Status of Every Bellator MMA Champion

With the UFC holding events nearly every week and scooping up almost all the top talent in MMA, even larger secondary promotions like Bellator MMA have not been receiving the attention they once did.

Unless one is the hardest of hardcore MMA fans, it might be difficult to name all the champions under the Bellator MMA or World Series of Fighting banners. That's unfortunate because there are still some excellent combatants appearing with those organizations.

One reason Bellator MMA champions aren't as widely recognized as they once were could be because the promotion no longer has any dominant titleholders. Ben Askren and Eddie Alvarez are gone now, and since they left, nobody has really stepped up to become the face of Bellator MMA.

To sort out who might emerge as a top dog in the organization, here is a look at the current Bellator MMA champions and their current status. 

Vitaly Minakov

Bellator.com

Division: Heavyweight

Title Defenses: 1

Next Bout: TBD

With a win over Ryan Martinez at Bellator 97, Vitaly Minakov improved to 12-0 and won the Bellator heavyweight tournament to earn a shot at the belt.

Three months later, Minakov challenged fellow Russian Alexander Volkov for the heavyweight championship. Believed to be one of the brightest up-and-coming heavyweights in the world, Minakov realized his potential by knocking Volkov out in the opening round.

Minakov was then matched up with UFC veteran Cheick Kongo. While Minakov didn't make a huge statement, he proved he could compete with UFC heavyweight contenders by beating Kongo and successfully defending his championship.

Almost one year has passed since Minakov defeated Kongo, but he hasn't returned to action since then. Rumors have been swirling regarding Minakov's MMA future, but no official announcements have been made about the Russian's next step.

Liam McGeary

Bellator.com

Division: Light Heavyweight

Title Defenses: 0

Next Bout: TBD

Having earned his light heavyweight title shot with a win over Kelly Anundson, Liam McGeary wasn't tested by any big names on his way to the top.

That said, the Englishman didn't look ill-prepared when he challenged Emanuel Newton for the 205-pound belt in February. After stopping his first six Bellator MMA opponents in the opening round, McGeary showed that he could perform in the later rounds as well by capturing a decision win to become the new light heavyweight champion.

McGeary's first title challenger has not been announced, but former UFC champion Tito Ortiz could make a push for the title shot, and that would certainly give McGeary an opportunity to gain popularity.

Brandon Halsey

Bellator.com

Division: Middleweight

Title Defenses: 0

Next Bout: Kendall Grove at Bellator 137

Following a win over Shonie Carter in 2012, Brandon Halsey was signed by Bellator MMA. Only two years later, Halsey would earn a title shot by submitting Brett Cooper in the middleweight tournament finals.

Despite only having seven pro bouts, Halsey was given decent odds to capture the belt from veteran Alexander Shlemenko. Sure enough, it took Halsey just 35 seconds to lock up a submission and become the best in the Bellator MMA 185-pound division.

Halsey's first challenger will be UFC veteran Kendall Grove, who has had some highs and lows since leaving the world's top MMA promotion. Though Grove has been inconsistent, he's coming off of a win over former Bellator MMA champion Christian M'Pumbu, so he is still a threat to steal Halsey's crown.

Douglas Lima

Bellator.com

Division: Welterweight

Title Defenses: 0

Next Bout: TBD

Douglas Lima didn't get the call to join Bellator MMA until he was 22 bouts into his MMA career. 

That experience benefited Lima, though, as he went on to earn a title shot in three Bellator MMA appearances. A knockout win over UFC veteran Ben Saunders was the last step on Lima's road toward a shot at welterweight champion Ben Askren.

Lima went on to lose against Askren, who recorded more consecutive title defenses than any other Bellator MMA champion ever has. However, Lima came back even stronger after that loss.

The Phenom scored four straight knockouts, including another one against Saunders to earn a second title shot. Lima then made it five knockouts in a row to nab the vacant 170-pound championship.

Will Brooks

Bellator.com

Division: Lightweight

Title Defenses: 0

Next Bout: Dave Jansen at Bellator 136

When Alvarez left Bellator MMA, it looked like Michael Chandler was destined to dominate the lightweight division.

Will Brooks had something to say about that, though. After earning a shot at an interim belt by beating Alexander Sarnavskiy, Brooks recorded a stunning upset win over Chandler to spoil a potential rubber match between Alvarez and Chandler.

Bellator MMA booked an immediate rematch for the undisputed title between Brooks and Chandler, and the result was an even more decisive knockout victory for Brooks.

Now scheduled to defend his title against Dave Jansen, Brooks will look to become a star atop what has been Bellator MMA's most publicized division.

Patricio Freire

Bellator.com

Division: Featherweight

Title Defenses: 1

Next Bout: Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 138

Patricio Freire carried an impressive 12-0 record into his Bellator MMA debut and parlayed that into a deep run in the featherweight tournament. It wasn't until Freire met Joe Warren in the finals that he suffered his first loss.

Pitbull responded to that loss well, winning his next three bouts to earn a shot at 145-pound champion Pat Curran. Though Freire ended up losing to Curran via split decision, he took another step forward in his climb toward the top.

Again, Freire rebounded from defeat and beat his next four adversaries to earn a rematch with Curran. At Bellator 123, Pitbull avenged his loss to Curran and became lightweight champion.

Freire has since defended his belt with a submission against Daniel Straus and is now set to defend his title against Georgi Karakhanyan, an opponent he has already knocked out.

Marcos Galvao

Bellator.com

Division: Bantamweight

Title Defenses: 0

Next Bout: TBD

Until March, Marcos Galvao had never won more than three MMA bouts in a row, and that is what he needed to do in order to capture the bantamweight championship.

Standing in Galvao's way was Joe Warren, who had beaten the Brazilian in April 2011. However, Galvao was able to avenge that loss at Bellator 135. In the second round, Galvao cranked on a leg lock and forced Warren to yell in pain, resulting in a verbal submission.

At 33 years old, it took Galvao a while to reach the top. Given the numerous setbacks throughout his career, it's hard to envision Galvao being consistent enough to stand atop the Bellator MMA division for long.