5 potential long-reigning champions in the UFC

There have only been a handful of long-reigning champions in UFC history. Fighters who have repeatedly defended their title for a long period of time tend to be remembered as legends of the sport, considering how challenging their accomplishment really is.

Georges St-Pierre, one of the longest reigning champions in UFC history, famously once said:

“It's hard to be champion, it's harder to stay champion because you are the target and everybody looks at you and they want to have what you have.”

St-Pierre defended his UFC welterweight title nine times between 2008 and 2013 before vacating the belt. Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva and Jon Jones have also solidified their status as some of the greatest fighters to grace the octagon owing to their numerous title defenses.

In the modern era, Kamaru Usman, Israel Adesanya, Valentina Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes have been building their legacies with their dominant championship runs.

That said, we thought we’d look at five potentially long-reigning UFC champions. Honorable mentions include Askar Askarov, Magomed Ankalaev, Jiri Prochazka, Brandon Moreno and Alexander Volkanovski.

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#5. Rose Namajunas - UFC strawweight champion

Rose Namajunas has emerged as one of the most likable fighters on the UFC roster in recent years. Her unassuming and gentle nature outside the octagon, coupled with her terrifying intensity inside the cage, makes Namajunas an incredibly intriguing fighter.

Namajunas broke onto the scene as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 20, submitting all of her opponents en route to the finale. She came into the UFC with a high-level grappling background and, following her alliance with legendary striking coach Trevor Wittman, has become one of the most well-rounded fighters in the sport.

In a testament to her obvious improvements in the striking realm, Namajunas has secured stunning first-round KO/TKO victories against seasoned strikers like Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Zhang Weili.

At just 29, Namajunas is already the champion of the most competitive division in women’s MMA. Moreover, she has already defeated two of the best fighters at 115 lbs twice over, having beaten both Jędrzejczyk and Weili on two occasions each.

Looking down the pecking order in the UFC’s strawweight division, most of the fighters are nowhere near as multi-dimensional as Rose Namajunas.

Carla Esparza is an experienced wrestler with suspect striking, Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan are excellent strikers without a strong base in grappling and Mackenzie Dern has impeccable Brazilian jiu-jitsu but struggles against good strikers.

If it all goes to plan, ‘Thug’ Rose will more than likely dominate the strawweight division for many years to come. With a few more title defenses, she could become a long-reigning champion alongside her idol, Valentina Shevchenko.

#4. Ciryl Gane - UFC interim heavyweight champion

Ciryl Gane joined the UFC with a professional record of just 3-0. Incredibly, his first three fights in MMA were all championship bouts. He became the heavyweight champion of Canada's TKO promotion in his MMA debut and defended the title twice before being signed by the UFC.

The undefeated Frenchman went on a six-fight win streak upon joining the promotion, including victories over Junior dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexander Volkov.

Watch his incredible undefeated run below:

Gane’s phenomenal win streak earned him a shot at interim gold. He took on Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 in Houston, his first time headlining a pay-per-view. He won via third-round TKO to set up a title unification bout with Francis Ngannou.

With his size, skill and mentality, it’s hard to see who beats the Frenchman. At just 31 years of age, ‘Bon Gamin’ could rule the heavyweight division for a long time to come.

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#3. Islam Makhachev - UFC lightweight

Islam Makhachev ripped through the UFC lightweight division in 2021. The Dagestani prodigy started the year as an unranked fighter in the 155 lbs weight class and will be going into 2022 as one of the top lightweights in the world.

By the end of 2021, Makhachev had broken into the top 5 in the UFC lightweight rankings. In his three fights this year – against Drew Dober, Thiago Moises and Dan Hooker – the formidable Russian secured just as many submission finishes and is an ominous presence in the 155 lbs division.

Additionally, he appears to be getting better with every passing fight and has showcased his improved versatility every time he steps inside the octagon.

Most fighters would be smart to avoid taking the fight to the ground against the Russian. Meanwhile, under the tutelage of renowned striking coach Javier Mendez, his striking has come a long way as well.

Moreover, Islam Makhachev has the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier guiding his career. 'The Eagle' and 'DC' are well aware of what it takes to defend a title multiple times over and that kind of experience is very hard to come by.

Many believe it is only a matter of time before Makhachev captures the lightweight strap. At just 30 years of age, the lightweight division could be ruled by yet another dominant Russian champion in the coming years.

#2. Khamzat Chimaev - UFC welterweight and middleweight

Khamzat Chimaev is undoubtedly the hottest prospect in the UFC right now.

The Russian-born Swedish phenom made waves in the MMA community with a couple of dominant performances in Abu Dhabi in 2020. Subsequently, 'Borz' took on Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley. Chimaev knocked Meerschaert out just 17 seconds into the bout, establishing himself as one of the most intriguing prospects in years.

In 2021, Chimaev was booked to fight No.11-ranked Li Jingliang at UFC 267 on Fight Island. Many believed that the durable Chinese welterweight, who had never been finished in the UFC, would pose a threat to Chimaev and that the bout would be a conclusive litmus test to show whether he was a legitimate title contender.

Chimaev secured a double-leg takedown and effortlessly choked out Jingliang in the first round.

There was no doubt after the bout that Khamzat Chimaev is a real threat to Kamaru Usman's reign as the UFC welterweight champion. His background in sambo-style wrestling, coupled with his underrated striking and relentless approach to fighting, will prove to be a real handful for anyone in the 170 lbs and 185 lbs divisions.

Chimaev is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the UFC, making him an incredibly tough matchup for anyone he fights. At just 27 years of age, it's scary to think that ‘Borz’ still has a lot to learn and is not even close to his prime.

Considering he barely takes any damage in his fights, we could be witnessing the rise of potentially one of the longest reigning champions in UFC history.

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#1. Petr Yan - UFC interim bantamweight champion

You’d be hard-pressed to find a challenging stylistic matchup for Petr Yan at 135 lbs. ‘No Mercy’ is an intimidating figure atop the pecking order in the UFC’s bantamweight division. The rest of the fighters in the weight class will have their work cut out for them when they eventually square off against the formidable Russian.

Barring a disqualification-loss to Aljamain Sterling in 2021, Yan’s UFC record is near-perfect. He has beaten the likes of Jimmie Rivera, Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo and Cory Sandhagen in his most recent octagon outings and has emerged as one of the best strikers in the UFC.

Many believed that Aljamain Sterling would pose the toughest test to Yan, considering the former's wrestling prowess. However, what ensued when the duo locked horns left fans watching in disbelief.

Not only did the Russian stuff all but one of Sterling’s takedown attempts, he also managed to take down his American counterpart seven times.

After establishing himself as one of the best strikers in the game and putting on a wrestling clinic against a seasoned wrestler, it’s hard to see who beats Petr Yan in the future. Believe it or not, Yan is just 28 years of age and could potentially break numerous records as a long-reigning champion in the UFC.