The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company in the world. The UFC stages bouts in eight men’s divisions and four women’s divisions, each with its own weight class specifications. This article will provide an overview of each division’s weight limits and title lineage.
Men’s Divisions
There are eight men’s weight classes in the UFC, ranging from strawweight to heavyweight. The lighter divisions showcase fighters with speed and technique, while heavier classes feature competitors with power and strength.
Flyweight
The flyweight division is the lightest men’s weight class in the UFC. To compete at flyweight, fighters must weigh no more than 125 pounds.
The inaugural UFC flyweight champion was Demetrious Johnson, who won the belt in 2012 and defended it a record 11 times before losing to Henry Cejudo in 2018. Cejudo defended the title twice before relinquishing it in 2020. The current flyweight champion is Brandon Moreno.
Bantamweight
At 135 pounds, bantamweight sits between flyweight and featherweight. UFC bantamweights possess the best attributes of lighter and heavier fighters – both speed and power.
Dominick Cruz and TJ Dillashaw dominated the early days of the division. The current bantamweight king is Aljamain Sterling, who won the title in 2021. Other top contenders include Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen.
Featherweight
145 pounds is the cutoff for the featherweight division. Jose Aldo was the longest reigning featherweight champion, defending the belt seven times between 2011-2015. Conor McGregor famously knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds to capture the title in 2015.
The current featherweight king is Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski. Max Holloway and Brian Ortega are other notable 145-pound contenders.
Lightweight
At 155 pounds, the lightweight division showcases a blend of speed, power, and well-rounded skills. This weight class has delivered some of the most memorable bouts in UFC history.
Khabib Nurmagomedov dominated the division until his retirement in 2020 with an undefeated 29-0 record. Charles Oliveira claimed the vacant belt in 2021 but was stripped of it for missing weight in 2022. Islam Makhachev won the title later that year and remains champion.
Welterweight
The 170-pound welterweight division is considered by many to be the most competitive weight class in the UFC. It features explosive athletes who can both grapple and strike effectively.
Georges St-Pierre is the longest reigning welterweight champ, having defended the title nine times between 2006-2013. Kamaru Usman was welterweight king until Leon Edwards knocked him out in 2022 to claim the belt.
Middleweight
Middleweight competitors must make the 186-pound limit. The division has been ruled by two men – Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya. Silva’s 16-fight win streak and title defenses are records that still stand today.
After Silva’s reign ended, Adesanya claimed the throne in 2019 and has since defended it six times against elite challengers. Some credit Adesanya with bringing excitement back to the middleweight division.
Light Heavyweight
At 205 pounds, light heavyweights represent the power and size of heavier divisions while maintaining athleticism and speed.
Jon Jones dominated the division for most of the 2010s. Jones vacated the title in 2020 and Jan Blachowicz became champion before losing the belt to Glover Teixeira in 2022. Teixeira remains the light heavyweight king at 42 years old.
Heavyweight
The heavyweight class has no upper weight limit, resulting in massive combatants weighing over 250 pounds of pure muscle and power.
Stipe Miocic holds the record for most heavyweight title defenses at three. Francis Ngannou captured the belt in 2021 with vicious knockout power before losing to Ciryl Gane in 2022. Gane is the current champion.
Women’s Divisions
Women started competing under the UFC banner in 2013. There are currently four women’s weight classes ranging from strawweight to featherweight.
| Division | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| Strawweight | 115 lbs |
| Flyweight | 125 lbs |
| Bantamweight | 135 lbs |
| Featherweight | 145 lbs |
Strawweight
At 115 pounds, strawweight is the lightest women’s division. The weight class features excellent grapplers and submission specialists.
The first strawweight champion was Carla Esparza in 2014. She lost the belt a few months later to Joanna Jędrzejczyk, who defended it five times. Current strawweight queen is Zhang Weili from China.
Flyweight
The women’s 125-pound flyweight division was added later than other classes, with Nicco Montaño crowned as the inaugural champ in 2018.
Valentina Shevchenko claimed the vacant flyweight title later that year and has defended it nine times since. No other flyweight has come close to dethroning her.
Bantamweight
135-pound female bantamweights exhibit speed, athleticism, and well-rounded abilities.
Ronda Rousey put women’s MMA on the map with her dominant bantamweight run from 2012-2015. Amanda Nunes later captured the belt and has defended it six times. She is considered the greatest woman fighter ever.
Featherweight
The 145-pound female featherweight class was created for former bantamweight champion Cris Cyborg, who won the inaugural title in 2017.
Amanda Nunes challenged Cyborg for the belt in 2018 and knocked her out in just 51 seconds. No other featherweight champion has been crowned since Cyborg’s loss.
In summary, the UFC’s weight class system categorizes fighters to ensure even, competitive matchups. Each division has evolved over time with new champions crowned and legends created. As the UFC continues expanding, even more exciting eras will emerge across every weight class.
