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How Many Weight Classes Does UFC Have? All You Need to Know about Each Division
Get the complete rundown on all reigning UFC champions across every division, including key stats, recent fights, and future matchups.
The UFC was founded by Art Davie way back in 1993. Initially, it started as a no-holds-barred event and also carried the risk of an athlete losing his life in the ring. According to an exclusive interview given to The SportsRush, Art Davie mentioned that there were no weight classes, and neither were the fighters tested for PEDs. Davie even stated that he had the idea of electrifying the cage and putting sharks around the octagon.
Well, this madness did not last long. After Dana White took charge, he slowly built the UFC and sanctioned it as a sporting discipline. Introducing the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts in the promotion, the UFC slowly began to grow in stature. White soon introduced the concept of weight classes, and currently, the UFC is booming with 12 weight classes across the male and female divisions.
Here, let’s take a look at all the reigning UFC champions across every division.
- Men’s Heavyweight
Jon Jones is the reigning undisputed champion of the division. Defeating Ciryl Gane at the UFC 285 title fight via submission, Jones has been sitting pretty at the head of the table.
However, recently, things have taken a wrong turn. The interim champion, Tom Aspinall, constantly calls out ‘Bones’ while the undisputed champion keeps avoiding it.
- Men’s Light Heavyweight
Alex Pereira has emerged as the next big thing in the UFC. After winning the titles in two different weight categories within three years of his UFC debut, Poatan is a force to be reckoned with.
He won his title by defeating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 and has defended his title twice since. Pereira is slated to face Khalil Rountree Jr. for his third title defense in 2024.
- Men’s Middleweight
Things have been quite interesting in the middleweight division. The title quickly changed hands from Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya, and Sean Strickland to the current champion, Dricus du Plessis.
Having defeated Sean Strickland at UFC 297 to become the champion, Du Plessis successfully defended his title recently against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. The South African is now rumored to face Sean Strickland in a rematch in January 2025.
- Men’s Welterweight
Belal Muhammad emerged as the new division victor, having beaten the previous champion, Leon Edwards, at UFC 304. He has yet to defend his title.
- Men’s Lightweight
UFC 280 was a happy outing for Islam Makhachev as he clinched the lightweight championship by defeating Charles Oliveira.
Since then, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s prodigy has successfully defended his title thrice, defeating Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier. Makhachev is slated to face Arman Tsarukyan next.
- Men’s Featherweight
Things escalated quickly between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. Coming in as an underdog, Topuria knocked Volkanovski out in the second round to become the first UFC champion from Spain. Topuria will face Max Holloway as his first title defense next.
- Men’s Bantamweight
Sean O’Malley beat Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 to become the king of the bantamweight division. Defending his title against Marlon Vera, O’Malley avenged his previous loss against ‘Chito’ while successfully defending his belt. Now, he will face Merab Dvalishvili in his second attempt to defend his championship status.
- Men’s Flyweight
The reigning champion in the men’s flyweight division is Alexandre Pantoja. He defeated Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 to win the title and has defended his title twice since.
- Women’s Featherweight
The women’s featherweight title is currently vacant.
- Women’s Flyweight
Alexa Grasso defeated Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285 to claim the flyweight title. Both Shevchenko and Grasso featured as coaches in ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ season 32.
- Women’s Strawweight
Having won the title back in UFC 281, Zhang Weili has been a dominant champion. Defending her title twice already, Weili is looking to establish her legacy in the strawweight division.
Thus, with the champions listed, it will be interesting to see how long these athletes will be able to hold onto their prized possessions.
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