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5 of the UFC’s 11 Current Champions Won Gold Without Dethroning the Previous Titleholder

A growing trend in the UFC has seen five of the organization’s 11 current champions claim their titles without defeating the previous holder, raising questions about the legitimacy of the belt’s lineage. Among them is Alexander Volkanovski, who reclaimed the featherweight championship at UFC 314 by defeating Diego Lopes in a vacant-title bout after Ilia Topuria vacated the belt to move up to lightweight.

Volkanovski, a former two-time champion, has since dominated the division with 25 wins in his last 28 fights and two successful title defenses against Lopes. Meanwhile, Natalia Silva secured the women’s flyweight title at UFC 332 by beating Wang Cong in a unanimous decision, following a vacancy left by the prior champion’s departure.

The shift away from direct title defenses has sparked debate among fans and analysts about the perceived value of UFC championships, particularly in divisions like heavyweight, where the last champion to dethrone the reigning titleholder was Francis Ngannou in 2021.

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