UFC welterweight title history: Leon Edwards, Georges St-Pierre, Hughes, Penn and more
July 24, 2024 10:30 am ET
The 170-pound title will be on the line Saturday in the UFC 304 main event, and champion Leon Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) will chase his third title defense when he takes on challenger Belal Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in a rematch.
The welterweight division in the UFC has had some lengthy title reigns, and Edwards has some work to do to catch up to the likes of longtime titleholders Georges St-Pierre, Kamaru Usman, Matt Hughes and others. Take a look at a chronological history of the UFC welterweight belt.
Pat Miletich
Pat Milebich
Date: Oct. 16, 1998
Event: UFC Brazil
Opponent: Mikey Burnett
Total reign: 931 days
Title defenses: Jorge Patino, Andre Pederneiras, John Alessio, Kenichi Yamamoto
Notes: In the history books as the inaugural UFC welterweight champion.
Carlos Newton
LONDON – JULY 13: Carlos Newton of Canada battles with Matt Hughes of the USA during the Ultimate Fighting Championship, “Brawl in the Royal Albert Hall”, in the Royal Albert Hall London, England on July 13, 2002. (Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)
Date: May 4, 2001
Event: UFC 31
Opponent: Pat Miletich
Total reign: 183 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: Newton submitted Miletich to win the title. When he lost it to Hughes, it was in one of the most memorable finishes in UFC history when Hughes slammed him – but they both may have been unconscious for a brief moment.
Matt Hughes
Dec 5, 2014; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Former UFC champion Matt Hughes looks on prior to the UFC 181 weigh-ins at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Nov. 2, 2001
Event: UFC 34
Opponent: Carlos Newton
Total reign: 820 days
Title defenses: Hayato Sakurai, Carlos Newton, Gil Castillo, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg
Notes: Hughes was easily the division’s most dominant champion for years until Georges St-Pierre came into the picture.
B.J. Penn
B.J. Penn
Date: Jan. 31, 2004
Event: UFC 46
Opponent: Matt Hughes
Total reign: 107 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: Penn’s title reign was the shortest in UFC welterweight history. He was stripped of the belt when he left the promotion for K-1, where he had three largely inconsequential wins north of 185 pounds before he returned to the UFC.
Matt Hughes
LONDON – JULY 13: Matt Hughes of the USA and current Welterweight Champion celebrates his win over Carlos Newton of Canada during the Ultimate Fighting Championship, “Brawl in the Royal Albert Hall”, in the Royal Albert Hall London, England on July 13, 2002. (Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)
Date: Oct. 22, 2004
Event: UFC 50
Opponent: Georges St-Pierre
Total reign: 757 days
Title defenses: Frank Trigg, B.J. Penn
Notes: Hughes started his second reign as champion with a win over St-Pierre for the title left vacant when Penn was stripped when he left for K-1.
Georges St-Pierre
Jan. 31, 2009; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre celebrates with the champions belt after defeating B.J. Penn (not pictured) during the welterweight championship in UFC 94 at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. St-Pierre defeated Penn with a fourth round TKO. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Nov. 18, 2006
Event: UFC 65
Opponent: Matt Hughes
Total reign: 140 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: St-Pierre avenged a loss to Hughes from two years prior and took the title from him. He had the shortest title reign in UFC welterweight history that didn’t stem from a belt being stripped, but made up for it in his second reign.
Matt Serra
Matt Serra, UFC 69
Date: Dec. 29, 2007
Event: UFC 69
Opponent: Georges St-Pierre
Total reign: 378 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: Serra’s knockout upset of St-Pierre came on the heels of his Season 4 “Ultimate Fighter” win, the gimmick of which was that he got a title shot. It remains one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre, UFC 83
Date: April 19, 2008
Event: UFC 83
Opponent: Matt Serra
Total reign: 2,064 days
Title defenses: Jon Fitch, B.J. Penn, Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz, Johny Hendricks
Notes: Statistically the greatest welterweight fighter in history, GSP also is at the top of many lists of best fighter of all time. He also won the UFC’s middleweight title in one fight out of retirement, but vacated it soon after. St-Pierre’s second reign was the longest in welterweight history. Prior to his win over Serra in their rematch, St-Pierre won an interim title at UFC 79 against Matt Hughes.
Carlos Condit (interim)
February 4, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter Carlos Condit celebrates after he wins the fight against Nick Diaz during UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Carlos Codit defeated Nick Diaz. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Feb. 4, 2012
Event: UFC 143
Opponent: Nick Diaz
Total reign: N/A
Title defenses: None
Notes: Condit beat Diaz by unanimous decision in Las Vegas to win an interim title while Georges St-Pierre was sidelined, but lost a decision to him in the title unifcation bout later in the year.
Johny Hendricks
Johny Hendricks, UFC 171
Date: March 15, 2014
Event: UFC 171
Opponent: Robbie Lawler
Total reign: 266 days
Title defenses: None
Notes: Hendricks beat Lawler to win a title vacated by Georges St-Pierre’s retirement.
Robbie Lawler
Robbie Lawler at UFC 181.
Date: Dec. 6, 2014
Event: UFC 181
Opponent: Johny Hendricks
Total reign: 602 days
Title defenses: Rory MacDonald, Carlos Condit
Notes: Lawler and Hendricks first fought for the belt Georges St-Pierre vacated, and Hendricks came out on top. But in the rematch, Lawler won the title in a barnburner.
Tyron Woodley
Sep 8, 2018; Dallas, TX, USA; Tyron Woodley (red gloves) receives his championship belt after the fight against Darren Till (not pictured) during UFC 228 at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Date: July 30, 2016
Event: UFC 201
Opponent: Robbie Lawler
Total reign: 945 days
Title defenses: Stephen Thompson (twice – draw and decision), Demian Maia, Darren Till
Notes: Woodley is the only welterweight in UFC history to retain his title with a draw.
Colby Covington (interim)
Jun 9, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; Colby Covington (blue gloves) defeats Rafael Dos Anjos (red gloves) during UFC 225 at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Date: June 9, 2018
Event: UFC 225
Opponent: Rafael dos Anjos
Total reign: N/A
Title defenses: None
Notes: Won an interim belt while champion Tyron Woodley was sidelined, but was stripped of that interim title three months later with his own injury. He’s had three title shots since then and lost all three.
Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman, UFC 235
Date: March 2, 2019
Event: UFC 235
Opponent: Tyron Woodley
Total reign: 1,267 days
Title defenses: Colby Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal (twice), Gilbert Burns
Notes: Usman’s lengthy title reign is the second longest consecutive span in the division behind Georges St-Pierre.
Leon Edwards
Aug 20, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Kamaru Usman (red gloves) fights Leon Edwards (blue gloves) during UFC 278 at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Aug. 20, 2022
Event: UFC 278
Opponent: Kamaru Usman
Total reign: Incumbent
Title defenses: Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington
Notes: Edwards’ fifth-round head-kick knockout of Usman in a fight he was going to lose easily by decision is one of the most dramatic title moments in history. This will be Edwards’ second title defense in his home country. His rematch win over Usman came in London.
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