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'[[Image:UFCBelt.png|thumb|right|300px|The UFC heavyweight championship belt]] This is a list of '''Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions''' at each weight class.<ref name="ocr">{{cite web |url=http://www.ocregister.com/sports/ufc-def-title-1751549-round-heavyweight |title=UFC Championship Lineage |work=[[The Orange County Register]] |date=July 2, 2007 |accessdate=September 14, 2007 }}</ref> At the time of the [[Ultimate Fighting Championship|UFC]]'s inception in 1993, the sport of [[mixed martial arts]] was unsanctioned in the United States, and it did not include [[weight classes]]. Instead of the traditional championship model, tournaments were held with the winner receiving a permanent appellation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/id/46344 |title=Fight Clubbed |last=Plotz |first=David |work=Slate.com |date=November 7, 1999 |accessdate=March 21, 2007 }}</ref> In [[Ultimate Fighting Championship#Controversy and reform|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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gentry III |first=Clyde |title=No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Martial Arts Revolution |publisher=Milo Books |year=2003 |edition=Paperback Edition |isbn=ISBN 0-903854-90-X |pages=106, 123 }}</ref> The original codification for weight classes introduced only two divisions: [[heavyweight]], which grouped competitors above {{convert|200|lb|kg|lk=off}}, and lightweight, which encompassed all other competitors. The UFC would later rename its lightweight division to [[Light Heavyweight (MMA)|middleweight]] and add [[Welterweight (MMA)|lightweight]] {{convert|170|lb|kg|lk=off}} and [[Lightweight (MMA)|bantamweight]] {{convert|155|lb|kg|lk=off}} divisions. In 2000, the [[New Jersey State Athletic Control Board]] completely took over regulation in its home state, and its [[Mixed martial arts rules#Unified Rules of MMA|rules and weight classes]] became the ''[[de facto]]'' rule set for mixed martial arts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.nj.us/lps/sacb/docs/martial.html |title=Mixed Martial Arts Unified Rules of Conduct |publisher=New Jersey State Athletic Control Board |year=2000 |accessdate=September 8, 2007 }}</ref> The UFC realigned their weight classes to comply with the new regulations in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ivansblog.com/2006/07/mixed-martial-arts-new-jersey.html |title=New Jersey Commission Corrects Mainstream UFC Stories |last=Trembow |first=Ivan |work=MMAWeekly.com |format=Reprint |year=2000 |accessdate=September 8, 2007 }}</ref> ==Current Title Histories== ===Heavyweight Championship=== ::''206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)'' {| class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;" !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=1%|No. !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=19%|Name !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=45%|Defenses |- |align=center |'''1''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Mark Coleman]]<br />{{small|(def. [[Dan Severn]])}} |February 7, 1997<br />{{small|(UFC 12)}} |Dothan, Alabama, US | |- |align=center |'''2''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Maurice Smith]] |July 27, 1997<br />{{small|(UFC 14)}} |Birmingham, Alabama, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Tank Abbott|David Abbott]] on October 17, 1997 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, US (UFC 15)}} |- |align=center |'''3''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Randy Couture]] |December 21, 1997<br />{{small|(UFC Japan)}} |Yokohama, Japan | |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''Couture left the UFC in January 1998 due to a contract dispute and was stripped of the title.''<ref name="ocr" /> |- |align=center |'''4''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Bas Rutten]]<br />{{small|(def. [[Kevin Randleman]])}} |May 7, 1999<br />{{small|([[UFC 20]])}} |Birmingham, Alabama, US | |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''The title was vacated in June 1999 when Rutten retired due to training injuries.''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://basrutten.tv/biography.html |title=Bas Rutten Biography |last=Rutten |first=Bas |authorlink=Bas Rutten |accessdate=September 12, 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070520191724/http://www.basrutten.tv/biography.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = May 20, 2007}}</ref> |- |align=center |'''5''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Kevin Randleman<br />{{small|(def. [[Pete Williams (mixed martial artist)|Pete Williams]])}} |November 19, 1999<br />{{small|(UFC 23)}} |Tokyo, Japan |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Pedro Rizzo]] on June 9, 2000 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, US (UFC 26)}} |- |align=center |'''6''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Randy Couture (2) |November 17, 2000<br />{{small|([[UFC 28]])}} |Atlantic City, New Jersey, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. Pedro Rizzo on May 4, 2001 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, US (UFC 31)}} *{{small|def. Pedro Rizzo on November 2, 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 34]])}} |- |align=center |'''7''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Josh Barnett]] |March 22, 2002<br />{{small|(UFC 36)}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''Barnett was stripped of the title on July 26, 2002 after testing positive for [[anabolic steroids]] in a post-fight drug test.''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Aug-14-Sat-2004/sports/24534514.html |title=UFC fighter flunks drug test |last=Iole |first=Kevin |work=Reviewjournal.com: the [[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] website |date=August 14, 2004 |accessdate=September 12, 2007 }}</ref> |- |align=center |'''8''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Ricco Rodriguez]]<br />{{small|(def. Randy Couture)}} |September 27, 2002<br />{{small|(UFC 39)}} |Uncasville, Connecticut, US | |- |align=center |'''9''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Tim Sylvia]] |February 28, 2003<br />{{small|(UFC 41)}} |Atlantic City, New Jersey, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Gan McGee]] on September 26, 2003 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US (UFC 44)}} |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''Sylvia relinquished his title in September 2003 after testing positive for anabolic steroids in a post-fight drug test.''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/26/SPG19MJT8O1.DTL |title=Fighting outside the box |last=Fitzgerald |first=Tom |work=SFgate.com: the [[San Francisco Chronicle]] website |date=November 26, 2006 |accessdate=September 12, 2007 }}</ref> |- |align=center |'''10''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Frank Mir]]<br />{{small|(def. Tim Sylvia)}} |June 19, 2004<br />{{small|([[UFC 48]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |- |align=center | |align="left"|{{flagicon|BLR}} [[Andrei Arlovski]]<br />{{small|(def. Tim Sylvia for interim title)}} |February 5, 2005<br />{{small|(UFC 51)}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Justin Eilers]] on June 4, 2005 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, US (UFC 53)}} |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''Mir was stripped of the title in August 2005 after being unable to defend due to an injury.''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=3249 |title=UFC Strips Mir of Heavyweight Belt, Arlovski New Champion |work=Sherdog.com |date=August 13, 2005 |accessdate=September 12, 2007 }}</ref> |- |align=center |'''11''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|BLR}} Andrei Arlovski<br />{{small|(promoted to undisputed champion)}} |August 12, 2005 | |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Paul Buentello]] on October 7, 2005 in Uncasville, Connecticut, US ([[UFC 55]])}} |- |align=center |'''12''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Tim Sylvia (2) |April 15, 2006<br />{{small|([[UFC 59]])}} |Anaheim, California, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. Andrei Arlovski on July 8, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 61]])}} *{{small|def. [[Jeff Monson]] on November 18, 2006 in Sacramento, California, US (UFC 65)}} |- |align=center |'''13''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Randy Couture (3) |March 3, 2007<br />{{small|([[UFC 68]])}} |Columbus, Ohio, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Gabriel Gonzaga]] on August 25, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 74]])}} |- |align=center | |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira]]<br/>{{small|(def. Tim Sylvia for interim title)}} |February 2, 2008<br />{{small|([[UFC 81]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"|&nbsp; |- |align=center |'''14''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Brock Lesnar]]<br/>{{small|(def. Randy Couture)}} |November 15, 2008<br />{{small|([[UFC 91]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"|&nbsp; |- |align=center | |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Frank Mir<br/>{{small|(def. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira for interim title)}} |December 27, 2008<br />{{small|(UFC 92)}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"|&nbsp; |- |align=center |'''14''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Brock Lesnar<br/>{{small|(def. Frank Mir for undisputed title)}} |July 11, 2009<br />{{small|([[UFC 100]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"|&nbsp; |- |align=center | |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Shane Carwin]] <br/>{{small|(def. Frank Mir for interim title)}} |March 27, 2010<br />{{small|(UFC 111)}} |Newark, New Jersey, US |align="left"|&nbsp; |- |align=center |'''14''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Brock Lesnar <br/>{{small|(def. Shane Carwin for undisputed title)}} |July 3, 2010<br />{{small|([[UFC 116]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"|&nbsp; |- |align=center |'''15''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Cain Velasquez]] |October 23, 2010<br />{{small|([[UFC 121]])}} |Anaheim, California, US |} ===Light Heavyweight Championship=== ::''186 to 205 lbs (84 to 93 kg)'' :''The Light Heavyweight Title was known as the Middleweight Title prior to UFC 31 (May 4, 2001).'' :''The UFC Light Heavyweight Title was unified with the [[List of Pride Champions#World Middleweight Championship|Pride World Middleweight Title]] (204.6 lb) on September 8, 2007 when Quinton Jackson defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 75.'' {| class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;" !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=1%|No. !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=19%|Name !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=45%|Defenses |- |align=center |'''1''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Frank Shamrock]]<br />{{small|(def. [[Kevin Jackson]])}} |December 21, 1997<br />{{small|(UFC Japan)}} |Yokohama, Japan |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Igor Zinoviev]] on March 13, 1998 in New Orleans, Louisiana, US (UFC 16)}} *{{small|def. [[Jeremy Horn]] on May 15, 1998 in Mobile, Alabama, US (UFC 17)}} *{{small|def. [[John Lober]] on October 16, 1998 in São Paulo, Brazil ([[UFC Brazil]])}} *{{small|def. Tito Ortiz on September 24, 1999 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, US ([[UFC 22]])}} |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''The title was vacated in November 1999 when Shamrock retired, citing a lack of competition, and left the UFC.''<ref name="ocr" /> |- |align=center |'''2''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Tito Ortiz]]<br />{{small|(def. [[Wanderlei Silva]])}} |April 14, 2000<br />{{small|([[UFC 25]])}} |Tokyo, Japan |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Yuki Kondo]] on December 16, 2000 in Tokyo, Japan (UFC 29)}} *{{small|def. Evan Tanner on February 23, 2001 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, US (UFC 30)}} *{{small|def. [[Elvis Sinosic]] on June 29, 2001 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, US ([[UFC 32]])}} *{{small|def. [[Vladimir Matyushenko]] on September 28, 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US (UFC 33)}} *{{small|def. Ken Shamrock on November 22, 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US (UFC 40)}} |- |align=center | |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Randy Couture<br />{{small|(def. Chuck Liddell for interim title)}} |June 6, 2003<br />{{small|([[UFC 43]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |- |align=center |'''3''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Randy Couture<br />{{small|(def. Tito Ortiz for undisputed title)}} |September 26, 2003<br />{{small|(UFC 44)}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |- |align=center |'''4''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Vitor Belfort]] |January 31, 2004<br />{{small|([[UFC 46]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |- |align=center |'''5''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Randy Couture (2) |August 21, 2004<br />{{small|([[UFC 49]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |- |align=center |'''6''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Chuck Liddell]] |April 16, 2005<br />{{small|([[UFC 52]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. Jeremy Horn on August 20, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 54]])}} *{{small|def. Randy Couture on February 4, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 57]])}} *{{small|def. [[Renato Sobral]] on August 26, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 62]])}} *{{small|def. Tito Ortiz on December 30, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 66]])}} |- |align=center |'''7''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Quinton Jackson]] |May 26, 2007<br />{{small|([[UFC 71]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. Dan Henderson on September 8, 2007 in London, England ([[UFC 75]])}} |- |align=center |'''8''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Forrest Griffin]] |July 5, 2008<br />{{small|([[UFC 86]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"|&nbsp; |- |align=center |'''9''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Rashad Evans]] |December 27, 2008<br />{{small|([[UFC 92]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"|&nbsp; |- |align=center |'''10''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Lyoto Machida]] |May 23, 2009<br />{{small|([[UFC 98]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. Mauricio Rua on October 24, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, US ([[UFC 104]])}} |- |align=center |'''11''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Mauricio Rua]] |May 8, 2010<br />{{small|([[UFC 113]])}} |Montreal, Quebec, Canada |align="left" | |} ===Middleweight Championship=== ::''171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)'' :''The UFC Middleweight Title was unified with the [[List of Pride Champions#World Welterweight Championship|Pride World Welterweight Title]] (183 lb) on March 1, 2008 when Anderson Silva defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 82.'' {| class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;" !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=1%|No. !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=19%|Name !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=45%|Defenses |- |align=center |'''1''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Dave Menne]]<br />{{small|(def. [[Gil Castillo]])}} |September 28, 2001<br />{{small|(UFC 33)}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |- |align=center |'''2''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Murilo Bustamante]] |January 11, 2002<br />{{small|(UFC 35)}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Matt Lindland]] on May 10, 2002 in Bossier City, Louisiana, US ([[UFC 37]])}} |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''Bustamante was stripped of the title on October 5, 2002 after signing with Pride.''<ref name="ocr" /> |- |align=center |'''3''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Evan Tanner]]<br />{{small|(def. [[David Terrell (fighter)|David Terrell]])}} |February 5, 2005<br />{{small|(UFC 51)}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |- |align=center |'''4''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Rich Franklin]]<br /> |June 4, 2005<br />{{small|(UFC 53)}} |Atlantic City, New Jersey, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Nathan Quarry]] on November 19, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 56]])}} *{{small|def. [[David Loiseau]] on March 4, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 58]])}} |- |align=center |'''5''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Anderson Silva]] |October 14, 2006<br />{{small|([[UFC 64]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Nate Marquardt]] on July 7, 2007 in Sacramento, California, US ([[UFC 73]])}} *{{small|def. Rich Franklin on October 20, 2007 in Cincinnati, Ohio, US ([[UFC 77]])}} *{{small|def. Dan Henderson on March 1, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio, US ([[UFC 82]])}} *{{small|def. [[Patrick Côté (fighter)|Patrick Côté]] on October 25, 2008 in Rosemont, Illinois, US ([[UFC 90]])}} *{{small|def. [[Thales Leites]] on April 18, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, ([[UFC 97]])}} *{{small|def. [[Demian Maia]] on April 10, 2010 in Abu Dhabi, UAE (UFC 112)}} *{{small|def. [[Chael Sonnen]] on August 7, 2010 in Oakland, California (UFC 117)}} |} ===Welterweight Championship=== ::''156 to 170 lbs (70 to 77 kg)'' :''The Welterweight Title was known as the Lightweight Title prior to UFC 31 (May 4, 2001).'' {| class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;" !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=1%|No. !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=19%|Name !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=45%|Defenses |- |align=center |'''1''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Pat Miletich]]<br />{{small|(def. [[Mikey Burnett]])}} |October 16, 1998<br />{{small|(UFC Brazil)}} |São Paulo, Brazil |align="left"| *{{small|def. Jorge Patino on January 8, 1999 in New Orleans, Louisiana, US ([[UFC 18]])}} *{{small|def. [[Andre Pederneiras]] on July 16, 1999 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, US ([[UFC 21]])}} *{{small|def. [[John Alessio]] on June 9, 2000 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, US ([[UFC 26]])}} *{{small|def. [[Kenichi Yamamoto (mixed martial artist)|Kenichi Yamamoto]] on December 16, 2000 in Tokyo, Japan ([[UFC 29]])}} |- |align=center |'''2''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Carlos Newton]] |May 4, 2001<br />{{small|(UFC 31)}} |Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |- |align=center |'''3''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Matt Hughes (fighter)|Matt Hughes]] |November 2, 2001<br />{{small|(UFC 34)}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Hayato Sakurai]] on March 22, 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US (UFC 36)}} *{{small|def. Carlos Newton on July 13, 2002 in London, England ([[UFC 38]])}} *{{small|def. Gil Castillo on November 22, 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US (UFC 40)}} *{{small|def. Sean Sherk on April 25, 2003 in Miami, Florida, US ([[UFC 42]])}} *{{small|def. Frank Trigg on November 21, 2003 in Uncasville, Connecticut, US ([[UFC 45]])}} |- |align=center |'''4''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[B.J. Penn]] |January 31, 2004<br />{{small|(UFC 46)}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''Penn was stripped of the title on May 17, 2004 after signing with [[K-1]].''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mmaringreport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=476&Itemid=37 |title=B.J. Penn Stripped of Title |work=MMARingReport.com |date=May 17, 2004 |accessdate=December 9, 2007 }}</ref> |- |align=center |'''5''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Matt Hughes (2)<br />{{small|(def. Georges St. Pierre)}} |October 22, 2004<br />{{small|([[UFC 50]])}} |Atlantic City, New Jersey, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Frank Trigg]] on April 16, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US (UFC 52)}} *{{small|def. B.J. Penn on September 23, 2006 in Anaheim, California, US ([[UFC 63]])}} |- |align=center |'''6''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Georges St. Pierre]] |November 18, 2006<br />{{small|(UFC 65)}} |Sacramento, California, US | |- |align=center |'''7''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Matt Serra]] |April 7, 2007<br />{{small|([[UFC 69]])}} |Houston, Texas, US | |- |align=center | |align="left"|{{flagicon|CAN}} Georges St. Pierre<br/>{{small|(def. Matt Hughes for interim title)}} |December 29, 2007<br />{{small|([[UFC 79]])}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"|&nbsp; |- |align=center |'''8''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|CAN}} Georges St. Pierre (2)<br/>{{small|(def. Matt Serra for undisputed title)}} |April 19, 2008<br />{{small|([[UFC 83]])}} |Montreal, Quebec, Canada |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Jon Fitch]] on August 9, 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US ([[UFC 87]])}} *{{small|def. [[B.J. Penn]] on January 31, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 94]])}} *{{small|def. [[Thiago Alves]] on July 11, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US (UFC 100)}} *{{small|def. [[Dan Hardy]] on March 27, 2010 in Newark, New Jersey, US ([[UFC 111]])}} *{{small|def. [[Josh Koscheck]] on December 11, 2010 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada ([[UFC 124]])}} |} ===Lightweight Championship=== ::''146 to 155 lbs (66 to 70 kg)'' :''The Lightweight Title was known as the Bantamweight Title prior to UFC 31 (May 4, 2001).'' {| class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;" !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=1%|No. !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=19%|Name !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width=45%|Defenses |- |align=center |'''1''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Jens Pulver]]<br />{{small|(def. [[Caol Uno]])}} |February 23, 2001<br />{{small|([[UFC 30]])}} |Atlantic City, New Jersey, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Dennis Hallman]] on September 28, 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US (UFC 33)}} *{{small|def. B.J. Penn on January 11, 2002 in Uncasville, Connecticut, US (UFC 35)}} |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''Pulver was stripped of the title and left the UFC in March 2002 due to a contract dispute.''<ref name="ocr" /> |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''B.J. Penn and Caol Uno fought to a draw on February 28, 2003 in Atlantic City, NJ (UFC 41) in the finals of a 4-man tournament for the vacant [[Lightweight (MMA)|Lightweight]] championship.''<ref name="ocr" /> |- |align=center |'''2''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Sean Sherk]]<br />{{small|(def. [[Kenny Florian]])}} |October 14, 2006<br />{{small|(UFC 64)}} |Las Vegas, Nevada, US |align="left"| *{{small|def. [[Hermes Franca]] on July 7, 2007 in Sacramento, California, US (UFC 73)}} |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''Sherk was stripped of the title December 8, 2007 after testing positive for anabolic steroids in a post-fight drug test.''<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Sherk-stripped-of-lightweight-title?urn=mma,56811 |first=Dave |last=Meltzer |title=Sherk stripped of lightweight title |date=December 9, 2007 |accessdate=December 10, 2007 |work=Yahoo! Sports }}</ref> |- |align=center |'''3''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} B. J. Penn<br />{{small|(def. [[Joe Stevenson]])}} |January 19, 2008<br />{{small|([[UFC 80]])}} |Newcastle upon Tyne, England |align="left" | *{{small|def. Sean Sherk on May 24, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US ([[UFC 84]])}} *{{small|def. [[Kenny Florian]] on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US ([[UFC 101]])}} *{{small|def. [[Diego Sanchez]] on December 12, 2009 in Memphis, Tennessee, US ([[UFC 107]])}} |- |align=center |'''4''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Frankie Edgar]] |April 10, 2010<br />{{small|([[UFC 112]])}} |Abu Dhabi, UAE |align="left" | *{{small|def. B.J. Penn on August 28, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts, US ([[UFC 118]])}} |} ===Featherweight Championship=== ::''136 to 145 lbs (61 to 66 kg)'' :''Prior to November 20, 2010, Jose Aldo was known as the [[List of WEC champions#Featherweight Championship|WEC Featherweight Champion]]. He became the first UFC Featherweight Champion following the UFC-WEC merger.''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mmajunkie.com/news/21481/new-ufc-champion-jose-aldo-officially-awarded-title-belt.mma|title=New UFC Champion Jose Aldo officially awarded title belt|publisher=mmajunkie.com|date=November 20, 2010}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;" !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=1%|No. !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=19%|Name !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=45%|Defenses |- |align=center |'''1''' |align=left |{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Jose Aldo]]<br />{{small|(promoted to undisputed champion)}} |align=center | November 20, 2010 |align=center | | |} ===Bantamweight Championship=== ::''126 to 135 lbs (57 to 61 kg)'' :''Prior to December 16, 2010, Dominick Cruz was known as the [[List of WEC champions#Bantamweight Championship|WEC Bantamweight Champion]]. At [[WEC 53]], Cruz defended his WEC Title against [[Scott Jorgensen]], with the winner becoming the inaugural UFC Bantamweight Champion.''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://mmaweekly.com/wec-bantamweight-champion-will-leave-with-two-belts-lightweight-winner-a-front-row-seat|title= WEC Bantamweight Champion Will Leave With Two Belts, Lightweight Winner A Front Row Seat|publisher=mmaweekly.com |accessdate=2010-12-07}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;" !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=1%|No. !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=19%|Name !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=45%|Defenses |- |align=center |'''1''' |align=left |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dominick Cruz]]<br />{{small|(def. [[Scott Jorgensen]])}} |align=center | December 16, 2010<br /><small>([[WEC 53]]) |align=center | Glendale, Arizona, US | |} ==Superfight Championship== :''Openweight fights featuring previous tournament fighters.'' {| class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;" !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=1%|No. !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="19%"|Name !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="15%"|Date !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="20%"|Location !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="45%"|Defenses |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie fought to a draw on April 7, 1995 in Charlotte, NC (UFC 5) in a title fight for the vacant superfight championship.''<ref name="ocr" /> |- |align=center |'''1''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Ken Shamrock]]<br />{{small|(def. Dan Severn)}} |July 14, 1995<br />{{small|(UFC 6)}} |Casper, Wyoming, US |align="left"| *{{small|drew with [[Oleg Taktarov]] on September 8, 1995 in Buffalo, New York, US (UFC 7)}} *{{small|def. [[Kimo Leopoldo]] on February 16, 1996 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, US (UFC 8)}} |- |align=center |'''2''' |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Dan Severn |May 17, 1996<br />{{small|([[UFC 9]])}} |Detroit, Michigan, US | |- |align="center" colspan="5"|''The Superfight championship was unified with Mark Coleman's [[Heavyweight (MMA)|Heavyweight]] championship on February 7, 1997 in Dothan, AL (UFC 12) when Coleman defeated Severn.'' |- |} ==UFC Tournaments== {| class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;" !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="14%"|Event !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="10%"|Weight class !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="25%"|Winner !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="25%"|Runner-up !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="15%"|Date |- |[[UFC 1]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Royce Gracie]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|NED}} [[Gerard Gordeau]] |November 12, 1993 |- |[[UFC 2]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} Royce Gracie |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Patrick Smith (fighter)|Patrick Smith]] |March 11, 1994 |- |[[UFC 3]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Steve Jennum]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Harold Howard]] |September 9, 1994 |- |[[UFC 4]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} Royce Gracie |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Dan Severn |December 16, 1994 |- |[[UFC 5]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Dan Severn |align="left"|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Dave Beneteau]] |February 16, 1995 |- |[[UFC 6]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|RUS}} Oleg Taktarov |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} David Abbott |July 14, 1995 |- |[[UFC 7]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Marco Ruas]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Paul Varelans]] |September 8, 1995 |- |[[Ultimate Ultimate 1995|The Ultimate Ultimate]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Dan Severn |align="left"|{{flagicon|RUS}} Oleg Taktarov |December 16, 1995 |- |[[UFC 8]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Don Frye]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Gary Goodridge]] |February 16, 1996 |- |[[UFC 10]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Mark Coleman |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Don Frye |July 12, 1996 |- |[[UFC 11]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Mark Coleman |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Scott Ferrozzo]] |September 20, 1996 |- |[[Ultimate Ultimate 1996|The Ultimate Ultimate 2]] |None |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Don Frye |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} David Abbott |December 7, 1996 |- |rowspan="2"|[[UFC 12]] |Heavyweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} Vitor Belfort |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Scott Ferrozzo |rowspan="2"|February 7, 1997 |- |Lightweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Jerry Bohlander]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Nick Sanzo]] |- |rowspan="2"|[[UFC 13]] |Heavyweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Randy Couture |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Steven Graham]] |rowspan="2"|May 30, 1997 |- |Lightweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Guy Mezger]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Tito Ortiz |- |rowspan="2"|[[UFC 14]] |Heavyweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Mark Kerr (fighter)|Mark Kerr]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Dan Bobish]] |rowspan="2"|July 27, 1997 |- |Middleweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Kevin Jackson |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Tony Fryklund]] |- |[[UFC 15]] |Heavyweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Mark Kerr |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Dwayne Cason]] |October 17, 1997 |- |[[UFC Japan|Ultimate Japan]] |Heavyweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Kazushi Sakuraba]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Marcus Silveira]] |December 21, 1997 |- |[[UFC 16]] |Lightweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Pat Miletich |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Chris Brennan]] |March 13, 1998 |- |[[UFC 17]] |Middleweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Dan Henderson]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|CAN}} Carlos Newton |May 15, 1998 |- |[[UFC 23|Ultimate Japan 2]] |Middleweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|JPN}} Kenichi Yamamoto |align="left"|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Katsuhisa Fujii]] |November 14, 1999 |- |[[UFC 41]] |Lightweight |align="center" colspan="2"|''B.J. Penn drew with Caol Uno in the final match of the 4-man lightweight tournament.'' |February 28, 2003 |} ==The Ultimate Fighter== {| class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;" !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="14%"|Event !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="10%"|Weight class !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="25%"|Winner !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="25%"|Runner-up !style="background:#e3e3e3;" width="15%"|Date |- |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter 1]] |Light Heavyweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Forrest Griffin |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Stephan Bonnar]] |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale|April 9, 2005]] |- |Middleweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Diego Sanchez]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Kenny Florian |- |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter 2]] |Heavyweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Rashad Evans |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Brad Imes]] |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale|November 5, 2005]] |- |Welterweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Joe Stevenson |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Luke Cummo]] |- |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter 3]] |Middleweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Kendall Grove]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Ed Herman (fighter)|Ed Herman]] |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale|June 24, 2006]] |- |Light Heavyweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Michael Bisping]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Josh Haynes]] |- |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter 4]] |Middleweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Travis Lutter]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|CAN}} Patrick Côté |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale|November 11, 2006]] |- |Welterweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} Matt Serra |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Chris Lytle]] |- |[[The Ultimate Fighter 5]] |Lightweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Nate Diaz]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|ARM}} [[Manvel Gamburyan]] |[[The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale|June 23, 2007]] |- |[[The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra|The Ultimate Fighter 6]] |Welterweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Mac Danzig]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Tommy Speer]] |[[The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs Team Serra Finale|December 8, 2007]] |- |[[The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest|The Ultimate Fighter 7]] |Middleweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Amir Sadollah]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[C.B. Dollaway]] |[[The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs Team Forrest Finale|June 21, 2008]] |- |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir|The Ultimate Fighter 8]] |Light Heavyweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Ryan Bader]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Vinicius Magalhães]] |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs Team Mir Finale|December 13, 2008]] |- |Lightweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Efrain Escudero]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Phillipe Nover]] |- |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom|The Ultimate Fighter 9]] |Lightweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Ross Pearson]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Andre Winner]] |rowspan="2"|[[The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale|June 20, 2009]] |- |Welterweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[James Wilks]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[DaMarques Johnson]] |- |[[The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights|The Ultimate Fighter 10]] |Heavyweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Roy Nelson(fighter)|Roy Nelson]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Brendan Schaub]] |[[The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale|December 5, 2009]] |- |[[The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz|The Ultimate Fighter 11]] |Middleweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Court McGee]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Kris McCray]] |[[The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale|June 19, 2010]] |- |[[The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck|The Ultimate Fighter 12]] |Lightweight |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Jonathan Brookins]] |align="left"|{{flagicon|US}} [[Michael Johnson (fighter)|Michael Johnson]] |[[The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale|December 4, 2010]] |- |} ==By Nationality== The following include championship title holders, or UFC tournament and Ultimate Fighter tournament winners. {|class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="font-size:95%; border-collapse:collapse;" |- !Country !Titles |- |{{flagcountry|United States}} |align="center"|65 |- |{{flagcountry|Brazil}} |align="center"|11 |- |{{flagcountry|Canada}} |align="center"|3 |- |{{flagcountry|United Kingdom}} |align="center"|3 |- |{{flagcountry|Japan}} |align="center"|2 |- |{{flagcountry|Belarus}} |align="center"|1 |- |{{flagcountry|Mexico}} |align="center"|1 |- |{{flagcountry|Netherlands}} |align="center"|1 |- |{{flagcountry|Russia}} |align="center"|1 |} ==See also== *[[List of current mixed martial arts champions]] *[[List of current UFC fighters]] *[[List of UFC events]] *[[Mixed martial arts weight classes]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=fighter.TitleHolders Current Title Holders] at [http://www.UFC.com UFC.com] *[http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=fighter.PreviousTitleHolders Previous Title Holders] at [http://www.UFC.com UFC.com] {{Featured list}} {{UFC title holders}} {{Mixed martial arts champions}} [[Category:Lists of sportspeople|UFC champions]] [[Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship champions|*]] [[es:Anexo:Campeones de UFC]] [[fr:Liste des champions de l'UFC]] [[it:UFC Heavyweight Championship]] [[ja:UFC王者一覧]] [[pt:Anexo:Lista de Campeões do UFC]] [[ru:Список чемпионов UFC]] [[fi:Luettelo Ultimate Fighting Championship -mestareista]] [[sv:Lista över UFC-mästare]] [[uk:Список чемпіонів UFC]]'