A champion in any sport has a huge target on his back, but when you fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the biggest and baddest men on the planet are shooting at you all the time; title or not. In the fifteen-year history of 97 UFC events, only 11 fighters have defended their title more than once. This roster of elite fighters has justly earned its place in UFC history, as many critics and fans of the sport believe that one is not truly a champion until one has successfully defended his belt. Those who have done it more than once are without a doubt the cream of the crop. So who is the greatest of all time?
The following is the list of UFC fighters with multiple successful title defenses. You decide who is the best of the best. If the main criterion is the number of consecutive successful defenses; Anderson Silva is indisputably the king. If the total number of defenders is his yardstick, Matt Hughes would get the nod. And if the caliber of the champion’s competition is also a consideration; I think the majority will defend Silva.
1. Matt Hughes (WW) – Title Defenders: 7
Matt Hughes was and is a UFC legend. He defended his title a total of seven times during two separate stints as the UFC welterweight champion. During his first term as champion, he defended five times in a row against players like Gil Castillo and Frank Trigg (laughs). I’m having fun here, but on a serious note, Matt Hughes has beaten a ton of quality fighters throughout his illustrious career, yet looking at his roster of challengers surely doesn’t compare to Anderson Silva’s.
2. Anderson Silva (MW) – Title Defenders: 6
After his last defense, he is now the only record holder for consecutive defenses of the UFC title. Despite all the undeserved criticism he received from UFC 97, he is still the UFC middleweight champion and pound-for-pound king. The next time someone has the balls to crawl into the cage with him and try to IMPOSE his will on him, I bet he’ll keep dominating. (read Anderson is the CHAMPION!) His streak of defenses and the rivals he has beaten is nothing short of remarkable!
3. Tito Ortiz (LHW) – Title Defenders: 5
PUAJ !! It hurts to have to put the “bad boy from Huntington Beach” on this list, but the facts are the facts. Tito defended his light heavyweight title from 2000 to 2002, until Randy Couture took it from him. It was then that Randy gave the Bad Boy a well deserved corporal punishment in the form of humiliating spanking … HA HA !!
4. Chuck Liddell (LHW) – Title Defenders: 4
The “Iceman” has one of the most impressive title defense streaks. Including his victory over Randy Couture to win the title, he won and defended the title with five consecutive TKO victories. Randy, Tito, Jeremy Horn, and Renato Sobral were all victims of Chuck’s dynamite hands during his reign as champion.
5. Pat Miletich (WW) – Title Defenders: 4
Miletich made his official UFC debut at UFC 16 and won the first ever UFC Lightweight Tournament. In 2001, the UFC changed the weight class limits, creating the welterweight. At UFC 17: Ultimate Brazil, Pat defeated Mikey Burnett and became the first UFC welterweight champion. He continued to defend the welterweight belt four times before losing it to Carlos Newton via submission at UFC 31.
6. Frank Shamrock (LHW) – Title Defenders: 4
“The Legend” was the light heavyweight champion from 1997 to 1999, until he lost his title due to retirement. The talent he faced was like this, but Shamrock’s victories were impressive, all by submission, TKO or TKO in the first round, except for the beating he delivered to Tito, which ended with strikes in the fourth round.
7. Randy Couture (HW) – Title Defenders: 3
Randy “The Natural” Couture, arguably the most popular mixed martial artist of all time, has won the heavyweight championship four separate times (1 interim title) and has successfully defended it a total of three times. He also won the light heavyweight belt twice, but has never successfully defended it. While his win-loss record may not be as stellar as that of some of the other great UFC champions, for some he is the greatest of all time for his achievements in two weight classes at a later age.
8. The following fighters have defended their respective titles 2 times:
to. Tim Sylvia (HW) (read Tim Sylvia and the Willy Nilly Freak Show)
B. George St. Pierre (WW)
vs. Rich Franklin (MW)
Mr. Andrei Arlovski (HW)
9. Royce Gracie (open) – Won 3 UFC tournaments
Royce Gracie and the Gracie Jiu Jitsu family, to whom we owe a lot of everything, were also a great champion. He won UFC 1, 2 and 4 tournaments, which were night events with no weight classes. It wasn’t until UFC 16 that the title and belt system was implemented. Royce was also a great mixed martial artist, whom many consider one of the greatest.
I think most will agree that this roster of fighters is quite impressive, however not all challengers were the best contenders. Regardless of who the competition is, it’s a feat in itself to win more than one or two fights in a row in the National Mixed Martial Arts League (NFL), and even more so with a belt.
