Power Ranking Jon Jones, Tito Ortiz and Greatest UFC Light Heavyweight Champs

The UFC 133 main event was originally supposed to feature Rashad Evans fighting current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. But when Jones was forced out, he was replaced by Phil Davis who was later replaced himself by Tito Ortiz.

Certainly just about everyone would be willing to concede that the fight against Ortiz is a significantly easier one for Evans, but it wasn’t always that way. At one point, Ortiz himself was widely regarded as one of the best 205-pound fighters in the world, if not the best. He even has a draw on his record against Evans from back in 2007, in a fight that many believe he should have been given the victory in.

There have been 11 men to hold the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, so where exactly do Jones, Evans and Ortiz rank among the greatest in the company’s history? Find out as we count down the best light heavyweight champions ever to compete in the Octagon. 

11. Vitor Belfort

Range of Title Reign: January 31, 2004-August 21, 2004

Successful Defenses: Zero

When he won the UFC 12 heavyweight tournament, Vitor Belfort was considered one of the UFC’s brightest rising stars. He then smashed Tank Abbott in less than a minute and looked to be on his way to becoming a champion. But then he met Randy Couture all the way back in 1997 at UFC 15 in what was to be a No. 1 contendership fight for a chance at the UFC heavyweight title.

Couture knocked Belfort out in the first round of that bout and Belfort would go on to fight in the light heavyweight division soon thereafter.

The two men met again at UFC 46 where Belfort defeated Couture, but in very controversial fashion. It went down as a “TKO” on the record books, but the cut was opened by a grazing punch from Belfort which really didn’t seem to affect Couture other than that he was bleeding.

Couture was given an immediate rematch, in which he punished Belfort for three rounds before the doctors stopped the fight, quickly ending Belfort’s one and only UFC title run.

10. Forrest Griffin

Range of Title Reign: July 5, 2008-December 27, 2008

Successful Defenses: Zero

The second man on this list to have never defended his title successfully is former The Ultimate Fighter winner Forrest Griffin.

When he fought Rampage Jackson for the title at UFC 86, Griffin was coming off of what was the biggest victory of his career at the time over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The fight against Rampage would mark the second in a row in which Griffin was considered the underdog against the man whom most considered to be the best 205-pound fighter on the planet.

Griffin won the fight against Jackson in a close contest where he essentially used leg kicks to slow down and neutralize the punching power that Rampage possessed. It was a flawless game plan which earned him the championship, albeit in less than his usual, exciting fashion.

Griffin would then go on to lose the title to the next fighter on this list...

9. Rashad Evans

Range of Title Reign: December 27, 2008-May 23, 2009

Successful Defenses: Zero

“Suga” Rashad Evans became the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion after running up his undefeated MMA record to 12-0-1. This record included back-to-back victories over Chuck Liddell and Michael Bisping coming into his UFC 92 fight with Forrest Griffin.

He was controlled in the first two rounds by Griffin’s surprisingly effective striking and kicks to the lower body. But it was in the third round when Evans’ patience paid off, as he caught a kick from Griffin and floored him with a huge punch. He quickly pounced on the champion and finished him off to become the new light heavyweight title holder.

Evans’ title reign was short-lived, however, as he was knocked out by...

8. Lyoto Machida

Range of Title Reign: May 23, 2009-May 8, 2010

Successful Defenses: One

The undefeated Lyoto Machida was one of the most controversial fighters in the world when he got his first title shot at UFC 98.

Machida was coming off of two huge victories over Tito Ortiz and Thiago Silva, but his style was considered “boring” by critics who did not think that a fighter who was so defensive should be allowed to fight for a title in the UFC.

“The Dragon” silenced those critics at UFC 98, though, when he violently knocked out then-champion Rashad Evans, resulting in one of the most memorable post-fight pictures in recent memory. The knockout led to Joe Rogan exclaiming, “The Machida era has begun!”

Unfortunately for him, the era was short-lived.

7. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

Range of Title Reign: May 8, 2010-March 19, 2011

Successful Defenses: Zero

When it was announced that Mauricio Rua would be coming to the UFC, many believed that it would only be a matter of months before he was toting around the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. After all, the young 205-pounder had been on an absolutely unbelievable tear in Pride prior to the organization closing its doors.

But after a disappointing start to his career in the Octagon, critics began to question whether Shogun’s best days were already behind him. That is, until UFC 97 when he absolutely smashed former champion Chuck Liddell, earning himself “Knockout of the Night” honors and a subsequent shot at the UFC light heavyweight title.

The first showdown between Rua and then-champion Lyoto Machida took place at UFC 104. The bout was tightly contested and really could have gone either way, but Machida was eventually awarded with the controversial unanimous decision.

Many fans were outraged by the results of that fight and demanded an immediate rematch. Joe Silva and the UFC decision-makers obliged, pitting the two Brazilians against one another again at UFC 113. This time, the result would be much different as Rua crushed Machida with a knockout punch, giving “The Dragon” the very first loss on his professional record on his way to becoming the new champion.

6. Randy Couture

Range of Title Reign: September 26, 2003-January 31, 2004; August 24, 2004-April 16, 2005

Successful Defenses: Zero

Though many will remember him as a heavyweight, Randy Couture is also the only two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. By that, I mean that at the time of this article, he is the only fighter to have lost the title only to eventually regain it.

Couture’s first light heavyweight title run came back at UFC 44 when he absolutely humiliated Tito Ortiz. Couture himself came into the fight having just defeated Chuck Liddell and was the reigning interim light heavyweight champion. But his dominance in the fight proved that, at that time, he was the best the UFC had to offer.

Couture lost the title to Vitor Belfort in his first defense at UFC 46 by way of a cut, only to win it back less than eight months later. It looked as if Couture was going to be a dominant champion, but his reign was ended permanently by Chuck Liddell at UFC 52. 

5. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

Range of Title Reign: May 26, 2007-July 5, 2008

Successful Defenses: One

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was one of the most dominant middleweights (equivalent to light heavyweight in America) in Pride for over five years before he finally made his debut in the Octagon at UFC 67. He wasted no time becoming a player in the UFC, though, as he knocked out Marvin Eastman in the second round of his debut bout.

The UFC was so impressed with Jackson that, at UFC 71, they gave him a shot at Chuck Liddell’s UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Jackson rose to the occasion like never before, shocking fans as he caught the Iceman with a looping hook to the jaw which knocked him out.

Jackson then made history when he defeated Dan Henderson in the UFC vs. Pride title unification fight at UFC 75 before dropping his title in a controversial decision loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86. 

4. Jon Jones

Range of Title Reign: March 19, 2011-Current

Successful Defenses: Zero

This high already? I know, it sounds crazy, but this might actually be the right spot for the 23-year-old phenom.

Not only is Jones (realistically) undefeated in his UFC career, but the way that he has absolutely manhandled his opponents is unbelievable. As we have seen in the early parts of this list, the light heavyweight division has been in limbo since Chuck Liddell dropped the belt in 2007. But it appears that a new long-term champion may be holding the title right now.

His first title defense, which is expected to be against Rampage Jackson, should tell us a lot about whether Jones is way too high on this list or perhaps even too low. It’s just hard to say at this point, given the little sampling we have so far.

3. Tito Ortiz

Range of Title Reign: April 14, 2000-September 26, 2003

Successful Defenses: Five

Today we may look back at Tito Ortiz’s time as champion and ask, “Who did he really beat?" But at the time of his title reign, Ortiz was the baddest dude on the planet.

After an unsuccessful first title shot at Frank Shamrock, Ortiz earned the vacant title by defeating Wanderlei Silva at UFC 25. From that point on, the UFC light heavyweight division has always had Tito Ortiz in the mix.

Ortiz’s title run was important not only for himself but also for the organization as a whole. While many of the sport’s pioneers were dying off, Ortiz was establishing himself as perhaps the first star in the second generation of Octagon warriors. Not only that, but he was doing it in a way that had many fans absolutely hating him. And as a wise professional wrestling promoter once said, controversy creates cash.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” was the torch-carrier for the UFC during its darkest days and may be one of the biggest reasons that the sport is still around today.

2. Frank Shamrock

Range of Title Reign: December 21, 1997-September 24, 1999

Successful Defenses: Four

When looking back on the history of the UFC, it can sometimes be easy to forget just how dominant Frank Shamrock really was.

Already a veteran in the sport before he even fought in the UFC, Shamrock won the title in his debut fight for the organization all the way back at UFC Japan in 1997, where he defeated Kevin Jackson by way of submission just 16 seconds into the fight. He would go on to defend the title two more times, defeating Igor Zinoviev, John Lober and Jeremy Horn before fighting Tito Ortiz in a fight many consider to be one of the greatest of all time.

It was after defeating Ortiz that Shamrock decided to “retire” due to his claim that there were no other serious contenders remaining for his title.

*Note: When Shamrock was champion, the weight limit was 200 pounds and the title was referred to as the UFC Middleweight Championship. The title would later be transitioned into the 205-pound light heavyweight championship we have today, so Shamrock makes the list given that there is no 200-pound title anymore.

1. Chuck Liddell

Range of Title Reign: April 16, 2005-May 26, 2007

Successful Defenses: Four

Unlike Tito Ortiz and Frank Shamrock, who were the only dominant champions before him, Chuck Liddell’s time as champion came during a time when there was a surplus of talented challengers in the light heavyweight division.

Liddell avenged a previous loss to Randy Couture when he became the champion at UFC 52. The victory marked the beginning of the best run in UFC light heavyweight history, as the Iceman went on to punish quality opponents in Jeremy Horn and Renato “Babalu” Sobral between wins over former champions Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture.

Though his eventual knockout loss to Rampage Jackson seemed to spell the end of his dominance over the division, his two-plus-year run as champion turned him into the sport’s biggest star at the time and an eventual UFC Hall of Famer.