History of UFC Bantamweight Champions: All Title Holders

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Aljamain Sterling, of Jamaica, before a bantamweight title bout against Henry Cejudo at the UFC 288 mixed martial arts event.

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Anatoly Pimentel @AnatolyPimentel Mar 13, 2024, 8:23 PM

Dominick Cruz was the longest-reigning UFC bantamweight champion, spanning over three years.
Renan Barão had the shortest reign, lasting only four months.
Cruz and Dillashaw were the only two-time UFC bantamweight champions in history.

The UFC bantamweight is one of the most stacked divisions in the promotion, with stars like Sean O’Malley, Merab Dvalishvili, Petr Yan, and Marlon Vera spearheading the weight class. These fighters are also perpetual favourites among fans when looking at the MMA odds board.

SEAN O'MALLEY KNOCKS OUT ALJAMAIN STERLING 😱

WE HAVE A NEW BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMP #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/imITCioq49

— UFC (@ufc) August 20, 2023

But there were previous champions who paved the way for them. Starting off with Dominick Cruz, who was the first UFC bantamweight champion. He carried over his reign from the WEC when the two fight organizations merged in 2011.

He was followed by Renan Barão, who captured the title in January 2014, but only served a brief four-month stint as champion before T.J. Dillashaw took over in May of the same year. Cruz returned from his sabbatical to reclaim his championship belt in December 2016.

“The Dominator” was defeated by Cody Garbrandt in December 2016 after an 11-month supremacy and had the same tenure as his predecessor. After beating Garbrandt in November 2017, Dillashaw became the second fighter in the division’s history to become a two-time champion.

Since then, four different fighters have etched their names as the UFC bantamweight champions: Henry Cejudo, Yan, Aljamain Sterling, and O’Malley, passing on the golden belt in a span of four years.