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The UFC is a physically demanding place to be that needs its athletes to be in top shape. Naturally, by the time fighters reach their mid-thirties, they mull hanging up their gloves for good. This holds even truer in the case of fighters in lighter divisions.
That being said, some MMA fighters keep competing at the highest level even in their thirties and beyond. In fact, many athletes have gone on to conquer UFC gold at an age where their colleagues can only think of nursing their medical conditions.
In this article, we look at the five oldest fighters to have won a UFC championship title:
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#5 Michael Bisping (37 years, 3 months)
Michael Bisping was the winner of the third season of The Ultimate Fighter. Following his rise onto the big stage, Bisping enjoyed quite a successful MMA career. However, some of his most significant victories came during the later stages of his career.
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Michael Bisping's last three wins, which came against Anderson Silva, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson, were the most important wins of his whole career. These came just a year before his retirement.
When Bisping defeated Luke Rockhold to become the UFC middleweight champion, he was already three months past his 37th birthday, making him one of the oldest UFC fighters to win a title.
#4 Jan Blachowicz (37 years, 7 months)
When Jan Blachowicz lost to Patrick Cummins at UFC 210 in 2017, he was 1-4 in his last five fights. On the verge of being cut by UFC president Dana White, Blachowicz bounced back to give the world a taste of 'Polish Power'. Since UFC 210, he has gone 9-1 and is the current UFC light heavyweight champion.
Jan Blachowicz defeated Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 in September 2020 to win the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship. He then went on to defend his title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 259 in 2021.
When Blachowicz defeated Reyes at UFC 253, he was five months away from his 38th birthday. He defended his title against 'Izzy' barely a month after turning 38. He is the first-ever Polish man to win UFC gold and one of the oldest UFC fighters to win a title.
Also see here: Complete List of Current UFC Champions
#3 Fabricio Werdum (37 years, 11 months)
Fabricio Werdum entered the spotlight after defeating MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce, snapping the Russian fighter's 28-fight winning streak. After that impressive performance, Werdum re-entered UFC in 2012 and proved his potential with three straight wins.
Fabricio Werdum initially defeated Mark Hunt at UFC 180 to win the interim heavyweight championship. He then faced off against Cain Velasquez in an attempt to unify the UFC heavyweight title. At UFC 180, Werdum shocked MMA fans and experts alike when he submitted Cain Velasquez to become the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
When Werdum defeated Velasquez to win UFC gold, he was just one month away from his 38th birthday, making him one of the oldest fighters to win a UFC title. Fabricio Werdum's last UFC fight was in 2020 when he was 42 years old. The former UFC champ is now competing in the PFL.
#2 Daniel Cormier (39 years, 3 months)
Former Olympic wrestler and current UFC analyst and commentator Daniel Cormier is the second-oldest champion in UFC history. 'DC' won the UFC light heavyweight championship at UFC 187 against Anthony Johnson in 2015. After enjoying his reign as UFC light heavyweight champion for nearly three years, Cormier moved up to the heavyweight division.
Daniel Cormier faced off against one of the most successful heavyweight champions in UFC in 2018 and went on to dethrone him. When 'DC' defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 to become the UFC heavyweight champion, he was three months past his 39th birthday.
Daniel Cormier's reign as heavyweight champ ended rather quickly when he rematched against Stipe Miocic at UFC 241. However, he not only became one of the very few UFC fighters to hold two titles simultaneously but also one of the oldest UFC fighters to win a championship title.
#1 Randy Couture (43 years, 8 months)
Randy Couture is a UFC Hall of Famer who has had a much-celebrated MMA career. The former Olympic wrestler and six-time former UFC champion defeated MMA legends like Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, and Chuck Liddell during his prime.
However, Randy Couture is even more interesting because he is the oldest fighter in history to win a UFC championship title. When he defeated Tim Sylvia in 2007 to win the UFC heavyweight title for the third and final time, he was four months away from his 44th birthday.
Along with getting a ton of accolades to his name, Randy Couture also bagged the achievement of being the senior-most champion in UFC history by a fair margin.
