5 Greatest UFC Welterweight Championship Fights In History
The UFC Welterweight division ranks among the most storied divisions in the company's (and sport's) history. Pat Miletich became the first-ever UFC Welterweight Champion after defeating Mikey Burnett in UFC Brazil in 1998.
He made 4 title defences before losing the title, but since then, the lineage has been filled with nothing but prestige, featuring some of the all-time greats as champions, including Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre, Robbie Lawler, Johny Hendricks, and more.
More than anything, the 170lb division has been home to the most talented pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and looking back at the UFC timeline, there's likely no division that was more consistently stacked with talent than the Welterweight division.
Today, the competition has evolved and grown, but as you can imagine, the immense pool of talent has led to some of the greatest championship bouts in UFC history (and one being considered the greatest fight in UFC history, period. But more on that later).
Let's take a look at the very best title fights from the 170-pound division!
#5 Matt Hughes (c) vs BJ Penn - UFC 46
BJ Penn, a known Lightweight had made an abrupt departure from UFC to K-1 in 2003. He would make a quick return to the UFC and it would be in the form of a title fight, one division higher than what he used to fight.
He made his welterweight debut and took on Matt Hughes for the Welterweight Championship. Many consider this a big upset, as Hughes was on a 5-fight win streak prior to the Penn fight.
Unfortunately for Hughes, he would suffer a first-round defeat to Penn after giving his back and allowing Penn to choke him out. It was a magical moment for The Prodigy as he captured his first title. A contract dispute would lead him out of the UFC and back to K-1 again, but he did compete with Hughes later on, with Hughes picking up a revenge win and Penn winning their third bout in an incredible trilogy.