To win a world mixed martial arts championship in a major company is one of the most difficult things a fighter can accomplish in their career. However, it is another thing entirely to achieve a world title in what many view as the most competitive organization in the business: the UFC.
Out of the thousands of athletes that have fought for the promotion, only 117 individuals have managed to be listed among UFC champions, not including UFC champions, BMF, or multi-time UFC champions. When taking into consideration the amount of divisional rulers that have defended said titles, that number of UFC champions gets even lower at 65.
Unfortunately, there have been a number of UFC champions that couldn’t quite establish a long-running reign over the rest of their opposition and wound up dropping their straps in their first defense. Whether it was because of the glitz and glam of the championship lifestyle, the high-level of the rest of the division or just plain underestimating their opponents, these fighters sadly only remained on top as one of the UFC champions for the briefest of moments.
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These are five UFC champions that lost in their first title defenses:
UFC Champions Who Lost in Their First Title Defense: Luke Rockhold
During the early 2010s, there existed an organization that proved to be a clear rival to the UFC in terms of production value and the level of the world-class competitors they had under their banner: Strikeforce. Boasting some of the best names in all of MMA at the time, the entity was responsible for nurturing a plethora of future stars, including one Luke Rockhold.
Taking his first fight in Strikeforce in 2009 in just his third professional fight, the California native proceeded to blow through the company’s middleweight category, winning all nine of his bouts during his time there. In that time period, the American Kickboxing prodigy took down a small bevy of notable opponents such as Ronaldo Souza, Keith Jardine and Tim Kennedy. He also scored the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, defending it twice while breaking the record for most 185-lb belt retentions in the promotion’s history.
When it was announced that the UFC had purchased Strikeforce and would be merging their rosters together, fans were excited to see if Rockhold could seize another strap in his new home. That was until a shocking first-round knockout loss to Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 8 brought those aspirations to a screeching halt, forcing him to start all the way back at square one. Despite becoming one of the UFC champions to lose in their first title defense, he was undeterred.
The defeat to Belfort proved to a launch pad for a dominant run, however, with Rockhold going on to win his next four contests in a row, besting the likes of Tim Boetsch, Michael Bisping and Lyoto Machida, putting himself in the crosshairs of then-champion Chris Weidman.
Squaring off with “The All-American” at UFC 194, the two men engaged in a remarkably close scrap that tested the full range of their skillsets. It was after an ill-advised spinning kick from Weidman, though, that granted Rockhold the opportunity to take him down and bludgeon him.
By the time of the fourth round, the damage had already been done, with the incumbent succumbing to further ground-and-pound from the challenger, earning Rockhold the UFC Middleweight Championship.
On top of the world at this time as the latest in a line of former Strikeforce athletes who had won UFC belts, such as his teammate Cain Velasquez, Rockhold was now one of the best competitors on the planet. For his first title defense, he found himself locking horns with an old foe in a man he had already trounced with significant ease in Michael Bisping.
Following his aforementioned setback to Rockhold, Bisping had undergone something of his own resurgence as a top contender, rattling off three straight victories, with one of those coming against former 185-lb king Anderson Silva. Replacing Weidman on 17 days notice, Bisping wasted no time in sharing his confidence in his chances in dethroning Rockhold, positively burying the champion at the UFC 199 pre-fight press conference with more than a few hilarious quotes.
Come fight night, though, the Englishman was completely all business and relentlessly pursued his opponent in the cage, eventually finding Rockhold’s chin in the first and starching him to become the new middleweight champion.
Unfortunately, Rockhold would never really recover from the loss of his belt. While he did net a stoppage triumph over David Branch more than a year later, the Californian’s durability had seemingly taken a massive blow, losing twice more by knockout to Yoel Romero and Jan Błachowicz in a failed light heavyweight move. He then called it a career after a decision loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 278.
UFC Champions Who Lost in Their First Title Defense: Cain Velasquez
Gaining entry into the UFC after just two fights as a professional, Cain Velasquez enjoyed an utterly flawless rise to the top in the heavyweight class. Attaining four finishes in his first five appearances in the organization, the NCAA Division I wrestler showcased a grueling fast-paced style centered around delivering hard blows while ruthlessly pursuing his opposition into exhaustion. Accepting his perceived toughest test of his career up until that point at UFC 110, Velasquez came to blows with international icon Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Having competed all over the world in some of the most vaunted companies like Rings and Pride, Nogueira had faced a murderer’s row of stalwart adversaries, including fellow legends of the sport like Dan Henderson, Mark Coleman and Fedor Emelianenko. At the time of his match with Velasquez, the Brazilian phenom had already compiled a lengthy record of 32–5–1 with one no-contest while coming off of a highlight reel triumph over Randy Couture.
Despite the staggering difference in skill and experience, Velasquez cemented his status as the clear No. 1 heavyweight contender by stopping “Minotauro” in just over two minutes, handing him only the second knockout loss of his professional tenure.
Amassing a red-hot trail of success within the top 15, Velasquez was ready to contend for his first UFC championship in a blockbuster showdown with former WWE sensation Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. Partaking in an equally-meteoric rise in the promotion, Lesnar had achieved the heavyweight throne with a splendid performance over Randy Couture, starching him in the second round. He then would defend his title two times versus Frank Mir, the only man to beat him in the UFC at the time, and Shane Carwin.
Solidifying his position as the future of the weight class in just four minutes, Velasquez throttled Lesnar right when the fight started, landing a multitude of ferocious punches that rag-dolled the champion at one point. Treating the California crowd to the showing of a lifetime, the challenger bloodied the hulking Lesnar, folding him to the canvas with a massive knockout, earning Velasquez the UFC 265-lb title.
Taking more than a year off due to needing to recover from injuries sustained in the Lesnar contest, Velasquez made his much-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC on Fox 1. With a seemingly endless gas tank and decorated wrestling background, many believed that the American Kickboxing standout would remain at the head of the pack for quite some time. Which is why it came as an absolute shock when his opponent, Junior dos Santos, knocked him out in just a minute, sending the combat sports world into a frenzy.
Undefeated in over five years at the time of his meeting with Velasquez, dos Santos had carved out a reputation in the UFC as a bonafide human wrecking ball. Making his way to the championship, the Brazilian had conquered the other top contenders in the heavyweight division such as Fabrício Werdum, Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop and Shane Carwin. Although seen as a worthy challenger to Velasquez, few could have believed that dos Santos would flip the world on its head by dethroning one of the greatest fighters on the planet with apparent ease.
Scoring a knockout victory over Antônio Silva in his next bout, Velasquez was billed for an anticipated rematch with dos Santos, with the pair coming to blows at UFC 166.
In comparison to their first confirmation, the American thoroughly dominated his usurper, whittling away dos Santos’s body and spirit. Not having an answer for his rejuvenated adversary, the champion eventually lost a one-sided unanimous decision defeat, dropping the crown to Velasquez, who proceeded to defend the strap two times, one of which was against dos Santos in a trilogy fight.
UFC champions Who Lost in Their First Title Defense: Jack Della Maddalena
Coming up on the competitive Australian regional circuit, Jack Della Maddalena had risen to become the best welterweight prospect his country had ever seen in quite some time. Capturing the venerable Eternal MMA title and defending it four times, he would receive his invitation to vie for a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in late 2021, besting Ange Loosa by decision.
Taking his first steps in the Octagon at UFC 270, Della Maddalena immediately put himself on the map with a blistering first round stoppage over Pete Rodriguez. What followed afterwards was nothing short of a stellar ascension, with the Aussie skyrocketing into the 170-lb upper echelon with another five straight victories. A third round finish over one-time championship challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 299 propelled him into a main event collision with then undisputed king Belal Muhammad.
Suffering his then last setback in the organization back in 2019, Muhammad had put together an extensive nine-fight winning streak prior to fighting for the welterweight belt at UFC 304. Butting heads with old foe Leon Edwards, who was also in the midst of a long stay in the winner’s circle, the Chicago native dominated the streaking European, taking the belt off of his rival in a blowout showing.
Locking horns with “Remember the Name” at UFC 315 in Canada, Della Maddalena proved to be the busier striker, outlanding Muhammad in every single instance of their 25 minute contest. The champion wasn’t completely outdone, however, as the American garnered over 15 minutes of control time, finding more success with his wrestling in the championship rounds. Utilizing his own grappling prowess, Della Maddalena, who is a BJJ black belt under Ben Vickers, always managed to get back to his feet before long, taxing the cardio of Muhammad. Bloodied and battered by the end of the tilt, it was the Aussie that walked out of the Great White North as the new UFC welterweight apex.
Before the sweat could fully dry from his beaten brow, Della Maddalena’s first title defense was all but set in stone, with him accepting a late-year superfight against then lightweight gold standard Islam Makhachev. Snagging the belt in 2022 by choking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 280, Makhachev looked nothing short of legendary over the course of his reign at 155-lb, notching four straight title defenses. Two of those retentions came in a pair of high-profile meetings with Della Maddalena’s friend and countryman Alexander Volkanovski. Vacating his throne in early 2025, the Russian was bent on adding his name among UFC champions to hold belts in multiple divisions.
Enlisting the add the Volkanovski and BJJ star Craig Jones for his first outing as the 170-lb ruler, Della Maddalena appeared entirely confident in his skills in taking on the soaring European at UFC 322. However, despite all his preparations, the incumbent found himself on the wrong end of an unbelievable beating at the hands of Makhachev, who took down his foe at will while banking almost 19 minutes of control time.
In what could be considered one of the most uncompetitive title fights in welterweight history, the challenger easily buzz-sawed his way to a unanimous decision win, becoming the 11th fighter to score two belts in two weight classes
UFC Champions Who Lost in Their First Title Defense: Jéssica Andrade
Despite being only 5’2, Jéssica Andrade is counted among the top female mixed martial artists of all time. For much of her storied career, the hard-hitting Brazilian has fought across multiple divisions, ranging from strawweight, flyweight and bantamweight. It was her stint at 115-lb, though, that brought her to the forefront of women’s combat sports for a small amount of time.
Coming up short in her promotional debut at UFC on Fox 8 to future Bellator and PFL champion Liz Carmouche, would embark on a magnificent rise in notoriety over the next five years. Going 10-3 her next 13 bouts, Andrade trounced a who’s who of noteworthy fighters like Raquel Pennington, Larissa Pacheco, Cláudia Gadelha. She even challenged for the strawweight championship against divisional titan Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 211 but was massively outclassed by the dominant Pole.
It wasn’t until after Jędrzejczyk had finally been felled, along with amassing a three-fight win streak that Andrade earned another opportunity to contend for the throne, this time colliding with Midwest phenom Rose Namajunas. Rising to fame as a contestant on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter, Namajunas famously ended the long reign of the once-thought-to-be invincible Jędrzejczyk, who had etched five straight title defenses. She then bested the European in a rematch to stamp her mark on mixed martial arts history.
For as long as it lasted, the two women fought a very close and entertaining scrap, with Namajunas possessing the clear speed advantage. Attempting to lock in a submission on her adversary, the champion was helpless to defend as Andrade picked her up and mercilessly slammed her, knocking Namajunas out cold in the second round to have the 155-lb belt wrapped firmly around her waist.
Three months following her dispatching of Namajunas, Andrade was scheduled to defend her strap for the very first time in Shenzhen, China against hot striking specialist Zhang Weili at UFC on ESPN+ 15. Losing her professional debut, Weili had undertaken possibly the best winning streak in all of women’s mixed martial arts ever, remaining undefeated in her next 19 trips to the cage. After just over a year of arriving in the organization, “Magnum” took aim at the highest seat in the strawweight class in her first UFC main event.
In what could only be described as a truly exciting slugfest, Weili bludgeoned the champion, out-striking Andrade 29 significant strikes to the Brazilian’s meager four. Taking all of 42 seconds, she capped off a stupendous 2019 by stopping the champion with a highlight reel knockout to become the first Chinese UFC champion ever.
UFC Champions Who Lost in Their First Title Defense: Georges St-Pierre
Viewed by some as the greatest fighter of all time, Georges St-Pierre legacy in the sport of MMA stands as one of the most decorated among UFC champions, acquiring nine championship defenses during his second reign as UFC welterweight king while also capturing the middleweight strap in his retirement bout. It was during his first stint as champion, however, that he suffered quite possibly the most shocking upset loss in the company’s history.
Impressing in spades in his organizational debut with a win over stern 170-lb name Karo Parisyan, St-Pierre went on to vie for his first UFC championship in just his third match in the promotion, facing off with the then pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, Matt Hughes. Over the last three years, Hughes had gone an amazing 14-1 in his past 15 scraps, with his only setback coming at the hands of B.J. Penn. He had also defended the welterweight strap a total of five times before dropping it to Penn.
Fighting for the vacant throne at UFC 50, St-Pierre appeared visibly lost against the veteran skills of Hughes, who had well over 40 professional contests under his belt at the time of their encounter. With just a single second left in the first round, the Canadian lost for the first time in his young career, tapping out to the American’s tight armbar.
Eventually, St-Pierre would make his way back to Hughes for a much-anticipated rematch at UFC 65 after winning his last five tilts in a row, including a win over the aforementioned Penn. Now a much more seasoned competitor, “Rush” finished the Illinois native in the second round to cement his place at the head of the pack at welterweight.
Taking to the Octagon five months later for his first title defense at UFC 69, St-Pierre locked horns with recent Ultimate Fighter winner Matt Serra. At the time of his fight with St-Pierre, Serra had largely been known as a journeyman athlete in the UFC, racking up a middling 5-4 company record, with his most notable victory being against Yves Edwards.
Participating in the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter, with the champion of the tournament receiving an immediate title shot, the New Yorker looked more like an undersized boar being thrown to a very hungry young lion.
Not letting St-Pierre dictate the pace, Serra swiftly pursued his opposition, remarkably landing a huge punch on the Canadian’s head, wobbling him instantly. Put into survival mode, St-Pierre was helpless as “The Terror” lived up to his nickname by smothering the champion with punishing ground-and-pound that forced the referee to call off the fight in the first round. In a flash of leather and adrenaline, Serra had recorded what still stands in the modern era of the UFC as one of the most, if not the most, prolific combat sports upsets of all time.
Sadly, his time in the limelight among the UFC champions was to be short-lived, as St-Pierre, who had returned better than ever after stopping Hughes for the interim championship, thus ending their rivalry, beat the brakes off of Serra in their runback at UFC 83. Driving his foe to the canvas with his wrestling, “Rush” pulverized his usurper’s body with sickening knees, ending the fight in the second round to reclaim his crown, beginning a long and prosperous second reign as the welterweight gold standard.
