Champion vs. Champion: A UFC History". UFC.com. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  20. ^ "Zuffa Strips Penn of Title". Sherdog.com. May 18, 2004. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
  21. ^ "It's official: Georges St-Pierre vacating UFC welterweight title". mmajunkie.com. December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  22. ^ "Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez, Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir set for UFC on FOX 7". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  23. ^ Meltzer, Dave (December 9, 2007). "Sherk stripped of lightweight title". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  24. ^ Morgan, John; Stupp, Dann (November 20, 2010). "New UFC Champion Jose Aldo officially awarded title belt". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  25. ^ Nelson, Chris (December 14, 2010). "Harris Eager to Crown First UFC Bantamweight Champ". Sherdog.com. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  26. ^ "Dominick Cruz out, vacates bantamweight title; Urijah Faber now meets Renan Barao at UFC 169". mmajunkie.com. January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  27. ^ Mrosko, Geno (September 23, 2012). "UFC 152 results: Demetrious Johnson wins flyweight title with split decision victory over Joseph Benavidez". MMAmania.com. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  28. ^ Gerbasi, Thomas (December 6, 2012). "The UFC Crowns Its First Queen". UFC. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  29. ^ Meltzer, Dave (April 8, 2009). "Relive UFC 6: Clash of the Titans". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  30. ^ "Most wins in UFC title bouts". Fightmatrix.com. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  31. ^ "Most consecutive UFC title defenses". Fightmatrix.com. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  32. ^ "MMA All-time Record Holders". sportsillustrated.

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