UFC Champions Who Never Successfully Defended Their Belts
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes didn't believe you deserved to call yourself champion just because Dana White strapped the belt around your waist in the cage. In Hughes' mind, until you had at least one defense of your title belt, you were no real champion.
Simply winning it was not enough. It was the act of defending the gold belt that made a man a champion.
Over the course of UFC history, 18 men have tried and failed to meet the Hughes standard during their time with the belt. They clawed and scratched their way to top, won the UFC title but failed, ultimately, to carve a legacy as champion.
Whether it was a failed drug test, a contract dispute or simply meeting their match across the cage, these 18 champions didn't manage to defend what they had worked so hard to earn.
Think they still deserve to be called "champion"? Let me know in the comments.
Mark Coleman (Heavyweight)
1 of 18
Won
UFC 12 (February 7, 1997)
Who
Dan Severn
Lost
UFC 14 (July 27, 1997)
Who
Maurice Smith
Analysis
Coleman was supposed to be unbeatable, the ultimate expression of American wrestling prowess. Instead, the wily Smith, training with Frank Shamrock on the ground, weathered an early storm and then beat Coleman standing to earn heavyweight gold.
Randy Couture (Heavyweight)
2 of 18
Won
UFC Japan (December 21, 1997)
Who
Maurice Smith
Lost
Stripped of the title after leaving the promotion after a contract dispute.
Analysis
Think Couture's problems with promoters started with Dana White and Zuffa? Think again. When then UFC owner Bob Meyrowitz tried to renegotiate contract terms with the champion, he left the company altogether rather than take a pay cut.
Bas Rutten (Heavyweight)
3 of 18
Won
UFC 20 (May 7, 1999)
Who
Kevin Randleman
Lost
Vacated the title for a proposed middleweight title bout with Frank Shamrock. Soon after, however, training injuries forced Rutten to retire from the sport.
Analysis
Rutten, the long-time Pancrase stalwart in Japan, won the title in one of the most controversial decisions in UFC history. Despite being on top for most of the bout, Kevin Randleman lost a split decision after 21 minutes in the cage.
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Carlos Newton (Welterweight)
4 of 18
Won
UFC 31 (May 4, 2001)
Who
Pat Miletich
Lost
UFC 34 (November 2, 2001)
Who
Matt Hughes
Analysis
Say this much for Carlos Newton—at least he went out in glorious style. He seemed to have Hughes right where he wanted him, trapped in a fight-ending triangle choke. But the challenger had a final trick up his sleeve.
He lifted Newton high in the air and slammed him to the mat, knocking the champion unconscious. Just moments later, the power of the choke rendered him senseless as well. It was the greatest finish in UFC history.
Dave Menne (Middleweight)
5 of 18Won
UFC 33 (September 28, 2001)
Who
Gil Castillo
Lost
UFC 35 (January 11, 2002)
Who
Murilo Bustamante
Analysis
In the days when Japanese MMA still ruled the roost, UFC matchmaking could be a little strange. Take the decision to match up Dave Menne and Gil Castillo in the inaugural title fight at 185 pounds.
Castillo was a welterweight who had never competed in the UFC—or at 185 pounds.
Menne was coming off a TKO loss to Hiromitsu Kanehara in Japan. Kanehara was no world beater himself, making Menne's presence in a title bout more than a little questionable.
Nevertheless, they were apparently the best middleweights the UFC could lay hands on at the time. And, thus, Menne became arguably the worst fighter ever to claim a UFC title, an honor Bustamante quickly relieved him of.
Josh Barnett (Heavyweight)
6 of 18
Won
UFC 36 (March 22, 2002)
Who
Randy Couture
Lost
Stripped of the title after failing a drug test.
Analysis
Barnett was seemingly sitting pretty. He won the UFC title in the final fight of his contract and had some serious leverage going into negotiations with UFC boss Dana White. Then a bombshell. Reports surfaced that Barnett had failed his post-fight steroid test.
For more than 10 years, the War Master was a nomad, going from promotion to promotion. Finally, earlier this year, he made his return to the Octagon. As he winds down a Hall of Fame career, Barnett, once again, has his eye on the top prize in the sport.
Ricco Rodriguez (Heavyweight)
7 of 18Won
UFC 39 (September 27, 2002)
Who
Randy Couture
Lost
UFC 41 (February 28, 2003)
Who
Tim Sylvia
Analysis
Once again, Couture came up short against a younger, bigger fighter. This time, unlike with Barnett, at least his opponent was clean.
Rodriguez seemed to have the world at his finger tips. He had just turned 25 when he won UFC gold and was the supposed future of the sport, a big man who could grapple. But instead of continued glory, it was all downhill for the young champion. His time in the sun lasted just five months.
Randy Couture (Light Heavyweight)
8 of 18
Won
UFC 44 (September 26, 2003)
Who
Tito Ortiz
Lost
UFC 46 (January 31, 2004)
Who
Vitor Belfort
Analysis
Randy Couture, thought to be washed up and done, first beat Chuck Liddell for the interim title, then literally spanked Tito Ortiz to unify the belts. But he wasn't able to hold onto the title for long. A fluke cut stopped him in just seconds, giving former tournament winner Vitor Belfort his first (and last) taste of championship glory.
Won
UFC 31 (May 4, 2001)
Who
Pat Miletich
Lost
UFC 34 (November 2, 2001)
Who
Matt Hughes
Analysis
Say this much for Carlos Newton—at least he went out in glorious style. He seemed to have Hughes right where he wanted him, trapped in a fight ending triangle choke. But the challenger had a final trick up his sleeve.
He lifted Newton high in the air and slammed him to the mat, knocking the champion unconscious. Just moments later, the power of the choke rendered him senseless as well. It was the greatest finish in UFC history.
BJ Penn (Welterweight)
9 of 18
Won
UFC 46 (January 31, 2004)
Who
Matt Hughes
Lost
Stripped of the title after leaving the promotion following a contract dispute.
Analysis
Penn saw big things for himself in Japan with K-1. He was willing to fight both in Japan and for the UFC ,but Zuffa refused to budge on that point. The parties ended up in court, with Penn being stripped of his title by a different kind of judge.
Frank Mir (Heavyweight)
10 of 18
Won
UFC 48 (June 19, 2004)
Who
Tim Sylvia
Lost
Stripped of the title after a motorcycle accident left him unable to compete.
Analysis
The UFC gave Frank Mir more than a year to recover from his injuries, but the champion simply wasn't ready and the promotion was forced to move on. Three years later, a rejuvenated Mir would win the interim title to cap a remarkable return.
Won
UFC 46 (January 31, 2004)
Who
Matt Hughes
Lost
Stripped of the title after leaving the promotion following a contract dispute.
Analysis
Penn saw big things for himself in Japan with K-1. He was willing to fight both in Japan and for the UFC ,but Zuffa refused to budge on that point. The parties ended up in court, with Penn being stripped of his title by a different kind of judge.
Randy Couture (Light Heavyweight)
11 of 18
Won
UFC 49 (August 21, 2004)
Who
Vitor Belfort
Lost
UFC 52 (April 16, 2005)
Who
Chuck Liddell
Analysis
Couture set matters right against Belfort, turning his white shorts pink with the champion's blood.
Then it was on to a rematch with Liddell. The two were coming off the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, and a huge new audience saw Liddell establish himself as the top 205-pounder of his era with a dynamic knockout win.
Won
UFC 44 (September 26, 2003)
Who
Tito Ortiz
Lost
UFC 46 (January 31, 2004)
Who
Vitor Belfort
Analysis
Randy Couture, thought to be washed up and done, first beat Chuck Liddell for the interim title, then literally spanked Tito Ortiz to unify the belts. But he wasn't able to hold onto the title for long. A fluke cut stopped him in just seconds, giving former tournament winner Vitor Belfort his first, and last taste, of championship glory.
Evan Tanner (Middleweight)
12 of 18
Won
UFC 51 (February 5, 2005)
Who
David Terrell
Lost
UFC 54 (June 4, 2005)
Who
Rich Franklin
Analysis
When Murilo Bustamante left the UFC for Pride in 2002, the promotion didn't bother crowning a new champion for three years. Tanner, more myth than man at this point, shattered David Terrell in the very first round. It was the last significant bout of Terrell's career.
Georges St-Pierre (Welterweight)
13 of 18
Won
UFC 65 (November 18, 2006)
Who
Matt Hughes
Lost
UFC 69 (April 7, 2007)
Who
Matt Serra
Analysis
When pundits say, "Anything can happen in MMA," this is the fight that makes them so confident it's true. Matt Serra was not supposed to beat Georges St-Pierre. But the combination of tiny gloves and the human brain makes anything possible—including the unthinkable.
Matt Serra (Welterweight)
14 of 18Won
UFC 69 (April 7, 2007)
Who
Georges St-Pierre
Lost
UFC 83 (April 19, 2008)
Who
Georges St-Pierre
Analysis
Serra was supposed to make his first defense against Matt Hughes after a heated season of The Ultimate Fighter. When a back injury postponed that fight, it opened the door for a rematch with St-Pierre. Serra was the most hated man in Canada that night, but fans left happy when GSP regained the title in his hometown.
Forrest Griffin (Light Heavyweight)
15 of 18
Won
UFC 86 (July 5, 2008)
Who
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Lost
UFC 92 (December 27, 2008)
Who
Rashad Evans
Analysis
Griffin, the hero of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, was already one of the sport's top-drawing cards. But the win over "Rampage" gave him a legitimacy the reality stars had been lacking. They could ascend to the top of the sport. Forrest, and then season two's champion, Rashad Evans, proved it beyond a doubt.
Won
UFC 65 (November 18, 2006)
Who
Matt Hughes
Lost
UFC 69 (April 7, 2007)
Who
Matt Serra
Analysis
When pundits say "anything can happen in MMA," this is the fight that makes them so confident it's true. Matt Serra was not supposed to beat Georges St-Pierre. But, the combination of tiny gloves and the human brain makes anything possible—including the unthinkable.
Rashad Evans (Light Heavyweight)
16 of 18
Won
UFC 92 (December 27, 2008)
Who
Lost
UFC 98 (May 23, 2009)
Who
Lyoto Machida
Analysis
Evans' reign on top was short-lived. He beat Chuck Liddell to earn a shot and dispatched Griffin with a furiosu ground and pound assault that had the champion reeling. He waited for his opening for two rounds; when it came he was ready to pounce.
But Evans was on a short rope. The Machida Era, all 350 days of it, was dawning.
Mauricio Rua (Light Heavyweight)
17 of 18
Won
UFC 113 (May 8, 2010)
Who
Lyoto Machida
Lost
UFC 128 (March 19, 2011)
Who
Jon Jones
Analysis
It turned out there was a new kingpin waiting to take over the light heavyweight division. But it wasn't Lyoto Machida or his rival, Mauricio Rua. Jon Jones was the next big thing. At UFC 128, he proved it.
Cain Velasquez (Heavyweight)
18 of 18
Won
UFC 121 (October 23, 2010)
Who
Lost
UFC on Fox 1 (November 12, 2011)
Who
Junior dos Santos
Analysis
Velasquez seemed likely to rule the heavyweight division for years. He still might. But he tore his rotator cuff in the Lesnar fight and aggravated it before his tussle with dos Santos.
Now healthy, he has regained, and defended, heavyweight gold.
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