5 potential long-reigning champions in the UFC
There have only been a handful of long-reigning champions in UFC history. Fighters who have repeatedly defended their title for a long period of time tend to be remembered as legends of the sport, considering how challenging their accomplishment really is.
Georges St-Pierre, one of the longest reigning champions in UFC history, famously once said:
“It's hard to be champion, it's harder to stay champion because you are the target and everybody looks at you and they want to have what you have.”
Salute to an absolute legend of the sport!
2020 #UFCHOF inductee, Georges St-Pierre 🏆🇨🇦 https://t.co/A9n35SMJMt
St-Pierre defended his UFC welterweight title nine times between 2008 and 2013 before vacating the belt. Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva and Jon Jones have also solidified their status as some of the greatest fighters to grace the octagon owing to their numerous title defenses.
In the modern era, Kamaru Usman, Israel Adesanya, Valentina Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes have been building their legacies with their dominant championship runs.
That said, we thought we’d look at five potentially long-reigning UFC champions. Honorable mentions include Askar Askarov, Magomed Ankalaev, Jiri Prochazka, Brandon Moreno and Alexander Volkanovski.
#5. Rose Namajunas - UFC strawweight champion
Rose Namajunas has emerged as one of the most likable fighters on the UFC roster in recent years. Her unassuming and gentle nature outside the octagon, coupled with her terrifying intensity inside the cage, makes Namajunas an incredibly intriguing fighter.
Namajunas broke onto the scene as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 20, submitting all of her opponents en route to the finale. She came into the UFC with a high-level grappling background and, following her alliance with legendary striking coach Trevor Wittman, has become one of the most well-rounded fighters in the sport.
In a testament to her obvious improvements in the striking realm, Namajunas has secured stunning first-round KO/TKO victories against seasoned strikers like Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Zhang Weili.
Does this @RoseNamajunas get your vote for #UFCHonors KO of the Year? 🏆 https://t.co/59lLJyhhek
At just 29, Namajunas is already the champion of the most competitive division in women’s MMA. Moreover, she has already defeated two of the best fighters at 115 lbs twice over, having beaten both Jędrzejczyk and Weili on two occasions each.
Looking down the pecking order in the UFC’s strawweight division, most of the fighters are nowhere near as multi-dimensional as Rose Namajunas.
Carla Esparza is an experienced wrestler with suspect striking, Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan are excellent strikers without a strong base in grappling and Mackenzie Dern has impeccable Brazilian jiu-jitsu but struggles against good strikers.
If it all goes to plan, ‘Thug’ Rose will more than likely dominate the strawweight division for many years to come. With a few more title defenses, she could become a long-reigning champion alongside her idol, Valentina Shevchenko.
#UFC268
Two of the best female fighters in the game 💯 #UFC268 https://t.co/tgoBFLKMe9