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Any fighter who makes it to the top of the UFC and wins a title inside the octagon deserves an immense amount of respect. However, it’s fair to say that some title reigns are more successful than others.
Over the years, we’ve seen a number of fighters become champions in the UFC, only for their title reign to turn out to be a huge disaster.
Often, the reasons for these title reigns going so badly were out of the fighters’ hands, but on other occasions, the issues were fully self-inflicted.
With that in mind, here are the ten worst title reigns in UFC history – ranked.
#10. B.J. Penn – UFC welterweight title (2004)
Few UFC title reigns could be said to have changed the promotion’s business practices entirely, but that was definitely the case with B.J. Penn’s short time as welterweight kingpin in 2004.
‘The Prodigy’ pulled off a huge upset by moving up to 170lbs from 155lbs to dethrone longtime champion Matt Hughes. However, a major problem soon reared its head.
The title win was the last fight on Penn’s contract. With the UFC being in bad financial shape at the time, when he received an offer from rival promotion K-1, ‘The Prodigy’ decided to take it.
Dana White and company were naturally furious, but they were also powerless to stop him from departing. So, just three months later, the title was vacated as the Hawaiian embarked on a wild run outside the octagon that saw him fight in various different weight classes.
Things turned out alright for everyone involved in the end, as Penn returned just under two years later and came up short in his attempt to reclaim the title he never lost back from Hughes. But by that point, the promotion’s power-brokers had taken steps to ensure that the situation never happened again.
Largely because of Penn’s actions, the infamous “champions clause” – which essentially means a reigning titleholder cannot leave the promotion even if their contract is up – was put into place. It remains a bone of contention with fighters to this day.
#9. Conor McGregor – UFC lightweight title (2016-2018)
While Conor McGregor’s lightweight title win in 2016 was historic in that it made him the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously, it’s also fair to say that his reign as champion wasn’t great.
After downing Eddie Alvarez to become a double champion, ‘The Notorious’ had no shortage of possible challengers, from Khabib Nurmagomedov to Tony Ferguson. Rather than face any of them, though, he chose to pursue a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.
The bout made McGregor – and the UFC – a ridiculous amount of money, but it also meant that his time as champion was largely wasted. When he didn’t seem willing to defend his title even post-Mayweather, the promotion was forced to strip him.
The only saving grace of this title reign was that when he did return, in late 2018, he immediately faced Khabib, who had won the title in his stead. Essentially, the bout could’ve been seen as a defense for McGregor, not the Dagestani.
Either way, Nurmagomedov subsequently left no doubt as to who the real lightweight king was, dispatching ‘The Notorious’ in four rounds. Due to his lack of defenses, then, his title reign remains one of the worst in UFC history.
#8. Frank Mir – UFC heavyweight title (2004-2005)
Frank Mir’s reign as undisputed UFC heavyweight champion both started and ended in pretty disappointing fashion, even if he went onto far more success later down the line.
Mir wasn’t technically the top contender for the title, which had been vacated when champion Tim Sylvia tested positive for steroids, in the summer of 2004. However, he still found himself up against Sylvia anyway when the real No.1 contender Andrei Arlovski was injured.
In what was a decent upset at the time, Mir managed to catch ‘The Maine-iac’ in an armbar, snapping the limb and forcing a referee stoppage in the first round to claim the gold.
However, before he could defend his title, he was involved in a horrific motorcycle accident that resulted in him badly breaking his femur. Unsurprisingly, the injury landed Mir on the shelf for a lengthy period, resulting in the promotion creating an interim title, which was won by Arlovski.
When Mir was unable to return to action a year later for a unification bout, though, he was stripped of his title entirely, with Arlovski being named the undisputed champion.
Sure, none of this was Mir’s fault, per say, but the fact that he hadn’t really earned a title shot and didn’t defend his title means that he still belongs on this list of the worst reigns.
#7. Bas Rutten – UFC heavyweight title (1999)
One title reign that started badly and ended in even worse fashion was Bas Rutten’s short run as UFC heavyweight champion in 1999.
These days, ‘El Guapo’ is rightly remembered as a pioneer of early MMA, but it’s safe to say that his time in the octagon wasn’t the best. After joining the promotion, he was put into a tournament for the title vacated by Randy Couture, and knocked out Tsuyoshi Kosaka to earn his spot in the finals.
However, despite largely taking a beating from Kevin Randleman in the bout for the vacant title, the judges somehow decided to award Rutten a decision, making him the new champion in the process. The decision remains one of the most controversial in MMA history to this day.
None of that would’ve mattered had ‘El Guapo’ gone onto an epic reign with the gold. Instead, he almost immediately vacated the title to pursue a run at 205lbs, a run that never actually happened due to a string of bad injuries.
In the end, Randleman won the title vacated by the Dutchman, leaving Rutten’s time as champion as an unfortunate footnote in the promotion’s history. With that considered, it’s hard not to consider his reign as one of the worst.
#6. Conor McGregor – UFC featherweight title (2015-2016)
While Conor McGregor’s time as UFC lightweight champion is usually decried because he didn’t defend his title, in that instance, his pursuit of a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather – for millions of dollars – was almost a fair excuse.
The same cannot be said about his reign as featherweight champion, which saw him hold the title for almost a year despite never even attempting to make a single defense.
‘The Notorious’ famously knocked out Jose Aldo to claim the gold in late 2015. Rather than defend against a contender like Frankie Edgar, he instantly made it known that his goal was to become the promotion’s first double champion.
Had he fought Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title right away, as was initially planned, then his actions would’ve been more palatable.
However, the Irishman instead embarked on a two-fight rivalry with Nate Diaz that took up most of 2016 before he finally defeated Eddie Alvarez for the 155lb title – a period that saw the featherweight division basically in a holding pattern.
Eventually, he simply vacated the title, meaning interim champion Aldo was upgraded to undisputed champion. The fact that McGregor caused a logjam for such a lengthy period means his reign has to be considered highly on this list.
#5. Nicco Montano – UFC flyweight title (2017-2018)
It’s probably safe to say that the UFC women’s flyweight title didn’t get off to the strongest start overall. Introduced via the 26th season of The Ultimate Fighter, the inaugural title bout was supposed to pit Sijara Eubanks against Nicco Montano. When Eubanks missed weight for the fight, Roxanne Modafferi stepped in instead.
Montano duly dispatched her late-notice foe to become the first champion, but few could’ve predicted that she’d suffer the same fate as Eubanks less than a year later.
Injuries kept her on the shelf for almost the entirety of 2018. When she was set to make her first title defense against top contender Valentina Shevchenko, she ended up being hospitalized after botching her weight cut.
Showing no patience, the UFC immediately stripped her of her title, ending her reign as champion immediately.
The fact that she made no defenses, then, and also won her title without defeating the top contender means it’s hard to consider her reign as anything but one of the worst in the promotion’s history. However, unlike some of the others on this list, she did at least intend to defend her crown.
#4. Georges St-Pierre – UFC middleweight title (2017-2018)
Georges St-Pierre’s second reign as UFC welterweight champion is usually remembered as one of the greatest in MMA history. He ran through a total of nine top-class opponents before finally vacating his crown in late 2013.
However, to say his run as middleweight champion was more than a little worse would be a huge understatement.
St-Pierre spent just under four years away from the octagon in a self-imposed semi-retirement after vacating his welterweight crown. When he announced his intention to return, he stunned observers by declaring his interest in the middleweight title.
Despite never having fought at 185lbs before, the UFC allowed GSP to jump the queue for a shot at then-champion Michael Bisping. In a dramatic and exciting fight, the Canadian overcame a bad cut to choke out ‘The Count’ to claim the title.
However, despite promising to defend his crown against top contender Robert Whittaker at some point in 2018, St-Pierre vacated just a month after beating Bisping, citing ulcerative colitis as his reason.
In truth, though, it felt like GSP never had any intention of defending the middleweight title – instead seeing it simply as a tool to further his own legacy. To an extent, that worked, but his reign should still be recognized as one of the worst in UFC history.
#3. Josh Barnett – UFC heavyweight title (2002)
When Josh Barnett defeated longtime UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture in early 2002 to claim his title, it looked like a new era had begun in the octagon.
Barnett was just 24 years old, held an impressive record of 13-1, and looked every inch like the world’s best heavyweight.
However, before he could even think about making any defenses of his title, disaster struck. ‘The War Master’ tested positive for banned substances in his post-fight drug test and was subsequently suspended, forcing the UFC to strip him of his title.
Unlike other champions who tested positive and were stripped, Barnett never returned in an attempt to reclaim his title. Instead, unrepentant, he simply pursued a career in Japan instead and only came back to the octagon in 2013, over a decade later.
The fact that he caused so much damage to his division, then, as well as the fact that he never attempted to right his wrong, means that he definitely belongs high up on this list.
#2. Vitor Belfort – UFC light heavyweight title (2004)
Vitor Belfort is undoubtedly a legend of the UFC, as he fought in the octagon in three separate decades and picked up some huge wins over the likes of Dan Henderson, Michael Bisping and Rich Franklin over the years.
However, when ‘The Phenom’ is talked about as a former UFC champion, it’s easy to forget that his title reign should probably never have happened and ought to be recognized as one of the worst in the promotion’s history.
Belfort challenged old rival Randy Couture for the light heavyweight title in January 2004. Just moments into the bout, referee John McCarthy was forced to stop the action when a freak occurrence happened.
Essentially, a missed punch from the Brazilian saw the stitching on his glove catch Couture’s eyelid, practically ripping it off. There was no way that ‘The Natural’ could continue. Rather than declare the fight a no contest, the bout was declared a TKO win for Belfort, making him the new champion.
It’s arguable that no UFC title reign began in such an anticlimactic way. The fact that ‘The Phenom’ was crushed by Couture in a rematch just a few months later made the whole thing even worse.
Essentially, Belfort was – through no fault of his own – an undeserving champion whose short reign came as the result of a technicality, making him an absolute must for this list.
#1. Germaine de Randamie – UFC featherweight title (2017)
The “honor” of the worst title reign in UFC history still has to go to the promotion’s inaugural women’s featherweight champion, Germaine de Randamie. ‘The Iron Lady’ not only won her title in controversial circumstances, she also lost it in a similar manner, too.
Firstly, it’s probably fair to say that de Randamie wasn’t actually the top contender for the title when it was conceived by UFC management in late 2016. In fact, nobody was really the top contender for a title that was basically designed for Cris Cyborg.
However, when Cyborg indicated that she wouldn’t be ready for an inaugural title bout in February 2017, the promotion pushed ahead, and simply picked two of its larger bantamweights – de Randamie and Holly Holm – to fight for the gold instead.
The bout turned out to be one of the worst title fights in UFC history. Despite de Randamie being guilty of multiple fouls throughout and clearly getting the worst of most of the exchanges, she was somehow awarded a unanimous decision win.
That wouldn’t have been so bad had ‘The Iron Lady’ simply fought Cyborg directly after. Instead, though, she outright refused thanks to the Brazilian’s checkered history with PEDs, forcing the promotion to strip her of the title.
Given that she won the title in controversial circumstances, wasn’t the top contender to begin with, and then refused to defend it against a worthy opponent, it’s definitely fair to say that Germaine de Randamie’s time as featherweight champion should go down as the UFC’s very worst title reign.
