Most UFC Title Defenses So Far

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The only thing more challenging than winning a title is defending it. With a target on their backs, the champions with the belts become marked fighters and have to defend their throne against the rest of the division who are out for blood. 

Below, we’ll look at the champions who successfully managed to vanquish their rivals more times than anyone else in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history. 

Jon Jones: 11 Title Defenses

Jon Jones won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Maurício Rua on March 19, 2011. Aged just 23 and 242 days, Jones became the youngest UFC champion in history after beating Rua. As impressive as this accomplishment was, the jury was out on how long Jones would remain at the summit of the division. 

Unsurprisingly, no one could have predicted that Jones would remain unbeaten to this day, some 13 years later. Over this unprecedented spell at the top of the 205 lbs class, Jones has successfully defended his light heavyweight title on 11 occasions. 

“Bones” vacated his light heavyweight championship in 2020 in a quest to conquer the heavyweight division, however, if he’d chosen to stay, then he would have surely increased his title defense record at this weight.

That said, after winning the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship in March 2023, it’s likely that Jones will continue to add to his 11 title defenses over the coming years.

Demetrious Johnson: 11 Title Defenses 

Demetrious Johnson sits alongside Jon Jones as the man with the most UFC title defenses in history. The man they call the “Mighty Mouse” built his legacy in the flyweight division after first winning the title on the 22nd of September, 2012 against Joseph Benavidez. 

Over the next 2,142 days, Johnson defended his title no fewer than 11 times. During Johnson’s sixth title defense, he tied the record for the latest finish in UFC history after wrestling Kyoji Horiguchi into an armbar. Despite there being less than a second left of the fight, the Japanese star tapped out – saving the judges from having to make a decision and thus preserving Johnson’s record.

Taking the immortal step towards a 12th title defense proved a bridge too far for the Kentucky-born fighter, who lost by way of split decision to Henry Cejudo on August 4th, 2018. 

Anderson Silva: 10 Title Defenses

Anderson Silva won the UFC Middleweight Championship by spectacularly knocking out Rich Franklin at UFC 64 on the 14th of October, 2006. Silva’s thunderous knee to Franklin’s head sent shockwaves throughout the middleweight championship as the “Spider” was a heavy underdog coming into the bout. 

This box office finish also laid the foundations for the third-longest run of title defense matches in UFC history as the Brazilian went on to successfully defend his championship on 10 occasions thereafter. Incredibly, seven years pass before Anderson tasted defeat – on the 6th of July, 2013, he lost out to Chris Weidman. 

Georges St-Pierre: Nine Title Defenses

There were just 140 days between George St-Pierre winning the UFC Welterweight Championship on November 18th, 2006 against Matt Hughes, and then losing it to Matt Serra on April 7th, 2007. On the back of such a disastrous and short-lived title defense, St-Pierre was roundly written off as a flash-in-the-pan champion, never to be seen again. 

However, the mixed martial arts (MMA) star-turned-actor went on to regain the UFC Welterweight Championship in December 2007 and then defended the title on nine occasions over the 2,149 days that followed. It was a phenomenal turnaround for “GSP” who retired in 2013 after his final UFC Welterweight Championship title defense against Johny Hendricks.

Jose Aldo: Seven Title Defenses 

Jose Aldo’s successful defense of his UFC Featherweight Championship title from 2011 to 2015 makes him arguably the greatest 145 lbs fighter to have ever stepped foot into the Octagon. In total, Aldo managed to defend his featherweight championship on seven occasions. 

While this isn’t the most title defenses the UFC has ever seen, how Aldo went about protecting his belt captivated the attention of fight fans the world over. Indeed, a fierce Muay Thai style coupled with an over-my-dead-body attitude enabled Aldo to sit at the UFC’s featherweight summit for 1,687 days before a defeat to Conor McGregor at UFC 194.

Valentina Shevchenko: Seven Title Defenses 

Valentina Shevchenko won the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship in 2018. Over the five years that followed, Shevchenko made UFC history by recording seven consecutive title defenses. 

It was a run that earned the Kyrgyzstani fighter a place in the top five most UFC title defenses of all-time. Blessed with the ability to counterstrike in the blink of an eye and possessing some of the most fearsome spinning kicks ever witnessed in the Octagon, Shevchenko fiercely took on anyone who threatened to take her championship during her 1,547 days as the queen of the flyweight division.

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Last but by no means least – yes, we’re passionate about providing MMA odds, but we’re equally as driven to ensure safe betting at the same time. If you do intend to bet on any UFC match, then please take the time to read through our safer gambling page, which lists tried and tested methods of staying in control when betting on UFC.

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