UFC Champions 2024

Last Modified Dec 8, 2024 09:29 GMT

List of All Current UFC Champions

DivisionChampionDate SinceDefenses
HeavyweightJon Jones4-March-20231
Heavyweight (interim)Tom Aspinall12-November-20231
Light HeavyweightAlex Pereira12-November-20233
MiddleweightDricus du Plessis20-January-20241
WelterweightBelal Muhammad28-July-2024-
LightweightIslam Makhachev21-October -20223
FeatherweightIlia Topuria17-February-20241
BantamweightMerab Dvalishvili14-September-2024-
FlyweightAlexandre Pantoja8-July-20233
Women's BantamweightJulianna Pena5-October-2024-
Women's FlyweightValentina Shevchenko14-September-2024-
Women's StrawweightZhang Weili12-November-20222
BMF (Baddest Mo*******er) Max Holloway13-April-2024-

Above is the list of all current UFC Champions concerning their weight classes.

Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) champions are fighters who have won and held UFC Championships concerning their weight classes and divisions. At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, MMA was unsanctioned in the US and did not include any weight classes. However, in 1997, UFC introduced weight-specific titles, starting with UFC 12.

UFC Champions
UFC Champions

By UFC 31, the Ultimate Fighting Championship had had five active weight divisions: Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight.

In 2010, the UFC would expand its lower weight classes, and the first addition came in late 2010 when the UFC merged with its sister organization World Extreme Cagefighting, and the Featherweight and Bantamweight Divisions were introduced in the UFC.

In 2012, the dissolution of UFC's sister promotion Strikeforce, allowed the UFC to add female fighters to their roster for the first time in the promotion's history.

There are currently 12 UFC weight classes—eight divisions for men and four for women.

See here: Latest UFC Schedule from 2022

UFC Heavyweight Champion 2024

Jon Jones

SinceMarch 4, 2023
Defenses1

Jon Jones became the UFC heavyweight champion by defeating the No.1 contender, Ciryl Gane at UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane on March 4, 2023. He defended the title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on November 16, 2024.

UFC 285: Jones v Gane
UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones

However, Jon Jones recently got injured during his sparring session before UFC 295 and, therefore, had to pull out from his title defense matchup against the former UFC heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic. Hence, a heavyweight bout between Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall took place for the UFC interim heavyweight title. Tom Aspinall won the bout via a first-round TKO and is currently the interim heavyweight champion of the promotion. At UFC 304, Aspinall defended his interim title against Curtis Blaydes via a first-round KO.

UFC 295: Pavlovich v Aspinall
UFC 295: Pavlovich v Aspinall

UFC Middleweight Champion 2024

Dicrus du Plessis

SinceJanuary 20, 2024
Defenses1
UFC 297: Strickland v Du Plessis
UFC 297: Strickland v Du Plessis

Dicrus du Plessos became the new UFC middleweight champion by defeating the former champion Sean Strickland via decision at UFC 297 on January 20, 2024. He defended his title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 on August 18, 2024.

UFC Lightweight Champion 2024

Islam Makhachev

SinceMay 21, 2022
Defenses3
Islam Makhachev with his lightweight belt (photo credits: UFC Twitter: @ufc)

Islam Makhachev defeated Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi and became the new UFC lightweight champion of the world. Makhachev submitted Oliveira in the second round with a triangle arm choke.

Makhachev is currently on a fourteen-win streak in UFC. And his win over Volkanovski made him the No. 1 fighter in the men's pound-for-pound rankings.

Here's the Latest News from UFC Fight Night

UFC Welterweight Champion 2024

Belal Muhammad

SinceJuly 28, 2024
Defenses-
Image via @bullyb170 on Instagram

At UFC 304, Belal Muhammad clinched the UFC welterweight title by beating Leon Edwards via a unanimous decision.

UFC Featherweight Champion 2024

Ilia Topuria

SinceFebruary 17, 2024
Defenses0
UFC 298: Volkanovski v Topuria
UFC 298: Volkanovski v Topuria

At UFC 298, Ilia Topuria dethroned the long-reigning Alexander Volkanovski via a KO in the second round to become the new champion. He made his first title defense against Max Holloway at UFC 308 and became the first person to knock Holloway out.

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion 2024

Alex Pereira

SinceNovember 12, 2023
Defenses3
Alex Pereira (Photo courtesy: UFC Twitter)

Alex Pereira defeated Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 on November 12, 2023, and became the new UFC light heavyweight champion. Pereira won the bout via TKO at 4:08 in the second round. He successfully defended the title at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024, against Jamahal Hill and at UFC 303 against Jiri Prochazka in a rematch. At UFC 307, Pereira beat Khalil Rountree Jr. via a fourth-round TKO to retain his title.

Check out the Latest UFC Schedule

UFC Bantamweight Champion 2024

Merab Dvalishvili

SinceSeptember 14, 2024
Defenses-
UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC
UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC

Merab Dvalishvili became the new UFC bantamweight champion by defeating the former champion Sean O'Malley via unanimous decision. Dvalishvili's first title defense is likely to be against Umar Nurmagomedov.

UFC Flyweight Champion 2024

Alexandre Pantoja

SinceJuly 8, 2023
Defenses3
UFC 290: Volkanovski v Rodriguez
Alexandre Pantoja

Alexandre Pantoja won the UFC flyweight title by defeating the former champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 on July 8, 2023. He defended his title for the first time against Brandon Royval at UFC 296 on December 16, 2024.

UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion 2024

Raquel Pennington

UFC 269: Oliveira v Poirier
UFC 269: Oliveira v Poirier
SinceOctober 5, 2024
Defenses-

Julianna Pena became the new UFC women's bantamweight champion by defeating Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 via a split decision.

UFC Women's Flyweight Champion 2024

Valentina Shevchenko

SinceSeptember 14, 2024
Defenses-
UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC
UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC

Valentina Shevchenko won the UFC women's flyweight championship by defeating Alexa Grasso at UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili via a unanimous decision.

UFC Strawweight Champion 2024

Zhang Weili

SinceNovember 12, 2022
Defenses2
UFC 281: Adesanya v Pereira
Zhang Weili celebrating her win at UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pe.reira.

Zhang Weili became the UFC strawweight champion by defeating the former champion Carla Esparza at UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira on November 12, 2022, at Madison Square Garden, New York, United States.

She defended her title against Amanda Lemos at UFC 292 on August 19, 2023, and against Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024.

BMF Champion 2024

Max Holloway

SinceApril 13, 2024
Defenses-
UFC 300: Pereira v Hill
UFC 300: Pereira v Hill

Max Holloway clinched the BMF title from Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in jaw-dropping fashion by putting 'The Highlight' to sleep in the last second of their fight at UFC 300.

Click to learn about UFC Rankings.

FAQs On UFC Champions 2024

A. The current UFC Champions are - Jon Jones (heavyweight), Tom Aspinall (interim heavyweight), Alex Pereira (light heavyweight), Dricus du Plessis (middleweight), Belal Muhammad (welterweight), Islam Makhachev (lightweight), Ilia Topuria (featherweight), Merab Dvalishvili (bantamweight), Alexandre Pantoja (flyweight), Julianna Pena (women's bantamweight), Valentina Shevchenko (women's flyweight), Zhang Weili (women's strawweight), and Max Holloway (BMF).


A. Alex Pereira is currently the new UFC light heavyweight champion. 

Related Stories

Photo: Islam Makhachev mocks Merab Dvalishvili with a three-word reaction by posting a picture of himself and Umar Nurmagomedov at the UFC PI Photo: Islam Makhachev mocks Merab Dvalishvili with a three-word reaction by posting a picture of himself and Umar Nurmagomedov at the UFC PI
Photo: Islam Makhachev mocks Merab Dvalishvili with a three-word reaction by posting a picture of himself and Umar Nurmagomedov at the UFC PI
1d
"Only difference is Miocic was 3 years younger" - Fans react as Jon Jones surpasses Francis Ngannou's days as HW champion "Only difference is Miocic was 3 years younger" - Fans react as Jon Jones surpasses Francis Ngannou's days as HW champion
"Only difference is Miocic was 3 years younger" - Fans react as Jon Jones surpasses Francis Ngannou's days as HW champion
1d
Alexander Volkanovski answers if he will ever fight Alex Pereira: "Money talks, mate, money talks" Alexander Volkanovski answers if he will ever fight Alex Pereira: "Money talks, mate, money talks"
Alexander Volkanovski answers if he will ever fight Alex Pereira: "Money talks, mate, money talks"
1d
Michael Johnson tears into Jamahal Hill for Alex Pereira confrontation at the UFC PI: "That's some clown sh*t" Michael Johnson tears into Jamahal Hill for Alex Pereira confrontation at the UFC PI: "That's some clown sh*t"
Michael Johnson tears into Jamahal Hill for Alex Pereira confrontation at the UFC PI: "That's some clown sh*t"
1d
Top 5 UFC fights of 2024 feat. Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje Top 5 UFC fights of 2024 feat. Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje
Top 5 UFC fights of 2024 feat. Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje
1d
5 most 'Chama' moments of Alex Pereira from 2024 5 most 'Chama' moments of Alex Pereira from 2024
5 most 'Chama' moments of Alex Pereira from 2024
1d
MMA insider and crew debate how many new champions the UFC will have by the end of 2025 MMA insider and crew debate how many new champions the UFC will have by the end of 2025
MMA insider and crew debate how many new champions the UFC will have by the end of 2025
1d
"Jones X Ngannou would make way more sense" - Fans react as MMA insider names potential fight involving Jon Jones as No. 1 "must-see fight of 2025" "Jones X Ngannou would make way more sense" - Fans react as MMA insider names potential fight involving Jon Jones as No. 1 "must-see fight of 2025"
"Jones X Ngannou would make way more sense" - Fans react as MMA insider names potential fight involving Jon Jones as No. 1 "must-see fight of 2025"
1d
UFC light heavyweight names two blockbuster fights that need to happen in 2025, including own plan to rematch Alex Pereira's former opponent UFC light heavyweight names two blockbuster fights that need to happen in 2025, including own plan to rematch Alex Pereira's former opponent
UFC light heavyweight names two blockbuster fights that need to happen in 2025, including own plan to rematch Alex Pereira's former opponent
1d
5 UFC moments from 2024 that were an early Christmas for the fans 5 UFC moments from 2024 that were an early Christmas for the fans
5 UFC moments from 2024 that were an early Christmas for the fans
1d