Who was the UFC's first-ever 'mom champion'?

The UFC has long been regarded as the world's premier MMA organization. It's known to feature some of the best mixed martial arts athletes in the world. Over the years, the octagon has witnessed several notable male and female fighters showcase their incredible martial arts prowess.

On that note, the organization is well-known for being home to some of the greatest female athletes in all of sports. One such athlete happens to be the legendary Cris Cyborg. The Brazilian-American combat sports great is the first, and thus far only, women's Grand Slam Champion.

Back when Cris Cyborg held the UFC women's featherweight title in 2018, she legally adopted her teenage niece. This, in turn, earned Cyborg the distinction of being being the organization's first-ever 'mom champion.'

Speaking of which, the "@CrisCyborgGym" Twitter handle -- which represents Cyborg's private training facility in Huntington Beach, California -- has now tweeted regarding the same. Reminding the MMA community about it on Mother's Day (May 14th, 2023), the handle posted a tweet that read as follows:

"Did you know that when @criscyborg adopted her daughter Gabby and then went on to win the @ufc belt she became the UFC’s first “Mom Champion”? ! #HappyMothersDay"

Additionally, UFC women's bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes too happens to be a 'mom champion.' Her partner Nina Nunes gave birth to their daughter in September 2020, thereby making 'The Lioness' a 'mom champion.'

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When Julianna Pena claimed to be the UFC's first mom champion

Fighters such as Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes are well-known as 'mom champions.' That said, women's MMA mainstay Julianna Pena offered a different take regarding the same. Pena defeated Nunes via second-round submission and captured the women's bantamweight title in their first fight back in December 2021.

During the post-fight press conference, Julianna Pena suggested that no other female fighter, including Nunes, gave birth to a child and then held championship gold. Pena, for her part, gave birth to her daughter in 2018. Expounding upon the same, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' stated:

"The UFC absolutely needs to create a new belt for me, and it needs to be the 'Baddest Mom on the Planet.' And, you know, I'm not trying to take away anything from Amanda. She's a wonderful mother, but I gave birth to my daughter. And I feel like for giving birth, I am the first mom champ."

Watch Pena discuss the topic in the video below:

It's believed that Cris Cyborg is likely to return to the Bellator MMA cage and defend her women's featherweight title against Cat Zingano later this year. Meanwhile, Amanda Nunes is scheduled to defend her women's bantamweight title against Irene Aldana on June 10th.

As for Julianna Pena, she was initially set to fight Nunes in a trilogy matchup at the June 10th event. However, Pena withdrew from the matchup due to an injury and was replaced by Aldana.