Who has the most title defenses in UFC?

Title fights are perhaps one of the most fun and hyped Main events to look forward to. They often involve prominent UFC fighters and are accompanied by a lot of hype and build-up before the deciding bout takes place.

Defending titles is hard in the UFC, and this is why the people who have succeeded time and again are hailed as legends. Today, Casino Guru News seeks to answer who has the most title defences in the UFC and how they came to achieve this.

Title defense by a fighter in the UFC

The current record holder for the most title defenses goes to Jon Jones, who has fought and won 13. Demetrious Johnson and Anderson Silva are both close seconds with 11 and 10 successful title defense fights, respectively.

Who are the fighters behind the most title defenses in the UFC?

Here is a quick overview of the fighters and the role that title defenses played in establishing them as some of the most accomplished UFC stars.

Jones Jones

Jon Jones is the single most accomplished UFC fighter when it comes to title defenses, although you will see him atop other leaderboards. He is also a current title holder in the heavyweight division. Jones has been the reigning champion since 2011 at UFC 128 when he fought and defeated Shogun Rua, and has most recently defended against Stipe Miocic in November 2024 at UFC 309. He has fought 13 times for his current title and is currently the most accomplished title defender in the league.

Demetrious Johnson

While Demetrious Johnson is now retired in the UFC, his overall track record will remain etched in the promotion’s sports annals. Johnson is credited with the longest streak of consecutive title defenses, and his overall title defense record of 11 is not bad at all.

He eventually lost to Henry Cejudo in their rematch at UFC 227 in 2018 and moved to ONE Championship, where he went on to win the ONE Flyweight Grand Prix.

Nevertheless, Johnson is one of the longest-standing title holders in the UFC, having defeated numerous opponents, among whom are Chris Cariaso, Kyoji Horiguchi, Tim Elliot, and others. He fought in the flyweight division.

Anderson Silva

Now, Anderson Silva is a name that you are bound to know if you are even remotely interested in the UFC or have heard about a game called Aviator. Either way, Silva is among the fighters with the most title defenses in the UFC. He claimed the middleweight belt all the way back in 2006 when he won against Rich Franklin at UFC 64.

Silva then went on to defeat several fighters, including Rich Franklin, Vitor Belfort, and Demian Maia, but none of them was successful. "Spider," as Silva is known among UFC aficionados, though, did meet his match in the face of Chris Weidman, who successfully knocked Silva out in a surprise upset in the second round of UFC 162 in 2013. The title was thus passed onto Weidman.

Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre started his winning streak with a rematch against Matt Serra in 2008. He had lost his middleweight belt a year before that in 2007, but was able to claim it back in 2008. After that success, St-Pierre really pulled in the work and managed to fight off contenders nine times before he renounced it and went on an extended break from the sport.

He did win it back, however, upon his return in 2017 against Michael Bisping, whose fight was the largest PPV Canadian bout at the time, surpassing even Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor. St-Pierre vacated his title 34 days after, citing medical complications and personal health issues.

Valentina Shevchenko

Valentina Shevchenko is another prominent fighter. She recently defeated Zhang Weili, a former two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion, but she is no longer defending the flyweight title as of today.

After winning the belt in 2018 at UFC 231, Shevchenko has gone on a tear, defending the belt against other respected MMA fighters, including Liz Carmouche, Katlyn Chookagian, and Lauren Murphy, among others.

She eventually lost the belt to Alexa Grasso at UFC Fight Night 227 in 2023. Still, her successful title defense is worthy of respect.

Title fights in the UFC - the top performers

Before we take a closer look at who holds the record for most title defenses, it’s not a bad idea to check what fighters have shown up the most in title matches to begin with.

These are the fighters who have participated in the most fights involving a title challenge or defense, and not necessarily the number of title defenses.

Are title defenses in the UFC difficult?

It is agreed by and large that title defenses in the UFC can be relatively challenging. While many fighters can successfully dominate against opponents in title defenses, the UFC is a swingy sport in which an errant hit could put out even a more accomplished fighter.

Because of this, defending a title successfully in the UFC is an exceptional feat, to speak nothing of the fighters who have gone on to do so multiple times over the years.

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