Seeing two fighters described as champion of the same UFC division can be confusing. That usually means one of them is the interim UFC champion.
An interim belt is normally introduced when the undisputed champion cannot compete for a significant period. Instead of leaving the leading contenders waiting indefinitely, the UFC can put a temporary title on the line.
When the original champion returns, the obvious next step is a unification fight. At least, that is how it is supposed to work.
Tom Aspinall spent more than a year holding interim heavyweight gold before eventually being promoted when Jon Jones retired. Ciryl Gane later went through a similar process after Aspinall vacated through injury.
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What Does Interim Champion Mean in the UFC?
An interim champion temporarily represents a division while the main titleholder is unavailable. The important word is temporarily.
The UFC does not automatically create an interim belt every time somebody gets injured. Some champions can miss several months without anything changing.
It normally becomes an option when the absence starts holding up the division.
There is no published rule saying a champion has to be out for six months, nine months or any other fixed period before the UFC introduces one.
The promotion decides when it feels necessary.
That flexibility is useful, although it is also why interim titles sometimes cause arguments.
Why Does the UFC Create Interim Titles?
Mostly because contenders still need something to fight for.
If a champion cannot compete for a year, the fighters sitting immediately below them have two choices.
Wait. Or keep taking risky fights while their title opportunity remains frozen.
An interim belt gives the division some movement. Tom Aspinall is a good example.
He stopped Sergei Pavlovich to win the interim heavyweight title in 2023 while Jon Jones was injured. Rather than sitting out until Jones returned, Aspinall then defended against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 and knocked him out in just 60 seconds.
So yes, an interim champion can defend the belt. It just does not happen particularly often.
Is an Interim UFC Champion a Real Champion?
Yes, but there is still somebody above them. Winning an interim belt officially makes a fighter a UFC champion.
They receive the belt, are promoted as champion and normally become the obvious contender for the undisputed title.
But most fighters do not see interim gold as the end goal. They want the word removed.
Jon Jones made that clear when he won an interim light-heavyweight title in 2016. He immediately turned his attention back towards becoming undisputed champion.
That is generally how fighters treat it. The interim championship matters. It also means there is unfinished business.
What Happens When the Undisputed Champion Returns?
Normally, the two champions fight. That is known as a title unification bout.
Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit provide one of the cleaner historical examples. Condit won the interim welterweight title while GSP recovered from injury, then faced him when the champion returned.
More recently, Justin Gaethje went through the same process at lightweight.
Gaethje beat Paddy Pimblett for interim gold in January 2026 while Ilia Topuria remained champion.
That earned him the unification fight. Gaethje then stopped Topuria and became undisputed champion.
That is probably the simplest version of how the system is meant to work. Win the temporary belt.
Face the champion. Win again. The word interim disappears.
Can Someone Become Undisputed Without a Unification Fight?
Yes, and heavyweight has shown us that twice recently. Aspinall spent months waiting for the chance to face Jones.
It never happened. Jones retired in June 2025, so the UFC promoted Aspinall from interim champion to undisputed champion instead.
The same basic thing later happened with Ciryl Gane. Aspinall was sidelined following his eye injury against Gane, which eventually led to another interim title being introduced.
Gane won it and was later promoted after Aspinall vacated the undisputed belt while continuing his recovery.
Neither man had to beat the existing champion to complete the move from interim to undisputed.
Sometimes the belt simply becomes vacant first.
Can an Interim UFC Champion Defend the Belt?
They can. Aspinall defending against Blaydes is the most obvious modern example.
The situation felt strange because many fans understandably wondered why a temporary champion was defending a temporary championship while Jon Jones still held the full title.
But there is nothing stopping the UFC from making that fight.
If the undisputed champion remains unavailable and the promotion wants to keep the division active, an interim defence is possible.
It just creates an awkward situation if it continues for too long.
At some point, people naturally start asking why there are still two champions.
How Does a Fighter Get an Interim Title Shot?
There is no automatic route. Being highly ranked helps, but UFC matchmaking has never worked like a strict tournament bracket.
The promotion chooses the fighters. Usually they are leading contenders, former champions or somebody already close to a normal title opportunity.
Gaethje vs Pimblett made sense because Gaethje had already operated around the very top of lightweight, while Pimblett had worked his way into the leading group of contenders.
At heavyweight, Gane vs Alex Pereira offered something different. Gane was already an established heavyweight contender.
Pereira was trying to become the first fighter in UFC history to win titles across three divisions.
That gave the fight both sporting and commercial value.
You can track the current pecking order across each division through our UFC rankings 2026 page.
Interim Title vs BMF Belt
These two are completely different. An interim title belongs to a recognised UFC division.
There is an undisputed champion, a normal ranking system and a specific reason why the temporary belt exists. The BMF title has none of that.
It can move between weight classes, has no official contenders and does not exist because another champion is unavailable.
Our guide to the UFC BMF title explains how that belt works.
Do Interim UFC Title Fights Last Five Rounds?
Yes. Interim title fights are scheduled for five five-minute rounds, just like undisputed UFC championship contests.
The normal Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts apply.
There is no different scoring system and no special set of interim rules.
Our UFC rules guide covers judging, fouls and methods of victory in more detail.
Are There Any Interim UFC Champions Right Now?
At the time of writing in October 2026, the UFC does not currently list an active interim champion.
The two major interim situations from earlier this year have both been resolved.
Gaethje became undisputed lightweight champion after beating Topuria.
Gane became undisputed heavyweight champion after Aspinall vacated. That can obviously change quickly.
One major injury is sometimes all it takes for another division to end up in the same position.
Do Interim UFC Titles Actually Matter?
They do, although they are not perfect. Sometimes the UFC creates one faster than fans expect.
Other times a division seems to sit still for months without anything happening. That inconsistency is where most of the criticism comes from.
The basic idea still makes sense. If a champion is going to be unavailable for a long period, the rest of the division should not automatically stop with them.
An interim title gives the top contenders something meaningful to fight for and, ideally, produces the next opponent for the undisputed champion.
But nobody wants to remain interim forever. The whole point is eventually getting rid of the word.
For upcoming championship fights, visit our UFC schedule 2026 and for recent title changes and scorecards, check the UFC results 2026 page.
For more UFC explainers, previews and fighter news, head to the BetVictor UFC and MMA News hub.
