5 UFC champions who won their titles in controversial circumstances

#4. Matt Hughes – UFC welterweight title (2001)

Matt Hughes' welterweight title was one of the most bizarre in MMA history.

When Carlos Newton unseated longtime UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich at the start of 2001, it felt like the division had found a brand new poster boy to build around. Newton was young, exciting and charismatic, and he looked like a superstar.

However, less than a year after claiming the title, ‘The Ronin’ was dethroned in truly controversial circumstances, ironically by Miletich’s protege Matt Hughes. Newton and Hughes went to war in what was an instant classic title fight. Despite taking some nasty body slams from the challenger, as the bout ticked into the second round, Newton appeared to be easing into control.

Hughes took the champion down again in the early going of that round, but this time, ‘The Ronin’ suckered him in and locked up a tight triangle choke. The challenger attempted to pull his head free, but the hold was locked on too tightly. So instead, he decided to take a risk, lifting Newton into the air and walking him over to the fence, where he essentially propped ‘The Ronin’ up.

Newton was unwilling to release the hold, and kept squeezing as it became clear Hughes was fading into unconsciousness. As he passed out, though, and dropped to the floor, Newton fell with him and struck his head on the canvas.

Incredibly, both men were left out cold. As Hughes somehow came around first, he was declared the winner and new champion in one of the craziest finishes in the promotion’s history.

To say the call was controversial would be an understatement, so it came as no surprise to see a rematch signed a year later. In that bout, though, Hughes left no doubt, dominating ‘The Ronin’ en route to fourth-round TKO to cement himself as the undisputed champion.

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#3. Germaine de Randamie – UFC featherweight title (2017)

Germaine de Randamie's title win over Holly Holm saw some questionable calls from the referee.

When the UFC announced they’d be introducing a women’s featherweight title in early 2017, the logical bout for the inaugural title seemed to be a clash between top-ranked 145 lber Cris Cyborg and former bantamweight queen Holly Holm.

However, when the promotion failed to come to terms with Cyborg, she was replaced by kickboxer Germaine de Randamie. The latter's clash with Holm was booked to headline UFC 208.

While the bout pitted two of the promotion’s more highly credentialed strikers against one another, it turned out to be a largely disappointing fight with a distinct lack of action. In fact, the most telling blows of the fight came from De Randamie, but not under regular circumstances.

Both the second and the third rounds of the fight saw ‘The Iron Lady’ hurt Holm badly with punches that clearly came after the buzzer had signalled to end the stanza. However, for reasons known only to himself, referee Todd Anderson failed to deduct a point from the Dutchwoman.

The fight ended up going the distance, and De Randamie was awarded a tight decision with scores of 48-47 across the board. Had she been deducted points for her infractions, though, Holm would undoubtedly have been declared the winner and champion.

Thankfully for the promotion, De Randamie’s controversial reign as champion didn’t last long. She was stripped of her title later in 2017 for refusing to face Cyborg, largely rendering her clash with Holm and subsequent time as champion pointless.