Last Updated on March 25, 2024
The UFC features 12 weight divisions (4 women and 8 men); therefore, there have been many champions over the last few decades.
Unfortunately…
Very few champions in UFC history have managed to have a successful title defense. Nobody's a true champion until they successfully defend their belt several times.
Listed below are the fighters with the most title defenses in UFC history:
10 Champions With The Most UFC Title Defenses
1. Jon Jones
Before switching to the heavyweight category and relinquishing his title in 2020, he was unstoppable in the 205-pound weight class. Jones captured his title in 2011 at the UFC 128 after defeating Shogun Rua and becoming the youngest UFC champion of all time at 23.
Currently, Jon Jones holds the title for the highest number of submission wins, most consecutive title defenses, most title fight wins, and longest winning history in his weight class.
Jones' consecutive UFC title defenses are split into 2, the first 8 and 3-second title defenses. He successfully defended his title 11 times against several fighters, including Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson, and Chael Sonnen, among others. Therefore, in terms of title defenses, he holds the title for most title fight wins with Demetrious Johnson.
2. Demetrious Johnson
When it comes to most title defenses, Demetrious is the king. Johnson defended his title 11 consecutive times in the flyweight class. He won his title in 2012 when he defeated Benavidez Joseph at the UFC 152.
Demetrious successfully defended his title against some of the best UFC fighters, including Henry Cejudo, Chris Cariaso, and John Dodson.
Demetrious' dominance ended in 2018 at the UFC 227, where he was defeated via a split-decision loss by Henry Cejudo.
Besides having the most title defenses, Johnson won the ONE-Flyweight Grand-Prix.
3. Anderson Silva
When it comes to dominance, then you should think about Anderson Silva. Silva took the UFC world by storm, and within a very short time, he became a champion. After getting his first UFC Middleweight Champion title, he held onto it for several years.
As one of the fighters with the most title defenses, Anderson managed to rack up 10 title defenses in a row by knocking fighters as if they were boys fighting a real man.
Anderson Silva even holds the record for the most consecutive wins in UFC, and if he had not retired at a young age, he would be the greatest UFC fighter of all time. But despite his 1-7-1 finish, he is still one of the world's most dominant champions, with several successful title defenses.
4. Georges St-Pierre
Despite being defeated in 2007 by Serra Matt in his first title defense, George is still considered the best Canadian MMA fighter. George managed to regain his title in a rematch in 2008 within two rounds, and then he had 9 successful title defenses in the welterweight division.
But in terms of wins, he has 13 title fight wins, which put him number two in that category.
He hadn't stepped in the ring for 4 years, debuted in a middleweight division match against Michael Bisping, and won. If this doesn't prove he is the best, then I don't know what does. He defeated fighters like Jake Shields, Dan Hardy, Thiago Alves, and Carlos Condit during his career.
5. Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo is considered the world's greatest featherweight UFC fighter. Jose destroyed the championship dreams of several fighters, including Ricardo Lamas, Frankie Edgar, Kenny Florian, Mark Hominick, and Chad Mendes.
Unfortunately, Aldo succumbed in 2015 to Conor McGregor in his last consecutive title defense. But after UFC stripped Conor’s featherweight title, Jose got a chance to win the title in 2016 against Edgar Frankie.
6. Valentina Shevchenko
Unlike most UFC fighters on our list, Valentina's streak is still active; therefore, she may improve her ranking on our list. She is currently holding the women's flyweight championship title. Another reason why she is the best is the fact that she defeated Joanna in the first place; plus, she has Muay Thai/kickboxing history.
Unfortunately, the only fighter that has ever defeated her is Amanda Nunes, one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
7. Ronda Rousey
It is no secret that Rousey is one of the world's most dominant champions. Ronda Rousey began her career with 8 straight armbar finishes. Her last 4 defenses didn't last for 120 seconds, making her one of the best MMA fighters.
Rousey managed to rack up 6 straight UFC bantamweight title defenses before losing in a knockout twice in a row, which resulted in her career ending for good.
8. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Unlike most MMA fighters, Joanna began her career with a 14-0; up to now, she is 2-4. Fortunately, all her fights were against experienced fighters; therefore, it does not change the fact that she is one of the most dominant UFC fighters of all time.
She had 5 consecutive belt defenses before being defeated by Namajunas Rose twice, which marked her first 2 losses. But her 5 consecutive title defenses are still exceptional, and her performance in the ring is still amazing.
9. Stipe Miocic
Most UFC lovers believe that Miocic is the planet's greatest heavyweight MMA fighter, and his resume in the ring says it all. First and foremost, he is ranked among the fighters with the most consecutive UFC wins in history. He also holds the title for the most consecutive wins in the heavyweight class with 3 wins.
He even managed to add another defense after regaining his title from Cormier Daniel and then defended it against the same fighter. Currently, he is eager to regain his title, but we have to wait and see if he will get to face most UFC champions in the future.
10. Daniel Cormier
Like some of the UFC champions on our list, Daniel Cormier is one of the world's best MMA fighters, who only lost to Stipe and Jon Jones, who are also on our list. Cormier had 4 title defenses in his career, 5 if you consider when he retained his title even after being knocked down by Jon Jones, thanks to the fact that he tested positive for Turinabol.
He managed to defend the heavyweight title once and the light heavyweight title thrice against some of the best UFC champions in history. Cormier fought for the titles several times and is among the four double champions in the competitions.
Unlike most UFC champions, Daniel managed to hold titles in two UFC divisions simultaneously.
Knock-Out Point: Check out our list of MMA fighters with the most wins here -- Most Wins In UFC History.
Watch This!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Active Fighter Has The Most UFC Welterweight Title Defenses?
Even though he hasn't featured on our list of the most UFC title defenses, Usman Kamaru is an active welterweight fighter with 5 consecutive wins between 2019 and 2021. Considering his attributes, Usman has the potential to win even more title fights in the future. The Nigerian nightmare has won 16 MMA matches and lost only 1.
He even defeated Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, the two folks who produced one of UFC 272’s most entertaining bouts to watch.
Which Active UFC Fighter Has The Most Consecutive Flyweight Title Defenses?
Ronda Rousey could be one of the most popular female UFC fighters. However, Valentina Shevchenko holds the most title defenses in the flyweight category. She is still an active fighter and successfully defended her title 7 times from 2019 to 2022.
Who Has The Longest Title Reign?
UFC has several weight classes featuring different champions, but Anderson Silva had the longest title reign of all the fighters. Silva managed to hold on to his middleweight title for 2,457 days.
Conclusion
UFC is one of the most popular combat sports that have featured some of the world's best and most popular MMA artists. As much as there have been many champions, very few have managed to successfully defend their titles a number of times.
The fighters with the most title defenses are Jon Jones and Demetrious Johnson but Anderson Silva holds the title for the longest UFC title reign. These are the fighters, along with the up-and-coming ones, that give you a reason to watch their contests.