Champion Since: October 22, 2022
UFC Champion Weight Divisions
Champion Since: December 14, 2019Reason Vacated: Injury (Achilles tendon rupture)While there has often been criticism of UFC’s matchmaking, it’s also one of its best qualities. The best will always fight the best sooner or later, so to get your title shot, you need to prove that you are one of the best.Interestingly there have been eight different title reigns but only four different title holders. That’s because, along with Weili, Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas have both won the title on two occasions, with Esparza being the inaugural winner.Record: 26-5While it has been around for a similar amount of time, there have been a lot more winners of the Bantamweight title compared to Featherweight. This is because there hasn’t been a dominant champion, with Sterling’s three defenses being the record.
UFC Champions List
Men’s UFC Champions List
| Division | Fighter |
| Heavyweight | Jon Jones |
| Light Heavyweight | Vacant |
| Middleweight | Israel Adesanya |
| Welterweight | Leon Edwards |
| Lightweight | Islam Makhachev |
| Featherweight | Alexander Volkanovski |
| Bantamweight | Aljamain Sterling |
| Flyweight | Alexandre Pantoja |
Women’s UFC Champions List
| Division | Fighter |
| Featherweight | Vacant |
| Bantamweight | Vacant |
| Flyweight | Alexa Grasso |
| Strawweight | Zhang Weili |
Men’s UFC Champions in Profile
Heavyweight
Including both men’s and women’s divisions, there are 12 UFC titles in total. These are split between eight divisions for the men, and four in the women’s game. Interim titles can also be awarded but these are never seen as full championship belts.Champion Since: March 4, 2023Champion Since: March 4, 2023While that is usually true, there have been exceptions when a fighter has been fast-tracked into a title shot. This was seen with Brock Lesnar as the UFC wanted to take advantage of the hype surrounding him.However, this is not often the case for two reasons. Firstly, the same fighter can hold world titles in multiple divisions. Secondly, there are periods when the belt is vacated and there is no champion.However, this is not often the case for two reasons. Firstly, the same fighter can hold world titles in multiple divisions. Secondly, there are periods when the belt is vacated and there is no champion.Nationality: AmericanThe Heavyweight division is the oldest in the UFC, with its first champion being crowned in 1997. It was Mark Coleman who took the honor but wasn’t able to defend the title, losing the belt to Maurice Smith before it quickly passed to Randy Couture.Leon Edwards is an English fighter who defied expectations to beat the notorious Kamaru Usman not once, but twice, to win and then retain the Welterweight title and head to the top of the UFC Welterweight rankings. Now undefeated in 12 fights, Edwards deserved his title shot and took it with both hands.
Current UFC Champions – FAQs
Who are the current UFC men’s champions?
Current Champion: Zhang Weili
Who is the UFC Heavyweight Champion at the moment?
Of course, if we’re mentioning the Middleweight championship when we have to mention Anderson Silva. The Brazilian had an incredible run in the division, holding the title for a mind-blowing 2,456 days while having 10 defenses. If there were UFC rankings for the greatest ever, Silva could well be number one.
How many UFC titles are there?
Current Champion: Jon Jones
Who is the women’s UFC champion?
She won the Featherweight title in 2018 and didn’t give it up until she retired in 2023. The Bantamweight division was a little different as she won it in 2016 but was beaten by Julianna Peña in 2021, but reclaimed the title in the rematch.
How do you get a UFC belt?
Title Defenses: 1It’s not a title that has been defended many times, with three being the record, equally held by Khabib, Benson Henderson, Frankie Edgar, and B.J. Penn.One of the best parts of UFC is that there is one champion for every division, unlike boxing. Not only that, there are fewer divisions to worry about. It means that becoming a champion in the UFC means much more and is clearly the highest honor.
What we wanted to do is celebrate those fighters by looking at who are the current UFC champions right now. To do this, we’ll provide you with a simple list before looking at how the champion came to be in each division. Let’s go!
