Most Successful UFC Title Defenses [Top 12]

Since it debuted in 1993, the UFC has become synonymous with mixed martial arts (MMA). It is where most of the top fighters in the world ply their trade as they bid to be known as the best of the best.

Thanks to its mixture of fighting styles, there are a lot of challenging matchups, often making it very hard to go on a winning streak. Putting together a series of wins is hard enough as you are rising through the ranks but it only gets harder once you make it to the top.

Fighters are desperate to steal the title belt from the champion, so those at the top of the mountain must fight harder than ever to stay there. With the challenge being so tough, only a handful of UFC champions make successful title defenses. Let’s take a look at which fighters have the most successful UFC title defenses in the organisation’s history.

Which UFC Fighter Has the Most Successful Title Defenses?

The competitive world of mixed martial arts means that winning a title is hard enough. To go on and defend it takes some serious skill and willpower. That said, the UFC fighters with the most successful title defenses are Demetrious Johnson and Jon Jones, both with 11.

With 11 consecutive defenses, it’s easy to see why so many MMA fans considered flyweight Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson as one of the pound-for-pound greats. Perhaps the only real surprise from Johnson’s career is that anyone was ever able to dethrone him.

Jon Jones also has 11 successful title defenses, however they were not fully consecutive due to time spent away from the UFC for the light heavyweight superstar. Jones’ title defense record is split over an initial eight followed by a further three before he vacated the belt once more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eQeL9OjRW0

Most Consecutive UFC Title Defenses [Top 12]

Fighter	Division	Successful Defenses	Timeframe
Demetrious Johnson	Flyweight	11	2013 – 2017
Anderson Silva	Middleweight	10	2007 – 2012
Georges St-Pierre	Welterweight	9	2008 – 2013
Jon Jones	Light Heavyweight	8, 3	2011 – 2015
José Aldo	Featherweight	7	2011 – 2014
Valentina Shevchenko	Flyweight	7	2018 – 2022 (active)
Ronda Rousey	Bantamweight	6	2013 – 2015
Joanna Jędrzejczyk	Strawweight	5	2015 – 2017
Tito Ortiz	Light Heavyweight	5	2000 – 2002
Amanda Nunes	Bantamweight	5	2016 – 2020
Matt Hughes	Welterweight	5	2002 – 2003
Kamaru Usman	Welterweight	5	2019 – 2022

Longest UFC Title Reign [Top 3]

Fighter	Division	Title Reign (Days)
Anderson Silva	Middleweight	2,457
Demetrious Johnson	Flyweight	2,142
Georges St-Pierre	Welterweight	2,064

Longest Current UFC Title Reigns

The longest current UFC title reign belongs to flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko, who has successfully defended her belt seven times since claiming her title in December 2018. In the men’s divisions, Alexander Volkanovki (featherweight) has defended his title four times.

With the standard of MMA improving all the time, putting together a run of successful title defenses is proving harder and harder. Fighters like Stipe Miocic, Robert Whittaker, and Joanna Jędrzejczyk find themselves without a title.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the UFC fighters who not only hold their titles but have put together successful defenses.

Valentina Shevchenko – Women’s Flyweight (7 Successful Defenses)

Opponent	Event	Defense Record	Winning Method
Joanna Jędrzejczyk	UFC 231	Title-winning fight	Unanimous decision
Jessica Eye	UFC 238	1	Knockout
Liz Carmouche	UFC Fight Night 156	2	Unanimous decision
Katlyn Chookagian	UFC 247	3	TKO
Jennifer Maia	UFC 255	4	Unanimous decision
Jéssica Andrade	UFC 261	5	TKO
Lauren Murphy	UFC 266	6	TKO
Taila Santos	UFC 275	7	Split Decision

Alexander Volkanovski – Men’s Featherweight (4 Successful Defenses)

Opponent	Event	Defense Record	Winning Method
Max Holloway	UFC 245	Title-winning fight	Unanimous decision
Max Holloway	UFC 251	1	Split decision
Brian Ortega	UFC 266	2	Unanimous decision
Chan Sung Jung	UFC 273	3	TKO
Max Holloway	UFC 276	4	Unanimous decision