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A UFC champion represents the peak of success in mixed martial arts. Most MMA fighters dream of signing with the promotion to eventually enthrone themselves as their division's resident titleholder. But, it is an accomplishment achieved by a rare few.
Winning the belt is a difficult endeavor, it usually requires building an impressive-enough win streak over increasingly tougher opposition to catch the promotion's attention. But defending a title is even more difficult. Champions are studied by every fighter and every coach who aims to dethrone them.
Some champions, however, have thwarted so many attempts to defeat them that their division is almost deprived of strong contenders, barring maybe one or two fighters. Yet those one or two fighters are all that's needed for a champion to lose, and this list goes over five such cases.
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#5. Valentina Shevchenko's reign as the UFC women's flyweight champion
Valentina Shevchenko lost her women's flyweight title to Alexa Grasso in one of the greatest upsets in WMMA history when the two women squared off at UFC 285. However, before their bout, the prevailing thought was that were almost no significant challenges left for Shevchenko at 125 pounds.
She had racked up seven consecutive title defenses, defeating nearly every notable name in the division. Some even labeled her as a perfect fighter with no technical vulnerabilities. The division was notoriously thin at the time, such that talks of a bout outside of 125 lbs began to take place.
The thought of a trilogy fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes became the talk of the town due to the lack of credible challengers she had left. That, however, changed when Alexa Grasso proved to the world that she was not an overmatched foe but a reality check for Shevchenko.
#4. Kamaru Usman's reign as the UFC welterweight champion
No welterweight has been able to match the accomplishments of the legendary Georges St-Pierre. One, however, came close. At one stage during his welterweight championship reign, Kamaru Usman was considered the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.
He had the most consecutive wins in UFC welterweight history and had defended his title five times, defeating the likes of Colby Covington (2x), Gilbert Burns, and Jorge Masvidal (2x). No one else seemed like a compelling challenger besides Leon Edwards, who was on a lengthy unbeaten streak and had lost to him in the past.
Meanwhile, Khamzat Chimaev quickly fell out of favor when he missed weight for a bout with Nate Diaz, Belal Muhammad had no wins over top fighters, and everyone else was ranked too low. Kamau Usman even spoke about moving to light heavyweight and boxing Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez.
However, a well-timed Leon Edwards head kick brought Usman back down to Earth at UFC 278, and a subsequent loss in their trilogy fight kept him grounded.
#3. Israel Adesanya's first reign as the UFC middleweight champion
Israel Adesanya had the mystique of an undefeated fighter for most of his MMA career. 'The Last Stylebender' came into the UFC with an impressive kickboxing record. The narrative was that no one could contend with his striking, and for a long time, that seemed to be the case.
He chinned Robert Whittaker in the second round to capture middleweight gold and had a stranglehold on the belt as he handed losses to Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker again, and Jared Cannonier. So what of the other 185-pounders in his division?
They were either ranked too low or had already lost to him before he ever became a champion. The middleweight division started looking thin, but then a ghost from Israel Adesanya's past emerged in the form of Alex Pereira. The Brazilian flatlined Sean Strickland and earned a title fight and TKO'd his rival in a comeback win at UFC 281.
Adesanya was no longer undefeated as a middleweight, just when it looked like he would never lose in the weight class. While he regained his title in a rematch, his mortality was unveiled for everyone to see.
#2. Ronda Rousey's reign as the UFC women's bantamweight champion
The peak of Ronda Rousey's career was unlike anything the sport has ever seen. She was a global sensation that drew countless men and women who would have otherwise never paid MMA any attention. There was good reason behind the fanfare. She was the first American female judoka to win an Olympic medal.
Secondly, she was the women's bantamweight champion. Her record was a spotless 12-0 and she had finished every single one of her opponents in furious fashion, ranging from her trademark armbars to her quick knockouts. She was on top of the world and the 135-pound division was devoid of challengers.
She had beaten everyone of note, and the UFC even began signing women from other promotions, with the intention of fast-tracking them to a title fight, as was the case with Sara McMann, who faced 'Rowdy' after just one UFC fight. Holly Holm was a similar case, fighting Ronda Rousey in just her third UFC fight.
She was meant to be a lamb prepared for slaughter. Instead, she dismantled 'Rowdy' with great ease before knocking her out in the second round in one of the biggest MMA upsets of all time.
#1. Amanda Nunes' first reign as the UFC women's bantamweight champion
Amanda Nunes' list of accomplishments is dizzying. First, she has defeated every single UFC champion there has ever been at women's featherweight and women's bantamweight. Furthermore, she also beat former flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko on two separate occasions.
She was and remains the only female double champion, and holds numerous records based on wins and finishes. From 2015 to early 2021, she went on an unprecedented tear, embarking on a 12-fight win streak that ranks as the most consecutive wins in UFC women's history.
By the time UFC 269 came along, she had almost cleaned out the entire division, such that her next title challenger was someone with a one-fight win streak: Julianna Peña. There was simply no one else, but that's also because there didn't need to be, for 'The Venezuelan Vixen' defied the odds with an all-time great win.
At UFC 269, she choked out Nunes to enthrone herself as the 135-pound champion. While she lost the pair's immediate rematch, it gave hope to everyone facing an insurmountable foe in the sport.
