The 20 Worst Champions In UFC History
The UFC is full of great, legendary champions.
Names like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva and Georges St.-Pierre come quickly to mind. Their talent is unquestioned, their skill has been obvious, some have had jaw-dropping wins and others like Silva have snatched a victory just when it seemed like they would lose.
But what about the worst? What about those fighters who won titles that left you going, "Huh?" Many claimed, for example, that when Brock Lesnar became heavyweight champion that his reign wouldn't last. He wasn't as skilled as other fighters, and wouldn't have a chance when he finally faced a savvy heavyweight. Lesnar, of course, recently lost his title to Cain Velasquez.
Does Brock belong on this list? Time to find out. Here are the top 20 worst champions in UFC history:
20. Forrest Griffin
1 of 20
It's tough to even mention it, considering Griffin (17-6) is one of the sport's good guys and all his fights are extremely entertaining. He did win on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, and has wins over Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson, the latter of which gave him the UFC light heavyweight championship. Griffin's reign didn't last, though, as he lost in his first defense to Rashad Evans.
Of course, many will remember the fight after that when Spider Silva blasted him and Griffin ran out of the octagon.
A great talent, a fun fighter, but great champion? I think it's debatable unfortunately.
19. Rashad Evans
2 of 20
He dropped Chuck Liddell, and took Forrest Griffin's light heavyweight title. But Evans (20-1-1) couldn't even defend it, and lost to Lyoto Machida. He's won twice since, and many were probably glad when he defeated Rampage in May, but is he impressive enough to belong up with the greats?
18. Lyoto Machida
3 of 20
It's not that Machida is a bad fighter, but by now there's just too many questions. Two years ago, he had a dominating win over Tito Ortiz, and followed that up with wins over Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans. But he split with Shogun Rua, then just lost to Rampage in November.
Is he just going through a tough stretch? Is he a little overrated, or somewhere in the middle? The fact that these questions can even be asked prove he deserves to go on here.
17. Rampage
4 of 20
Here's what's frustrating with Rampage: Everyone knows he's a talented fighter. He showed it against Liddell, and most recently against Machida. But then when you see losses to fighters like Rashad Evans, you're left thinking, "He could've won that!"
Let's see if he can use the win over Machida to grow and improve even more. When his heart's into it, Rampage is incredible.
16. Oleg Taktarov
5 of 20
Back in the early days of the UFC, there were tournaments used to determine champions. Taktarov won UFC 6 in 1995, and would face some of the sport's most notable fighters, but never got that one incredible victory.
15. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6 of 20
He won the interim heavyweight title in 2008, but his reign lasted only 10 months and he suffered a loss to Frank Mir that December. Nogueira's got ability, and has faced talented opponents like Fedor and Cain Velasquez. But his only notable wins have been over Josh Barnett and Tim Sylvia.
Nothing that's going to elicit tons of amazement from most fight fans.
14. Murilo Bustamante
7 of 20
He won the UFC middleweight title in 2002, and made one defense, but then joined Pride in 2003 and took a fight on short notice, losing to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Bustamante had a career record of 14-8-1.
13. Brock Lesnar
8 of 20
Sure he's massive and can pound away on opponents, but Lesnar's been a polarizing figure since he joined the UFC. Some liked seeing the former pro wrestler keep winning, others could never take him seriously no matter what. Lesnar needs to show dramatic improvement in his coming fights, or fans will always remember him just as that guy who got lucky.
12. Jens Pulver
9 of 20
He won the lightweight championship in 2001, and made two defenses, including a victory over BJ Penn. But one big win doesn't cut it. Pulver (22-14-1) left the UFC and later rejoined the organization as a coach on TUF 5, then bolted for the WEC.
11. Frank Mir
10 of 20
He beat Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title in 2004, but a motorcycle accident kept him out of the octagon for two years. Mir (14-5) came back and suffered two losses in his 2006 return, but then followed that with wins over Brock Lesnar and Antonio Nogueira. All that went out the window, however, when he lost to Lesnar in a 2009 rematch and was knocked out in March by Shane Carwin.
10. Sean Sherk
11 of 20
He became lightweight champ in 2006, but had his title stripped after testing positive for steroids. Sherk made one defense, but then lost his title for good to BJ Penn in 2008. He is 2-1 since, his only loss coming to current lightweight champ Frankie Edgar.
9. Matt Serra
12 of 20
Give him credit. Serra did beat GSP in 2007 for the welterweight championship, but that was a fluke. St.-Pierre won the rematch, landing only three strikes to 43 from GSP. He then lost a decision to Matt Hughes in May, 2009.
8. Kenichi Yamamoto
13 of 20
Who, you say? Exactly. Yamamoto apparently won the middleweight title back in 1999, but lost the following year to Pat Miletich by submission.
7. Josh Barnett
14 of 20
He won the heavyweight championship in 2002, but the reason he's this high is for testing positive three separate times for steroids. Despite an impressive record, the hint of steroid use taints his accomplishments and brings into question if his wins came legitimately.
6. Mark Kerr
15 of 20
The heavyweight champion in 1997, here's the basics for Kerr: He had a career record of 15-11, and left the UFC for Pride.
5. Kevin Randleman
16 of 20
He won the heavyweight title in 1999 and made one defense but then lost it to Randy Couture. Randleman then dropped down to light heavyweight but that didn't matter: He lost to Chuck Liddell in his first fight.
4. Carlos Newton
17 of 20
He won the welterweight title in 2001, but lost it in his first defense to Matt Hughes. The two had a rematch, and Hughes beat him again. Newton finished with a career record of 15-14.
3. Dave Menne
18 of 20
Menne became the middleweight champ in 2001, but lost his title in January, 2002. He never faired well in the UFC, and promptly left to fight in other organizations.
2. Maurice Smith
19 of 20
He pulled off a stunning upset in 1997 for the heavyweight title and made one defense before losing to Randy Couture. Smith, who also was a professional kickboxer, had a career record of 13-14 in MMA.
1. Tim Sylvia
20 of 20
He won the heavyweight title in 2003, but then was forced to give it back after testing positive for steroids. Sylvia won it again in 2006 and made two defenses - the last a lackluster fight with Jeff Monson - before losing to Randy Couture in 2007.
Of course, then came the recent fight with Fedor.
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