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UFC champions represent the peak that all MMA fighters try to reach. To capture a UFC title is to enthrone oneself as the best fighter in one's division, while also earning fame and fortune. It is the culmination of a long and arduous journey for most fighters who sign with the promotion.
However, upon capturing the title, most new champions undergo certain changes. The most noticeable change is how they fight. Champions fight more cautiously so as not to take unnecessary risks that might lead to the loss of their titles. Thus, in the eyes of many fans, they become more boring fighters.
Another tangible change is their level of activity. Many champions become less active as fighters compared to when they were merely contenders. Now, they sit and wait for challengers instead of chasing a throne.
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Unfortunately, some champions, past and present, become significantly inactive. They fight with little frequency and a lot of space between their bouts. This list chronicles five of the most inactive champions in the last few years.
#5. Cody Garbdrant, former UFC men's bantamweight champion
It's difficult for many fans to imagine Cody Garbrandt anywhere near a UFC title given his recent run of form. He has won only one fight in his last six bouts, with four of his losses being knockouts. However, in 2016 he was as dominant as a surging contender could have looked.
'No Mercy' was an undefeated power-puncher who had defeated all but one of his 10 foes via KO. He extended his unbeaten streak by soundly beating Dominick Cruz in a manner never seen before at bantamweight. By doing so, he captured the UFC bantamweight title.
Alas, the Team Alpha Male product wasn't destined for a long title reign. Even so, he was terribly inactive. After capturing the title from 'The Dominator', 'No Mercy' only made his first title defense a year later due to injury. To his misfortune, he lost the title to T.J. Dillashaw without ever monuting a successful defense.
#4. Khabib Nurmagomedov, former UFC lightweight champion
Given the mystique that now surrounds Khabib Nurmagomedov, many fans might forget that 'The Eagle' was once one of the most inactive champions in the UFC. The undefeated Dagasteni legend first captured the lightweight title in 2018 in a typically dominant performance against Al Iaquinta.
While his first title defense came months later in the same year against Conor McGregor, his next fights were not spaced out in a similar manner. After defeating the Irishman in October 2018, 'The Eagle' bested Dustin Poirier in September 2019.
After defeating 'The Diamond', the Dagestani grappler faced Justin Gaethje over a year later in October 2020, earning another dominant win.
#3. Robert Whittaker, former UFC middleweight champion
As one of the most skilled middleweights in the world, Robert Whittaker is a stylistic nightmare for most 185'ers not named Israel Adesanya. So it was only natural when he became the UFC middleweight champion after being promoted from being an interim titleholder.
However, 'The Reaper' was not an active champion. He captured interim gold against Yoel Romero in July 2017 before being promoted to the undisputed champion. His first title defense only came in June of 2018. Afterwards, his third bout as a champion came a little over a year later in October 2019.
He lost the title in spectacular fashion to Israel Adesanya, but remains a staple of the middleweight division and a constant threat to the throne.
#2. Stipe Miocic, former UFC heavyweight champion
The most successful heavyweight champion in the UFC is also one of the promotion's most inactive fighters. Stipe Miocic first captured the 265 lbs title against Fabricio Werdum in 2016. That same year, he made his first title defense against Alistair Overeem in September.
In March of 2017, he defeated Junior dos Santos before only fighting again in January 2018 when he overcame future titleholder Francis Ngannou. Later in July, he lost his title to Daniel Cormier before challenging him for heavyweight supremacy more than a year later in August 2019.
Miocic emerged victorious and faced 'DC' in a rematch a year later in 2020. After defeating him for a second time, the part-time firefighter crossed swords with another past foe a year later. He crossed swords with Ngannou in a losing effort in 2021, suffering a second-round KO loss.
#1. Conor McGregor, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion
Conor McGregor made history when he became the first simultaneous two-division champion in the UFC. He also earned the right to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a lucrative boxing match that reportedly earned the Irishman $100 million. Unfortunately, his unprecedented success came at the cost of two divisions.
In December 2015, 'The Notorious' stunned the MMA world by defeating José Aldo via first-round KO in 13 seconds. A year later in November, he defeated Eddie Alvarez via second-round TKO to capture lightweight gold. However, after attempting no featherweight title defenses, he was stripped of the 145 lbs title.
In 2018, he was similarly stripped of his lightweight title after two years of inactivity. It's a tale that's always followed McGregor's career. He captured titles but never defended them as he did the same during his time at Cage Warriors.
