UFC's Top 10 First-Time Title Defenses

They say you aren’t a true champion until you successfully defend your belt. Just ask former “champions” like Matt Serra, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, and most recently Rashad Evans—all of whom came up short their first time around.  

At UFC 104, Lyoto Machida will get his first crack to defend the belt he stripped away from Rashad Evans when he steps into the octagon against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Fans and pundits alike started proclaiming it was the beginning of the “Machida era” before Evans even realized what had happened to him.

While Machida’s style looks like it could forge a new era of fighting in mixed martial arts, one thing remains fact: Anything can happen when you are wearing four ounce gloves.

In recognition of Machida’s first title defense, lets go back in time to pay honor to the ten best first-time title defenses in UFC history (in chronological order).


1. UFC 15: Maurice Smith vs. David “Tank” Abbot

Mark Coleman may have been the first heavyweight champion in UFC history but he came up short in his first title defense against Maurice Smith at UFC 14.

At UFC 15, Smith defeated the gassed out “Tank” by submission (verbal submission due to fatigue) at 8:08 to retain the UFC Heavyweight Title.

Smith was unable to defend his belt for a second time when his title was lost in translation to Randy Couture before at UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan. While Smith wasn’t the greatest UFC champion of all time, he was the first ever to successfully defend his belt.


2. UFC 44: Randy Couture vs. Tito Ortiz

Who could forget the “spank heard round the MMA world.”

In his light heavyweight debut, Couture took on long-time No. 1 contender Chuck Liddell for the interim light heavyweight championship winning by TKO in the third round.

Couture went on to face five-time defending champion Tito Ortiz for the undisputed light heavyweight title. Couture won a unanimous decision and became the undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion at age 40.

But what people will remember most from that title fight was when Couture had Ortiz in a compromising position and decided to make light of the situation by tapping his  "Bad Boy" opponent on the behind.

Some won't count defending an interim belt as defending a title, nonetheless, when Couture defeated Tito Ortiz it was one of the ten best “first-time” title defenses in UFC history, right?

3. UFC 52: Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg

Two-time welterweight champion Matt Hughes had not one but two successful first-time title defenses. And who could forget his second, a fight with Frank Trigg at UFC 52 which many consider one of the best fights in UFC history.

Hughes would sink in another trademark rear naked choke on Trigg which catapulted Hughes into three-straight title defenses. His streak was finally snapped by George St. Pierre at UFC 65.

4. UFC 54: Chuck Liddell vs. Jeremy Horn

Chuck Liddell knows how to mix title fights with a side of revenge. At UFC 52, Liddell avenged a previous loss to Randy Couture, winning the UFC light heavyweight title in the process.

Then, at UFC 54, Liddell got his revenge on Jeremy Horn, the first man to ever beat Liddell inside a cage, and the only one to ever submit him. In addition to the settling the score, Liddell defended his belt for the first time.

The “Iceman” would go on to successfully defend three more times before getting iced by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 71.

5. UFC 73: Anderson Silva vs. Nate Marquardt

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