5 UFC fighters who became first-time undisputed champions late in their careers
Next weekend at UFC 302, Dustin Poirier will hope to become the undisputed lightweight champion. If he does so, he'll have claimed the title in the 14th year of his octagon career.
Over the years, only a handful of fighters have managed to become undisputed UFC champions in the later stages of their careers, and Poirier will be hoping to join them.
Whether Dustin Poirier can pull it off when he faces Islam Makhachev, only time will tell. If he does so, though, he'll join the following fighters in the history books.
Here are five UFC fighters who became first-time undisputed champions late in their careers.
#5 Jan Blachowicz - former UFC light-heavyweight champion
When Jan Blachowicz joined the UFC roster back in 2014, he did so with an impressive 17-3 record. He quickly made an impact, too, using a body kick to TKO Ilir Latifi in his octagon debut.
However, the Polish fighter quickly ran into difficulties, losing four of his next five fights. These losses - usually caused by his lack of takedown defense - had him on the verge of being cut from the roster.
However, beginning in late 2017, Blachowicz began to turn things around. After taking some time off to really work on his grappling and clinch work, the Polish fighter managed to win seven of his next eight fights.
This propelled him into unlikely title contention, but when he was matched with Dominick Reyes in 2020 for the light-heavyweight crown vacated by Jon Jones, nobody expected him to win.
After all, Reyes had pushed Jones to the limit just a few months earlier, and the bout felt like a formality to crown him the new 205 pound king.
Remarkably, though, Blachowicz stunned everyone by using his 'Polish power' to knock Reyes out, becoming the new champion. Not only had he achieved this in his sixth year in the promotion, he'd also done it at the age of 37.
Blachowicz's title reign didn't last too long, but the fact that he reached the top was a massive achievement, and he remains one of the more unlikely champions in UFC history.
#4 Raquel Pennington - UFC bantamweight champion
When Raquel Pennington debuted in the UFC back in 2013, she was probably one of the last fighters anyone would've expected to become a champion.
Sure, she had looked decent at points during her appearance on TUF 18, but she'd been eliminated from the show in the semi-finals. More to the point, her record of 3-3 was hardly an impressive one.
Still, 'Rocky' plugged away over the next few years, and despite a lack of natural athleticism, managed to climb up the ladder with a series of victories.
When she beat former titleholder Miesha Tate in late 2016 - retiring her in the process - it felt like a true career high for her. Pennington was even rewarded with a shot at bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes, although she lost in one-sided fashion.
From that point, it felt like 'Rocky' had peaked. She suffered two losses in her next three fights, and seven years into her career with the promotion, she appeared to be winding down.
However, two curious things then happened. Firstly, Pennington began to go on a surprising win streak, reeling off five victories in a row, even if some came via tight decision.
Secondly, Nunes, who had held her title since 2016, hung up her gloves in mid-2023, leaving the bantamweight crown vacant.
Suddenly - largely thanks to a dearth of other viable contenders - 'Rocky' found herself handed a fight for the empty throne, and managed to outpoint Mayra Bueno Silva, reaching the top of the mountain.
Pennington remains champion as of the time of writing, although she has yet to make a defense of her title. Even if she loses it at the first attempt, though, she remains one of the most miraculous and unlikely champions in UFC history, particularly as she achieved her goal so late into her career.
#3 Rafael dos Anjos - former UFC lightweight champion
When Rafael dos Anjos made his UFC debut back in 2008 and suffered a horrendous knockout at the hands of Jeremy Stephens, it appeared his spot in octagon history was set.
'RDA' seemed destined to star in highlight reels, but as an unfortunate victim of a classic knockout finish.
However, after an up-and-down couple of years, the Brazilian took some time off midway through 2010 - and returned a year later as an entirely different fighter.
Once a one-dimensional submission artist, dos Anjos had made leaps and bounds in his striking skills and his wrestling, too. Buoyed by a new strength and conditioning regime, he'd also transformed his entire body, too.
Suddenly, dos Anjos went on a huge winning streak, slowly climbing the ranks and eventually defeating former lightweight champ Benson Henderson via knockout in 2014.
That win, and a follow-up one over Nate Diaz, put 'RDA' in line for an unlikely title shot against champion Anthony Pettis. Despite most fans writing him off, the Brazilian dominated 'Showtime', becoming the new champion after nearly seven years of competing in the octagon.
While dos Anjos' title reign didn't last all that long, the fact that he became champion in the first place was an incredible achievement, especially as he'd done it so late in his octagon career.
#2 Glover Teixeira - former UFC light-heavyweight champion
When fans think of older UFC champions, the name that instantly comes to mind is Randy Couture. 'The Natural' famously won the heavyweight title from Tim Sylvia in 2007 at the age of 43.
However, Couture had already won multiple titles by that point in his career, with his win over Sylvia acting as the icing on the cake of sorts.
The oldest fighter to become a first-time UFC champion, then, was actually Glover Teixeira. The Brazilian choked out Jan Blachowicz in 2021 to claim the light-heavyweight title literally two days after his 42nd birthday.
Not only was Teixeira an old man by fighting standards when he claimed the title, but he'd also been in the promotion for a very long time, too.
The Brazilian debuted in the octagon back in 2012, and was already a veteran at that stage, holding a record of 17-2.
A five-fight win streak to begin his octagon career actually earned him his first title shot back in 2014, but a loss to Jon Jones seemed to signal the end of his hopes of reaching the top.
Given that Teixeira was written off on numerous occasions in the years that followed, particularly after his losses to Alexander Gustafsson and Corey Anderson, the fact that he managed to eventually claim the title was a miracle of sorts.
Teixeira's title win really did come at the tail end of his career, too. After losing it to Jiri Prochazka, he only fought once more before retiring at the beginning of 2023.
#1 Michael Bisping - former UFC middleweight champion
The fighter most renowned for capturing a UFC title late in his octagon career is definitely Michael Bisping. 'The Count' fought for a full ten years in the promotion before claiming gold, and his title victory remains one of the most unlikely moments in MMA history.
The winner of the light-heavyweight bracket on 2006's TUF 3, Bisping began to see real success when he dropped to 185 pounds in 2008.
However, despite becoming a hero in his native UK - and a hated villain in the US - it felt like 'The Count' was destined to forever be the bridesmaid and not the bride.
Every time Bisping got close to a title shot, he would lose at the final hurdle. Had he beaten Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen or Vitor Belfort, a shot at the gold probably would've been his.
By 2015, nearly ten years into his UFC career, he seemed to be settling into a role as a respected and hardened veteran, and his title hopes appeared to be fading.
Just when it seemed like a 2016 win over former titleholder Anderson Silva would be the final peak of his career, though, he was offered a last-minute shot at then-champion Luke Rockhold on short notice.
Nobody expected Bisping to win, particularly given that Rockhold had dispatched him with ease in the latter part of 2014 in their first fight.
'The Count' had other ideas, though, and caught an overconfident Rockhold with a left hook in the first round, knocking him out to claim the title.
Bisping's career didn't last much longer. He made one successful defense of his title against old foe Henderson, then lost it to Georges St-Pierre in 2017 before retiring after one more loss.
That didn't matter, though. Not only had 'The Count' reached his goal, but he'd written himself into the history books by doing it remarkably late in his career, too.