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UFC 300 is this Saturday, and it will feature 12 titleholders,both current and former, on the card. Alex Pereira headlines the card as he looks to defend his light heavyweight strap against the division's former champion, Jamahal Hill. Meanwhile, the co-main event features another championship bout.
Zhang Weili defends her women's strawweight crown against fellow countrywoman Yan Xiaonan. Despite the wealth of champions on the card, there are several who have never defended their titles and will either be doing so for the first time at the event or will look to regain what they previously lost.
Some will try to rectify the mistakes of their past, while others will do their best to work their way back into title contention. Yet, they're all the same for having never successfully defended a title.
#5. Holly Holm, former UFC women's bantamweight champion
Whenever the topic of the greatest upset in MMA history is brought up, it's impossible not to think of Holly Holm's demolition of Ronda Rousey. The two women locked horns in 2015 back at UFC 193. At the time, Rousey was regarded as invincible, but when she and Holm clashed, it was 'Rowdy' who was conquered.
Holm, nearly flawelss on that night, spent a round and a half in complete control, making Rousey look like an amateur before knocking her out in round two. In doing so, she crowned herself the women's bantamweight champion. Alas, she failed to hold on to the title for long.
She took on Miesha Tate in her first assignment as champion, immediately losing the belt via submission to go down as a titleholder with zero defenses.
#4. Jamahal Hill, former UFC light heavyweight champion
Jamahal Hill has been almost perfect in his MMA career, having steamrolled over everyone besides Paul Craig. Thus, it comes as no surprise that a hyper-athletic fighter with skill and crushing knockout power defeated Glover Teixeira to capture the vacant title in a division as shallow as light heavyweight.
However, Hill never defended his title. He wasn't beaten by a challenger rising to the occasion. Instead, he was bitten by the injury bug as he ruptured his Achilles tendon during a basketball game. Knowing how long the injury would sideline him for, he relinquished his belt.
While he will now try to reclaim the title in the UFC 300 main event, he is yet to defend a championship in the UFC.
#3. Cody Garbrandt, former UFC bantamweight champion
At one point, Cody Garbrandt seemed unstoppable. He was a well-rounded fighter with high-level wrestling, crisp boxing, fast hands and devastating power. Furthermore, he was undefeated, young and fresh off dismantling all-time great bantamweight Dominick Cruz in impressive fashion to claim the divisional title.
As the new champion, Garbrandt was predicted to embark on a dominant run in his weight class. But those predictions proved incorrect, as 'No Love's' worst tendencies as a fighter were exposed in his first title defense against former teammate-turned-nemesis, T.J. Dillashaw.
Check out T.J. Dillashaw TKO'ing Cody Garbrandt:
Dillashaw TKO'd Garbrandt in round two, and 'No Love' has since tumbled so far down the rankings that he is no longer ranked. His tenure as champion was short-lived, with no successful title defenses, but he now hopes to build his way back into title contention.
#2. Jéssica Andrade, former UFC women's strawweight champion
In the post-Joanna Jędrzejczyk era, Rose Namajunas emerged as the new UFC women's strawweight champion. Her reign, however, was short-lived, as after defending her title in a rematch, she faced Jéssica Andrade, who captured the belt in devastating fashion, knocking her out by slamming her head into the mat.
On the surface, Andrade looked like a force of nature and still does. She has brutal knockout power, monstrous physical strength and cardio for days. Backed up by a well-rounded game and she seemed too physical for the rest of the 115-pounders. That was, however, until she encountered Zhang Weili.
Check out Zhang Weili TKO'ing Jéssica Andrade:
As it turned out, Zhang was just as physical but far more skilled. So, in Andrade's first title defense, she was TKO'd within 42 seconds of round one. Since then, she hasn't come close to reclaiming her title, let alone fighting for it.
#1. Alex Pereira, current UFC light heavyweight champion
While Alex Pereira is the current UFC light heavyweight champion, he is also the former UFC middleweight champion, having previously held the belt after briefly dethroning Israel Adesanya as the 185-pound king. Despite the belief that the middleweight division would be under the rule of 'Poatan,' it hardly lasted.
In his first title defense, Pereira faced Adesanya in an immediate rematch. Despite a good start to the fight, he was knocked out in round two and subjected to an iconic celebration from 'The Last Stylebender,' who co-opted the bow and arrow gestures 'Poatan' uses in his walkout to the octagon.
Check out Israel Adesanya knocking out Alex Pereira:
Adesanya mimicked shooting arrows at Pereira's unconscious body, signaling the end of the Brazilian's stint at middleweight. Now, Pereira rules the light heavyweight division and will look to make his first-ever title defense against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300.
