List of UFC champions
[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.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.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.[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.[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.[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.interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on Jan 22, 2022 1. def.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.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.Renato Moicano at UFC 311 on Jan 18, 2025 136 to 145 lb (61 to 66 kg) Prior to the UFC-WEC merger, José Aldo was the WEC Featherweight Champion.Max Holloway at UFC 308 on Oct 26, 2024 126 to 135 lb (57 to 61 kg) Prior to UFC-WEC merger, Dominick Cruz was the WEC Bantamweight Champion.Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 on Jan 18, 2025 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.Tim Elliott at The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale on Dec 3, 2016 10. def.Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245 on Dec 14, 2019 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.Taila Santos at UFC 275 on Jun 12, 2022 1. drew with Valentina Shevchenko at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 on Sep 16, 2023 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.Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300 on Apr 13, 2024 The openweight title used before the introduction of weight classes in 1997.The show features professional fighters living together and competing against one another in a tournament for a contract with the UFC.Division championships are the primary separation criteria due to being non-closed competition.The following includes all UFC champions who were able to consecutively defend their title three times or more.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.There have been multiple instances in UFC history where a fighter misses the required weight limit for a championship fight.