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In the UFC, and indeed in any MMA organization, a champion must be dethroned for a new champion to be crowned. This is the typical manner in which titles change hands. Unfortunately, situations sometimes arise that prevent champions from stepping into the octagon to defend their titles.
Worse still, some situations force the promotion's hands and a reigning champion who seems primed for a long run at the top of their division is instead stripped of their title. Whether those situations are due to inactivity or positive PED tests that warrant a USADA suspension, they've all happened once or twice.
In rare cases, a UFC champion voluntarily vacates their title for one reason or another. This list details various situations that ended with titleholders abandoning their divisional throne for one reason or another.
#5 Jiří Procházka, former UFC light heavyweight champion
Jiří Procházka is the first fighter from the Czech Republic to capture UFC gold. He did so against Glover Teixeira in a thrilling bout that was voted Fight of the Year last year. The Czech samurai shocked the MMA world by earning a submission win against a respected Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt like Teixeira.
Given his unique skill-set, breadth of punching power and youth, Procházka seemed like he was going to be a long-reigning champion in the light heavyweight division. But fate had other plans for him. After being scheduled to defend his title against Teixeira in a rematch at UFC 282, Procházka sustained a shoulder injury.
The extent of the injury was to such a degree that he had no choice but to vacate his title. He didn't want to stall the 205 lbs weight class, so he relinquished his divisional throne without ever being beaten in the cage for it.
#4 Charles Oliveira, former UFC lightweight champion
No fighter in the UFC is quite like Charles Oliveira. His exceptional Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills render him one of the most fearsome threats on the mat. Meanwhile, his natural knockout power and highly aggressive striking style make him exceedingly dangerous in kickboxing exchanges.
His unique style enabled him to capture the promotion's lightweight crown at UFC 262 against Michael Chandler in one of the greatest comebacks of the modern age. He followed up with a stunning win by successfully defending his title against Dustin Poirier.
Unfortunately, his subsequent fight was marred by controversy. Right before his bout with Justin Gaethje, 'do Bronx' missed weight, causing him to become the promotion's first champion to be stripped of his title due to a weigh-in failure. While he defeated 'The Highlight', he never recaptured his title.
He faced Islam Makhachev for the vacant 155 lbs throne but was unsuccessful in reclaiming it as the Dagestani phenom dropped him and choked him out.
#3 Francis Ngannou, former UFC heavyweight champion
The most fearsome knockout artist in MMA history is no longer the UFC heavyweight champion. Francis Ngannou's departure from the promotion was preceded by a long stretch of disagreements and dissatisfaction. He campaigned for better fighter pay alongside other benefits.
Unfortunately, White and co. weren't willing to budge. Regardless, after 'The Predator' defended his title against Ciryl Gane with an unexpected wrestling-heavy gameplan, MMA fans all hoped he would resolve his issues with the promotion. Instead, the two couldn't see eye to eye.
Thus, Ngannou was stripped of the heavyweight title in January as he could not come to terms with the promotion. The Cameroonian phenom departed the organization and is currently pursuing a boxing match with either Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder.
#2 Conor McGregor, former UFC feather/lightweight champion
Conor McGregor is the promotion's first-ever simultaneous two-division champion. Years prior, B.J. Penn tried to do so by challenging Georges St-Pierre for his welterweight crown. Alas, 'The Prodigy' failed and suffered a brutal beatdown that saw him verbally concede defeat in the fourth round.
The Irishman's campaign for double championship status couldn't have been more different. He faced Eddie Alvarez in one of the finest title-winning performances in the promotion's history. He recorded several knockdowns en route to TKO'ing 'The Underground King' in the second round.
Instead of defending his featherweight and lightweight titles, however, 'The Notorious' pursued a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. As expected, he suffered a loss against 'Money' and his subsequent inactivity led to him eventually being stripped of both his 145 lbs and 155 lbs titles.
#1 Jon Jones, former UFC light heavyweight champion
UFC 285 marks the long-awaited return of Jon Jones. The legendary 205'er hasn't set foot inside the octagon since defeating Dominick Reyes in 2020. Back then, 'Bones' was the reigning light heavyweight champion and looked virtually impossible to defeat. Even former Olympian Daniel Cormier couldn't beat him.
So it came as a shock to MMA fans after 'Bones' announced his decision to vacate the 205 lbs title. He expressed his desire to face Francis Ngannou and challenge for the heavyweight title. The bout, however, never materialized due to disagreements with the promotion about his fight purse.
With no immediate plans for his future, he embarked on a three-year hiatus. Now, he's back and primed to face Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight throne.
