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UFC light heavyweight title history: Alex Pereira, Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, and lots of vacancies
By Matt Erickson,
11 hours ago
The light heavyweight title was on the line June 29 in the UFC 303 main event, and dominant champion Alex Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) put away challenger and former champ Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) with a vicious second-round knockout.
Pereira has had the fastest rise to mega-success in UFC history. He won the middleweight title in just his fourth fight in the UFC, then moved to 205 pounds and won the title there. Now he’s talking about a move to heavyweight for an unprecedented third UFC title.
Take a look at a chronological history of the UFC light heavyweight belt.
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Date: Dec. 21, 1997
Event: UFC Japan
Opponent: Kevin Jackson
Total reign: 703 days
Title defenses: Igor Zinoviev (UFC 16), Jeremy Horn (UFC 17), John Lober (UFC Brazil), Tito Ortiz (UFC 22)
Notes: Fight light heavyweight champion in UFC history. Vacated when he retired in November 1999.
Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz
Date: April 14, 2000
Event: UFC 25
Opponent: Wanderlei Silva
Total reign: 1,260 days
Title defenses: Yuki Kondo (UFC 29), Evan Tanner (UFC 30), Elvis Sinosic (UFC 32), Vladimir Matyushenko (UFC 33), Ken Shamrock (UFC 40)
Randy Couture (interim)
Randy Couture
Date: June 6, 2003
Event: UFC 43
Opponent: Chuck Liddell
Notes: Couture beat Liddell for an interim belt while Ortiz was out. It was the first of three legendary fights between the two.
Randy Couture
Randy Couture
Date: Sept. 26, 2003
Event: UFC 44
Opponent: Tito Ortiz
Total reign: 127 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: Couture, then a former heavyweight champion, became the first fighter to win UFC titles in two divisions.
Vitor Belfort
Vitor Belfort
Date: Jan. 31, 2004
Event: UFC 46
Opponent: Randy Couture
Total reign: 203 days
Title defenses: None
Randy Couture
Randy Couture
Date: Aug. 21, 2004
Event: UFC 49
Opponent: Vitor Belfort
Total reign: 238 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: Couture became a two-time 205-pound champion with a win in a rematch.
Chuck Liddell
May 7, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Former UFC fighter Chuck Liddell in attendance during UFC 274 at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Date: April 16, 2005
Event: UFC 52
Opponent: Randy Couture
Total reign: 770 days
Title defenses: Jeremy Horn (UFC 54), Randy Couture (UFC 57), Renato Sobral (UFC 62), Tito Ortiz (UFC 66)
Notes: Liddell won the title in his second fight in the famed trilogy with Couture, then beat him a third time to close out the rivalry.
Quinton Jackson
Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 92
Date: May 26, 2007
Event: UFC 71
Opponent: Chuck Liddell
Total reign: 406 days
Title defenses: Dan Henderson (UFC 75)
Notes: The “Rampage” win over Liddell was a rematch of their 2003 PRIDE title fight. When he beat Henderson, it effectively unified the PRIDE and UFC light heavyweight titles.
Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin
Date: July 5, 2008
Event: UFC 86
Opponent: Quinton Jackson
Total reign: 175 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: Griffin won a UFC title a little more than three years after he was the “TUF 1” winner at light heavyweight.
Rashad Evans
Rashad Evans
Date: Dec. 27, 2008
Event: UFC 92
Opponent: Forrest Griffin
Total reign: 147 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: Like Griffin, Evans was an “Ultimate Fighter” winner.”
Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Machida
Date: May 23, 2009
Event: UFC 98
Opponent: Rashad Evans
Total reign: 350 days
Title defenses: Mauricio Rua (UFC 104)
Notes: Machida was unbeaten heading into the title fight at 14-0.
Mauricio Rua
Mar 11, 2017; Fortazela, Brazil, USA; Mauricio Rua (red gloves) defeats Gian Villante (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Centro de Formacao Olimpica de Fortaleza. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports
Date: May 8, 2010
Event: UFC 113
Opponent: Lyoto Machida
Total reign: 315 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: “Shogun” Rua needed a second shot at it, but knocked out his fellow Brazilian in their rematch to win the title.
Jon Jones
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 04: Jon Jones looks on during the UFC heavyweight championship fight against Ciryl Gane of France during the UFC 285 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Date: March 19, 2011
Event: UFC 128
Opponent: Mauricio Rua
Total reign: 1,501 days
Title defenses: Quinton Jackson (UFC 135), Lyoto Machida (UFC 140), Rashad Evans (UFC 145), Vitor Belfort (UFC 152), Chael Sonnen (UFC 159), Alexander Gustafsson (UFC 165), Glover Teixeira (UFC 172), Daniel Cormier (UFC 182)
Notes: Stripped of the title for the first time in April 2015 after a hit-and-run accident.
Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier
Date: May 23, 2015
Event: UFC 187
Opponent: Anthony Johnson
Total reign: 1,315 days
Title defenses: Alexander Gustafsson (UFC 192), Anthony Johnson (UFC 210), Volkan Oezdemir (UFC 220)
Notes: Cormier won the vacant title after Jones was stripped of it.
Jon Jones (interim)
Apr 23, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Jon Jones (red gloves) reacts after defeating Ovince Saint Preux (blue gloves) during UFC 197 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports
Date: April 23, 2016
Event: UFC 197
Opponent: Ovince Saint Preux
Notes: Jones won an interim title, then failed a drug test and was suspended and stripped of the interim belt. He then beat Cormier at UFC 214 to unify the titles and was stripped when he failed another drug test. Cormier was reinstated as champion, then vacated the belt when he won the heavyweight title.
Jon Jones
Dec 29, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Jon Jones (red gloves) exits the octogon after his victory over Alexander Gustafsson (not pictured) during UFC 232 at The Forum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Dec. 29, 1018
Event: UFC 232
Opponent: Alexander Gustafsson
Total reign: 2,098 days
Title defenses: Anthony Smith (UFC 235), Thiago Santos (UFC 239), Dominick Reyes (UFC 247)
Notes: Jones started his second reign as champion, then vacated in August 2020 during a UFC contract dispute.
Jan Blachowicz
Jan Blachowicz vs. Dominick Reyes, UFC 253
Date: Sept. 27, 2020
Event: UFC 253
Opponent: Dominick Reyes
Total reign: 398 days
Title defenses: Israel Adesanya (UFC 259)
Notes: Blachowicz’s win over Reyes was for the vacant belt after Jon Jones announced his intention to move to heavyweight. His lone title defense came against middleweight Adesanya, who moved up in an attempt to win a second title.
Glover Teixeira
Glover Teixeira
Date: Oct. 30, 2021
Event: UFC 267
Opponent: Jan Blachowicz
Total reign: 225
Title defenses: None
Notes: At 42, Teixeira became the oldest first-time champion in UFC history with the win.
Jiri Prochazka
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – JUNE 12: Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic celebrates with the light heavyweight title belt after submitting Glover Teixeira of Brazil in the fifth round during UFC 275 at Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 12, 2022 in Singapore. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
Date: June 12, 2022
Event: UFC 275
Opponent: Glover Teixeira
Total reign: 164 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: Prochazka vacated the title in November 2022 after he suffered a shoulder injury that he expected would keep him out for a year. After he vacated the title, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought at UFC 282 for the vacant belt, but their bout was a draw.
Jamahal Hill
Jan 21, 2023; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Jamahal Hill (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Glover Teixeira (red gloves) during UFC 283 at Jeunesse Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Jan. 21, 2023
Event: UFC 283
Opponent: Glover Teixeira
Total reign: 174 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev first fought at UFC 282 for the vacant belt, but their bout was a draw. Hill and Teixeira were next to get a crack at it. But Hill vacated the title in July 2023 after he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon playing a pickup basketball game with fighters in Las Vegas.
Alex Pereira
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 11: Alex Pereira of Brazil walks to the octagon to face Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Date: Nov. 11, 2023
Event: UFC 295
Opponent: Jiri Prochazka
Total reign: Incumbent
Title defenses: Jamahal Hill (UFC 300), Jiri Prochazka (UFC 303)
Notes: Pereira won a title in a second division quicker than anyone in UFC history.
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