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Even though Bellator MMA haven’t been around as long as the UFC, they still have had many dominant champions. Since Scott Coker took over as the promotion’s President, they have gained a larger following. He has a proven track record as he was previously in charge of Strikeforce and put on many entertaining events.
The promotion has grown significantly since their early years and is now being broadcast on Showtime. During their earlier years, the promotion would have tournaments for their weight divisions, with the season culminating in a title fight.
Despite fighters like Hector Lombard, Ben Askren and Michael Chandler having lengthy reigns, there have been much longer reigns in recent years. The quality in each weight class has significantly improved, so there’s an opportunity to become bigger stars in the sport. This list will look at the 5 longest title reigns in Bellator history.
#5. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane – Bellator women’s flyweight champion
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane had a historic reign as Bellator women’s flyweight champion. She submitted Emily Ducote with a triangle armbar to become the promotion’s inaugural women’s flyweight champion. Her reign lasted from November 3, 2017 until December 10, 2020 for a total of 1133 days.
During her reign as champion, ‘The Iliminator’ made 4 successful title defenses. Not only did she defeat some of the promotion’s top flyweights, but she also defeated UFC opponents with UFC experience. It was a significant title reign as she headlined the promotion’s first event in her native Hawaii. This was important because she proved that she is capable of being a star for the promotion.
‘The Ilimanator’s reign came to an end in 2020, when she lost a close decision to Juliana Velasquez. Even though she hasn’t competed since the loss, there’s no doubt that she’s still one of the promotion’s top flyweights.
#4. Ryan Bader – Bellator light heavyweight champion
Ryan Bader is one of the most accomplished fighters in Bellator history. He debuted on the promotion’s first event at Madison Square Garden, where he captured the light heavyweight championship. He defeated then-champion Phil Davis and went on to hold the title for 1155 days.
‘Darth’ only had one successful title defense during that time, but his reign was still significant. After retaining his title against Linton Vassell, he entered the heavyweight Grand Prix. He ended up winning all his heavyweight bouts while still holding the light heavyweight championship.
Bader made history by winning the heavyweight Grand Prix as he was a two-division champion and held both simultaneously. His light heavyweight championship reign came to an end on August 21, 2020, when he lost to Vadim Nemkov. He attempted to regain the title by entering the light heavyweight Grand Prix last year. But, he was defeated by Corey Anderson in the semifinals.
#3. Ryan Bader – Bellator heavyweight champion (current)
Despite competing at light heavyweight for the majority of his career, Bader has been more successful defending his Bellator heavyweight championship. He won the heavyweight championship after knocking out Fedor Emelianenko in the Grand Prix finals. He is currently the reigning champion and has held the title for 1160 days and counting.
By the time he fights again, ‘Darth’ will have held the heavyweight championship longer than the light heavyweight championship. He has retained his title on two occasions while also moving down to defend his light heavyweight championship.
Bader made his first title defense against UFC veteran Cheick Kongo in 2019. The conclusion of the bout was very controversial. Kongo had been unable to continue following an accidental eye-poke, which resulted in the bout being ruled a no contest.
‘Darth most recently retained his title against interim-champion Valentin Moldavski in a hard-fought unanimous decision. The champion is once again scheduled to defend his title against Kongo, when the promotion returns to Paris in May.
#2 Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire – Bellator featherweight champion
Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire has earned a reputation for being the greatest fighter in Bellator history. His second reign as featherweight champion helped strengthen that argument. He submitted longtime rival Daniel Straus on April 21, 2017, to become the champion for the second time. The title reign lasted until July 31, 2021, when A.J. McKee submitted him in the finals for the featherweight Grand Prix.
Despite not having the longest title reign, Freire has the most title defenses in the promotion’s history. He looked better with each title defense and began separating himself from the rest of the division with his performances. He retained his title against Daniel Weichel, Emmanuel Sanchez twice, former bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta, and Pedro Carvalho.
‘Pitbull’ also made history in 2019, when he knocked out Michael Chandler to become the new lightweight champion. This was a massive superfight for the promotion as the winner would determine who the promotion’s greatest fighter was.
#1. Julia Budd – Bellator women’s featherweight champion
Julia Budd’s reign as women’s featherweight champion is still the longest title reign in Bellator history. She was their first women's featherweight champion and held the title for a total of 1808 days.
‘The Jewel’ became the inaugural champion after defeating Marloes Coenen by fourth-round TKO. She had three successful title defenses during her title reign against solid competition. Although the division’s quality wasn’t at the level it is now, she did do very well and elevated herself.
Budd made her first title defense by defeating current top-ranked featherweight Arlene Blencowe by split-decision. She then followed that up with back-to-back TKO wins over Talita Nogueira and Olga Rubin.
“The Jewel’s reign came to an end when former UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg defeated her in her promotional debut. Budd has since gotten back in the win column and is currently on a three-fight winning streak. She is currently competing in the PFL, where she is hoping to capture the women’s lightweight championship.
