5 UFC title reigns that were widely hated by the fans

#2, Tyron Woodley – UFC welterweight title (2016-2019)

Tyron Woodley's reign as welterweight champ was widely panned due to some dull title defenses

Unlike champions like Matt Serra and Germaine de Randamie, Tyron Woodley was able to make a number of defenses of his UFC welterweight title during his three years as champion. Unfortunately, that didn’t make his title reign any more popular with the fans.

Woodley was always a bit of a surprise champion as he unseated Robbie Lawler for the gold in the summer of 2016 after spending over a year on the shelf. In all honesty, it wasn’t his fault that a number one contender’s bout with Johny Hendricks was canceled when Hendricks failed to make weight. His knockout of Lawler was also an astonishing one.

However, it also turned out to be the high point of his reign as champion. ‘The Chosen One’ put on his first defense four months after winning the title and went to a draw with top contender Stephen Thompson in a largely entertaining fight.

However, his rematch with ‘Wonderboy’ in early 2017 was widely panned as one of the most dull title bouts in UFC history. His next defense, a five-round win over Demian Maia, was arguably even worse.

Woodley’s fourth defense, a submission win over Darren Till, was far more impressive, but even that garnered criticism because most fans felt he should’ve been fighting Colby Covington rather than ‘The Gorilla’.

By the time Kamaru Usman unseated ‘The Chosen One’ in March 2019, most fans had become more than tired of Woodley’s title reign. Although that could be seen as unfair given the number of defenses he managed, it was hard to dispute the poor quality of his title bouts with Thompson and Maia.

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#1. Tim Sylvia – UFC heavyweight title (2006-2007)

UFC fans turned on Tim Sylvia altogether after his dull bout with Andrei Arlovski

Despite the reign taking place well over a decade ago, it’s safe to say that longtime UFC fans have never really forgotten quite how hated Tim Sylvia’s time as heavyweight champion was.

The reign was so widely disliked, in fact, that it turned ‘The Maine-Iac’ from a fan favorite into a fighter with a largely damaged reputation.

In hindsight, it’s a little tricky to understand quite why Sylvia’s reign garnered so much hatred. After all, it only lasted for a short period – just eleven months to be exact – and he won the title in one of the most entertaining title bouts in the promotion’s history.

‘The Maine-Iac’ recovered from a heavy knockdown to surprise then-champion Andrei Arlovski with a short uppercut that switched off his lights, ending his reign as champion in a flash. The UFC decided to put together a third bout between the two rivals and that proved to be the turning point for Sylvia and his reign.

Both ‘The Maine-Iac’ and Arlovski fought in a safety-first, almost nervous manner, refusing to really engage in the fight due to the wariness of their opponent’s punching power. The fight petered out to a five-round decision, which Sylvia edged, allowing him to keep the title.

The dull bout was enough to cause the fans to turn on ‘The Maine-Iac’ entirely. When he put on another largely uneventful defense against Jeff Monson a couple of months later, he garnered even more hatred.

The UFC then intended for him to defend for a third time against top contender Gabriel Gonzaga, but the fan response to the possible fight was so toxic that the promotion nixed the idea. Instead, it brought Randy Couture out of retirement to challenge him.

Couture duly defeated Sylvia, ending the title reign and adding to his own legend in the process. For the most part, fans were more relieved than anything else, as one of the most widely disliked title reigns in UFC history was over.