List of Bellator MMA champions

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Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class.

At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded Bellator Fighting Championships as a tournament based organization. The inaugural champion for each weight class was determined by the winner of an eight-man tournament. All subsequent title challengers were required to first win an eight-man tournament in a specific weight class in order to earn the right to challenge that division's reigning champion. Dethroned champions were required to re-enter the tournaments in order to attempt to regain their title. Under Bjorn Rebney's sole leadership, Bellator MMA would strictly adhere to these rules during the first four years of its operation.

The first changes to this format would begin to appear not long after Viacom, Inc. purchased a controlling stake in the organization.[1] In November 2012, CEO Bjorn Rebney announced the introduction of a "championship rematch clause". This would allow Bellator to schedule an immediate title-fight rematch if officials deemed the fight necessary.[2] The next major change occurred during Bellator's 2013 Summer Series when it was announced that all three tournaments would be shorter, four-man affairs instead of the standard eight.[3] Though originally stated to return to the eight-man only tournaments afterwards, officials instead decided to add two additional four-man tournaments to the existing tournament lineup in an effort to provide a more consistent flow of title challengers for their champions to face.[4]

Two additional rule changes would be announced. The first was the "tournament champion replacement clause" introduced in August 2013. This allowed officials to grant title shots to replacement fighters when tournament winners were injured, or otherwise unavailable, through a complex voting and points system.[5] Then, in June 2014, CEO Bjorn Rebney made an announcement stating that any fighter who had previously won a Bellator tournament would maintain permanent eligibility to fight for a title without having to re-enter another tournament.[6] Neither of these changes would ever be implemented, however, as one week later Bellator MMA and its founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted ways, bringing about an end to the organization's tournament based model.[7][8]

Current champions

Men[9]
Division Champion Since Defenses
Heavyweight United States Ryan Bader Jan 26, 2019 2
Light Heavyweight Russia Vadim Nemkov Aug 21, 2020 2
Middleweight United States Johnny Eblen June 24, 2022 0
Welterweight Ukraine Yaroslav Amosov Jun 11, 2021 0
United States Logan Storley (ic) May 13, 2022 0
Lightweight Brazil Patricky Pitbull Nov 5, 2021 0
Featherweight Brazil Patrício Pitbull Apr 15, 2022 0
Bantamweight United States Sergio Pettis May 7, 2021 1
United States Raufeon Stots (ic) April 23, 2022 0
Women[9]
Division Champion Since Defenses
Women's Featherweight Brazil Cris Cyborg Jan 25, 2020 4
Women's Flyweight United States Liz Carmouche Apr 22, 2022 0

Men's championship history

Heavyweight World Championship

206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Cole Konrad
def. Neil Grove 		Bellator 32
Kansas City, MO, USA 		October 14, 2010 699 days 1. def. Eric Prindle at Bellator 70 on May 25, 2012
Konrad vacated the title on September 12, 2012 when he retired from MMA competition.[10]
2 Russia Alexander Volkov
def. Rich Hale 		Bellator 84
Hammond, IN, USA 		December 14, 2012 337 days
3 Russia Vitaly Minakov Bellator 108
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		November 15, 2013 911 days 1. def. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 115 on April 4, 2014
Minakov was stripped of the title on May 14, 2016 after failing to make title defenses.[11]
4 United States Ryan Bader
def. Fedor Emelianenko 		Bellator 214
Inglewood, CA, USA 		January 26, 2019 1985 days
(incumbent) 		NC. vs. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 226 on September 7, 2019
1. def. interim champion Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 273 on January 29, 2022
2. def. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 280 on May 6, 2022
- Russia Valentin Moldavsky
def. Timothy Johnson for the interim title 		Bellator 261
Uncasville, CT, USA 		June 25, 2021 —

Light Heavyweight World Championship

186 to 205 lbs (84 to 93 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Democratic Republic of the Congo Christian M'Pumbu
def. Rich Hale 		Bellator 45
Lake Charles, LA, USA 		May 21, 2011 650 days
2 Slovakia Attila Végh Bellator 91
Rio Rancho, NM, USA 		February 28, 2013 387 days
- United States Emanuel Newton
def. Muhammed Lawal for interim title 		Bellator 106
Long Beach, CA, USA 		November 2, 2013 —
3 United States Emanuel Newton Bellator 113
Mulvane, KS, USA 		March 21, 2014 343 days 1. def. Joey Beltran at Bellator 124 on September 12, 2014
2. def. Linton Vassell at Bellator 130 on October 24, 2014
4 England Liam McGeary Bellator 134
Uncasville, CT, USA 		February 27, 2015 617 days 1. def. Tito Ortiz at Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 on September 19, 2015
5 United States Phil Davis Bellator 163
Uncasville, CT, USA 		November 4, 2016 232 days
6 United States Ryan Bader Bellator 180
New York City, NY, USA 		June 24, 2017 1155 days 1. def. Linton Vassell at Bellator 186 on November 3, 2017
7 Russia Vadim Nemkov Bellator 244
Uncasville, CT, USA 		August 21, 2020 1412 days
(incumbent) 		1. def. Phil Davis at Bellator 257 on April 16, 2021
2. def. Julius Anglickas at Bellator 268 on October 16, 2021
NC. vs. Corey Anderson at Bellator 277 on April 15, 2022

Middleweight World Championship

171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Cuba Héctor Lombard
def. Jared Hess 		Bellator 12
Hollywood, FL, USA 		June 19, 2009 1,040 days 1. def. Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 34 on October 28, 2010
Lombard vacated the title on April 24, 2012 when he left Bellator for the UFC.[12]
2 Russia Alexander Shlemenko
def. Maiquel Falcão 		Bellator 88
Duluth, GA, USA 		February 7, 2013 597 days 1. def. Brett Cooper at Bellator 98 on September 7, 2013
2. def. Doug Marshall at Bellator 109 on November 22, 2013
3. def. Brennan Ward at Bellator 114 on March 28, 2014
3 United States Brandon Halsey Bellator 126
Phoenix, AZ, USA 		September 26, 2014 230 days
Halsey was stripped of the title on May 14, 2015 after failing to make weight for his Bellator 137 title defense. Halsey defeated Kendall Grove in a catchweight (188 lbs) bout in which the title was at stake for Grove only[13]
4 Brazil Rafael Carvalho
def. Brandon Halsey 		Bellator 144
Uncasville, CT, USA 		October 23, 2015 945 days 1. def. Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 155 on May 20, 2016
2. def. Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 176 on April 8, 2017
3. def. Alessio Sakara at Bellator 190 on December 9, 2017
5 Netherlands Gegard Mousasi Bellator 200
London, United Kingdom 		May 25, 2018 394 days 1. def. Rory MacDonald at Bellator 206 on September 29, 2018
6 United States Rafael Lovato Jr. Bellator 223
London, United Kingdom 		June 22, 2019 233 days
Lovato vacated the title on February 10, 2020 when it was revealed he had been diagnosed with a cerebral cavernoma.[14]
7 Netherlands Gegard Mousasi (2)
def. Douglas Lima 		Bellator 250
Uncasville, CT, USA 		October 29, 2020 604 days 1. def. John Salter at Bellator 264 on August 13, 2021
2. def. Austin Vanderford at Bellator 275 on February 25, 2022
8 United States Johnny Eblen Bellator 282
Uncasville, CT, USA 		June 24, 2022 740 days
(incumbent)

Welterweight World Championship

156 to 170 lbs (70 to 77 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Lyman Good
def. Omar de la Cruz 		Bellator 11
Uncasville, CT, USA 		June 12, 2009 485 days
2 United States Ben Askren Bellator 33
Philadelphia, PA, USA 		October 21, 2010 1,120 days 1. def. Jay Hieron at Bellator 56 on October 29, 2011
2. def. Douglas Lima at Bellator 64 on April 6, 2012
3. def. Karl Amoussou at Bellator 86 on January 24, 2013
4. def. Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 97 on July 31, 2013
Askren vacated the title on November 14, 2013 when he left Bellator for the ONE FC.[15]
3 Brazil Douglas Lima
def. Rick Hawn 		Bellator 117
Council Bluffs, IA, USA 		April 18, 2014 455 days
4 Russia Andrey Koreshkov Bellator 140
Uncasville, CT, USA 		July 17, 2015 482 days 1. def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 153 on April 22, 2016
5 Brazil Douglas Lima (2) Bellator 164
Tel Aviv, Israel 		November 10, 2016 437 days
(892 days) 		1. def. Lorenz Larkin at Bellator NYC on June 24, 2017
6 Canada Rory MacDonald Bellator 192
Inglewood, CA, USA 		January 20, 2018 644 days 1. drew with Jon Fitch at Bellator 220 on April 27, 2019
2. def. Neiman Gracie at Bellator 222 on June 14, 2019
7 Brazil Douglas Lima (3) Bellator 232
Uncasville, CT, USA 		October 26, 2019 594 days
8 Ukraine Yaroslav Amosov Bellator 260
Uncasville, CT, USA 		June 11, 2021 1118 days
(incumbent)
– United States Logan Storley
def. Michael Page for the interim title 		Bellator 281
London, England 		May 13, 2022 782 days
(incumbent)

Lightweight World Championship

146 to 155 lbs (66 to 70 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Eddie Alvarez
def. Toby Imada 		Bellator 12
Hollywood, FL, USA 		June 19, 2009 883 days 1. def. Pat Curran at Bellator 39 on April 2, 2011
2 United States Michael Chandler Bellator 58
Hollywood, FL, USA 		November 19, 2011 715 days 1. def. Rick Hawn at Bellator 85 on January 17, 2013
2. def. David Rickels at Bellator 97 on July 31, 2013
3 United States Eddie Alvarez (2) Bellator 106
Long Beach, CA, USA 		November 2, 2013 290 days
(1123 days)
- United States Will Brooks
def. Michael Chandler for interim title 		Bellator 120
Southaven, MS, USA 		May 17, 2014 —
Alvarez vacated the title on August 19, 2014 when he left Bellator for the UFC.[16]
Brooks was not promoted to champion, due to his desire not to renew with the event and the possibility of losing the last two champions of the division to a rival organization.[17]
4 United States Will Brooks
def. Michael Chandler for undisputed title 		Bellator 131
San Diego, CA, USA 		November 15, 2014 546 days 1. def. Dave Jansen at Bellator 136 on April 10, 2015
2. def. Marcin Held at Bellator 145 on November 6, 2015
Brooks vacated the title on May 14, 2016 when he left Bellator for the UFC.[11]
5 United States Michael Chandler (2)
def. Patricky Pitbull 		Bellator 157
St. Louis, MO, USA 		June 24, 2016 365 days
(1080 days) 		1. def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 165 on November 19, 2016
6 United States Brent Primus
 Bellator NYC
New York City, NY, USA 		June 24, 2017 539 days
7 United States Michael Chandler (3) Bellator 212
Honolulu, HI, USA 		December 14, 2018 149 days
(1229 days)
8 Brazil Patrício Pitbull Bellator 221
Rosemont, IL, USA 		May 11, 2019 879 days
Patrício vacated the title on October 6, 2021.[18]
9 Brazil Patricky Pitbull
def. Peter Queally 		Bellator 270
Dublin, Ireland 		November 5, 2021 971 days
(incumbent)

Featherweight World Championship

136 to 145 lbs (61 to 66 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Joe Soto
def. Yahir Reyes 		Bellator 10
Ontario, CA, USA 		June 5, 2009 454 days
2 United States Joe Warren Bellator 27
San Antonio, TX, USA 		September 2, 2010 554 days
3 United States Pat Curran Bellator 60
Hammond, IN, USA 		March 9, 2012 604 days 1. def. Patrício Pitbull at Bellator 85 on Jan 17, 2013
2. def. Shahbulat Shamhalaev at Bellator 95 on Apr 4, 2013
4 United States Daniel Straus Bellator 106
Long Beach, CA, USA 		November 2, 2013 133 days
5 United States Pat Curran (2) Bellator 112
Hammond, IN, USA 		March 14, 2014 176 days
(780 days)
6 Brazil Patrício Pitbull Bellator 123
Uncasville, CT, USA 		September 5, 2014 428 days 1. def. Daniel Straus at Bellator 132 on Jan 16, 2015
2. def. Daniel Weichel at Bellator 138 on Jun 19, 2015
7 United States Daniel Straus (2) Bellator 145
St. Louis, MO, USA 		November 6, 2015 532 days
(665 days)
8 Brazil Patrício Pitbull (2) Bellator 178
Uncasville, CT, USA 		April 21, 2017 1562 days
(1990 days) 		1. def. Daniel Weichel at Bellator 203 on Jul 14, 2018
2. def. Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 209 on Nov 15, 2018
3. def. Juan Archuleta at Bellator 228 on Sept 28, 2019
4. def. Pedro Carvalho at Bellator 252 on Nov 12, 2020
5. def. Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 255 on Apr 2, 2021
9 United States A.J. McKee Bellator 263
Inglewood, CA, USA 		July 31, 2021 259 days
10 Brazil Patrício Pitbull (3) Bellator 277
San Jose, CA, USA 		April 15, 2022 810 days
(incumbent) 		1. def. Ádám Borics at Bellator 286 on Oct 1, 2022

Bantamweight World Championship

126 to 135 lbs (57 to 61 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Zach Makovsky
def. Ed West 		Bellator 32
Kansas City, MO, USA 		October 14, 2010 547 days
2 Brazil Eduardo Dantas Bellator 65
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		April 13, 2012 911 days 1. def. Marcos Galvão at Bellator 89 on Feb 14, 2013
2. def. Anthony Leone at Bellator 111 on Mar 8, 2014
- United States Joe Warren
def. Rafael Silva for interim title 		Bellator 118
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		May 2, 2014 —
3 United States Joe Warren Bellator 128
Thackerville, OK, USA 		October 10, 2014 169 days
4 Brazil Marcos Galvão Bellator 135
Thackerville, OK, USA 		March 27, 2015 448 days
5 Brazil Eduardo Dantas (2) Bellator 156
Fresno, CA, USA 		June 17, 2016 477 days
(1338 days) 		1. def. Joe Warren at Bellator 166 on Dec 2, 2016
6 United States Darrion Caldwell Bellator 184
Thackerville, OK, USA 		October 6, 2017 617 days 1. def. Leandro Higo at Bellator 195 on Mar 2, 2018
7 Japan Kyoji Horiguchi Bellator 222
New York City, NY, USA 		June 14, 2019 166 days
Horiguchi vacated the title on November 27, 2019 for the division not to stagnate when he announced he was injured.[19]
8 United States Juan Archuleta
def. Patchy Mix 		Bellator 246
Uncasville, CT, USA 		September 12, 2020 237 days
9 United States Sergio Pettis Bellator 258
Uncasville, CT, USA 		May 7, 2021 1153 days
(incumbent) 		1. def. Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 272 on Dec 3, 2021
- United States Raufeon Stots
def. Juan Archuleta for the interim title 		Bellator 279
Honolulu, HI, USA 		April 23, 2022 —

Women's championship history

Women's Featherweight World Championship

126 pounds (57 kg) to 145 pounds (66 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Canada Julia Budd
def. Marloes Coenen 		Bellator 174
Thackerville, OK, USA 		March 3, 2017 1058 days 1. def. Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017
2. def. Talita Nogueira at Bellator 202 on July 13, 2018
3. def. Olga Rubin at Bellator 224 on July 12, 2019
2 Brazil Cris Cyborg Bellator 238
Inglewood, CA, USA 		January 25, 2020 1621 days
(incumbent) 		1. def. Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 249 on Oct 15, 2020
2. def. Leslie Smith at Bellator 259 on May 21, 2021
3. def. Sinead Kavanagh at Bellator 271 on November 12, 2021
4. def. Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279 on April 23, 2022

Women's Flyweight World Championship

116 pounds (53 kg) to 125 pounds (57 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
def. Emily Ducote 		Bellator 186
University Park, PA, USA 		November 3, 2017 1133 days 1. def. Alejandra Lara at Bellator 201 on June 29, 2018
2. def. Valérie Létourneau at Bellator 213 on December 15, 2018
3. def. Veta Arteaga at Bellator 220 on April 27, 2019
4. def. Kate Jackson at Bellator 236 on December 21, 2019
2 Brazil Juliana Velasquez Bellator 254
Uncasville, CT, USA 		December 10, 2020 498 days 1. def. Denise Kielholtz at Bellator 262 on July 16, 2021
3 United States Liz Carmouche Bellator 278
Honolulu, HI, USA 		April 23, 2022 803 days
(incumbent)

Defunct titles

Women's Strawweight World Championship

Under 115 pounds (52 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Zoila Gurgel
def. Megumi Fujii 		Bellator 34
Hollywood, FL, USA 		October 28, 2010 831 days
Gurgel vacated the title on February 5, 2013 when she sign with Invicta FC. The title was subsequently deactivated.[20]

Tournament winners

Originally, all title challengers were determined through these tournaments with the winners earning the right to challenge the reigning champion at that weight class or, if necessary, be allowed to compete for an interim or vacant title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season One

(April 3, 2009 - June 19, 2009)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Middleweight[1] Cuba Hector Lombard United States Jared Hess Bellator 12 June 19, 2009
Welterweight[2] United States Lyman Good Dominican Republic Omar De La Cruz Bellator 11 June 12, 2009
Lightweight[3] United States Eddie Alvarez United States Toby Imada Bellator 12 June 19, 2009
Featherweight[4] United States Joe Soto Mexico Yahir Reyes Bellator 10 June 5, 2009

^ 1: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Middleweight Champion.
^ 2: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion.
^ 3: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Lightweight Champion.
^ 4: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Featherweight Champion.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Two

(April 8, 2010 - June 24, 2010)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Middleweight Russia Alexander Shlemenko United States Bryan Baker Bellator 23 June 24, 2010
Welterweight United States Ben Askren United States Dan Hornbuckle Bellator 22 June 17, 2010
Lightweight United States Pat Curran United States Toby Imada Bellator 21 June 10, 2010
Featherweight United States Joe Warren Brazil Patrício Pitbull Bellator 23 June 24, 2010

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Three

(August 12, 2010 - October 28, 2010)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight[1] United States Cole Konrad South Africa Neil Grove Bellator 32 October 14, 2010
Bantamweight[2] United States Zach Makovsky Philippines Ed West Bellator 32 October 14, 2010
Women's Strawweight[3] United States Zoila Gurgel Japan Megumi Fujii Bellator 34 October 28, 2010

^ 1: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Heavyweight Champion.
^ 2: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Bantamweight Champion.
^ 3: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Women's Strawweight Champion.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

(March 5, 2011 - May 21, 2011)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight[1] Democratic Republic of the Congo Christian M'Pumbu United States Rich Hale Bellator 45 May 21, 2011
Welterweight United States Jay Hieron United States Rick Hawn Bellator 43 May 7, 2011
Lightweight United States Michael Chandler Brazil Patricky Pitbull Bellator 44 May 14, 2011
Featherweight Brazil Patrício Pitbull United States Daniel Straus Bellator 45 May 21, 2011

^ 1: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion.

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2011 Summer Series

(June 25, 2011 - August 20, 2011)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Featherweight United States Pat Curran (2) Brazil Marlon Sandro Bellator 48 August 20, 2011

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Five

(September 27, 2011 - November 26, 2011)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight[1] United States Eric Prindle Brazil Thiago Santos Bellator 62 March 23, 2012
Middleweight[2] Russia Alexander Shlemenko (2) Brazil Vitor Vianna Bellator 57 November 12, 2011
Welterweight Brazil Douglas Lima United States Ben Saunders Bellator 57 November 12, 2011
Bantamweight Brazil Eduardo Dantas Cuba Alexis Vila Bellator 59 November 26, 2011

^ 1: Following a no contest in the finals at Bellator 59, a rematch between Prindle and Santos was cancelled at Bellator 61, and again at Bellator 62 when Santos was unable to make weight. Prindle was awarded the tournament victory.[21]
^ 2: Shlemenko next faced Season Six tournament winner Maiquel Falcão for the vacant middleweight title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Six

(March 9, 2012 - May 25, 2012)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Middleweight[1] Brazil Maiquel Falcão Sweden Andreas Spång Bellator 69 May 18, 2012
Welterweight France Karl Amoussou United States Bryan Baker Bellator 72 July 20, 2012
Lightweight United States Rick Hawn United States Brent Weedman Bellator 70 May 25, 2012
Featherweight United States Daniel Straus Brazil Marlon Sandro Bellator 68 May 11, 2012
Bantamweight Brazil Marcos Galvão Brazil Luis Nogueira Bellator 73 August 24, 2012

^ 1: Falcão next faced Season Five tournament winner Alexander Shlemenko for the vacant middleweight title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2012 Summer Series

(June 22, 2012 - July 24, 2012)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight Slovakia Attila Vegh United States Travis Wiuff Bellator 73 August 24, 2012

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Seven

(September 28, 2012 - December 14, 2012)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight[1] Russia Alexander Volkov United States Richard Hale Bellator 84 December 14, 2012
Welterweight Russia Andrey Koreshkov United States Lyman Good Bellator 82 November 30, 2012
Lightweight[2] United States Dave Jansen Poland Marcin Held Bellator 93 March 21, 2013
Featherweight Russia Shahbulat Shamhalaev United States Rad Martinez Bellator 90 February 21, 2013

^ 1: Tournament determined the new Bellator Heavyweight champion.
^ 2: After an extended layoff due to injury, Jansen would choose to forfeit his title shot for the opportunity to take an immediate fight upon his return.[22]

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight

(January 17, 2013 - April 4, 2013)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight[1] United States Emanuel Newton Russia Mikhail Zayats Bellator 94 March 28, 2013
Middleweight United States Doug Marshall United States Brett Cooper Bellator 95 April 4, 2013
Welterweight[3] Brazil Douglas Lima (2) United States Ben Saunders Bellator 100 September 20, 2013
Lightweight United States David Rickels United States Saad Awad Bellator 94 March 28, 2013
Featherweight[2] Russia Magomedrasul Khasbulaev United States Mike Richman Bellator 95 April 4, 2013

^ 1: Newton next faced 2013 Summer Series tournament winner Muhammed Lawal for the Interim Light Heavyweight title.
^ 2: After repeated visa issues prevented Khasbulaev from returning to the USA to claim his title shot, the fighter was granted his release from the promotion in December 2014.[23]
^ 3: Lima next faced Season Nine tournament winner Rick Hawn for the vacant welterweight title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2013 Summer Series

(June 19, 2013 - July 31, 2013)
All three tournaments were shortened, four-man tournaments instead of the standard eight.

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight Russia Vitaly Minakov United States Ryan Martinez Bellator 97 July 31, 2013
Light Heavyweight[1] United States Muhammed Lawal United States Jacob Noe Bellator 97 July 31, 2013
Bantamweight[2] Brazil Rafael Silva United States Anthony Leone Bellator 102 October 4, 2013

^ 1: Lawal next faced Season Eight tournament winner Emanuel Newton for the Interim Light Heavyweight title.
^ 2: Silva next faced Season Nine tournament winner Joe Warren for the Interim Bantamweight title.

Bellator MMA: Season Nine

(September 7, 2013 - November 22, 2013)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight[1] France Cheick Kongo Australia Peter Graham Bellator 107 November 8, 2013
Middleweight United States Brennan Ward Denmark Mikkel Parlo Bellator 107 November 8, 2013
Welterweight[2] United States Rick Hawn (2) United States Ron Keslar Bellator 109 November 22, 2013
Lightweight[3] United States Will Brooks Russia Alexander Sarnavskiy Bellator 109 November 22, 2013
Featherweight Brazil Patrício Pitbull (2) United States Justin Wilcox Bellator 108 November 15, 2013
Bantamweight[1][4] United States Joe Warren (2) United States Travis Marx Bellator 107 November 8, 2013

^ 1: Tournament was a shortened, four-man tournament instead of the standard eight.
^ 2: Hawn next faced Season Eight tournament winner Douglas Lima for the vacant welterweight title.
^ 3: Brooks next faced former champion Michael Chandler for the Interim Lightweight Championship at Bellator 120. Chandler was originally scheduled for an immediate rematch with champion Eddie Alvarez at the event.[24]
^ 4: Warren next faced 2013 Summer Series tournament winner Rafael Silva for the Interim Bantamweight title.

Bellator MMA: Season Ten

(February 28, 2014 – May 17, 2014)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight[1] Russia Alexander Volkov (2) Bulgaria Blagoy Ivanov Bellator 120 May 17, 2014
Light Heavyweight[2][3] United States Quinton Jackson United States Muhammed Lawal Bellator 120 May 17, 2014
Middleweight[2] United States Brandon Halsey United States Brett Cooper Bellator 122 July 25, 2014
Welterweight Russia Andrey Koreshkov (2) United States Adam McDonough Bellator 122 July 25, 2014
Lightweight[1] Poland Marcin Held Brazil Patricky Pitbull Bellator 126 September 26, 2014
Featherweight[1] Germany Daniel Weichel United States Desmond Green Bellator 119 May 9, 2014

^ 1: Despite initial assurances to the contrary,[25][26] Bellator's new management would not honor the title shots Volkov, Weichel and Held earned while under the tournament format.
^ 2: Tournament was a shortened, four-man tournament instead of the standard eight.
^ 3: Jackson would end up leaving Bellator MMA for the UFC and never claim his title shot.[27]

Bellator MMA: 2014 Summer Series

(June 6, 2014 – July 25, 2014)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight England Liam McGeary United States Kelly Anundson Bellator 124 September 14, 2014

Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1

(September 19, 2015)
A one night, four-man light heavyweight tournament.

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight United States Phil Davis France Francis Carmont Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 September 19, 2015

Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament

(January 20, 2018 - January 26, 2019)
Year long, eight-man heavyweight tournament to crown a new heavyweight champion.

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight United States Ryan Bader Russia Fedor Emelianenko Bellator 214: Fedor vs. Bader January 26, 2019

Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Tournament

(September 29, 2018 - October 26, 2019)
Year long, eight-man welterweight tournament. Current welterweight champion, Rory MacDonald, is a participant and will defend the title until the end of the tournament. If he loses, the winner will be declared the new linear champion.

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Welterweight Brazil Douglas Lima (3) Canada Rory MacDonald Bellator 232 October 26, 2019

Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix Tournament

(September 28, 2019 - July 31, 2021)
Year long, sixteen-man featherweight tournament. Current featherweight champion, Patrício Freire, is a participant and will defend the title until the end of the tournament. If he loses, the winner will be declared the new linear champion.

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Featherweight United States A. J. McKee Brazil Patrício Pitbull Bellator 263 July 31, 2021

Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament

(April 9, 2021 - TBD)
Year long, eight-man Light Heavyweight tournament. Current Light Heavyweight champion, Vadim Nemkov, is a participant and will defend the title until the end of the tournament. If he loses, the winner will be declared the new linear champion.

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight TBD TBD TBD TBD

Champions by nationality

The division champions includes only linear champions. Interim champions who have never become linear champions will be listed as interim champions. Fighters with multiple title reigns in a specific division will also be counted once. Tournaments runners-up are not included.

Country Division champions Interim champions Tournament champions Total
United States United States 25 2 29 54
Brazil Brazil 9 — 9 18
Russia Russia 5 1 9 15
Canada Canada 2 — — 2
Cuba Cuba 1 — 1 2
Democratic Republic of the Congo D.R. Congo 1 — 1 2
England England 1 — 1 2
Slovakia Slovakia 1 — 1 2
Japan Japan 1 — — 1
Netherlands Netherlands 1 — — 1
Ukraine Ukraine 1 — — 1
France France — — 2 2
Germany Germany — — 1 1
Poland Poland — — 1 1

Records

Most wins in title bouts

The following includes all fighters with three or more championship and/or interim championship title wins. Fighters with the same number of title wins are arranged in order of less title bouts losses. Tournament championships are not included.

Title wins Champion Weight class V D NC L
11 Brazil Patrício Pitbull Lightweight
Featherweight 		1
10		 0
0		 0
0		 0
3
6 United States Michael Chandler Lightweight 6 0 0 5
5 Brazil Eduardo Dantas Bantamweight 5 0 0 2
United States Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Women's Flyweight 5 0 0 1
Netherlands Gegard Mousasi Middleweight 5 0 0 1
United States Ben Askren Welterweight 5 0 0 0
4 United States Ryan Bader Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight 		2
2		 0
0		 1
0		 0
1
Brazil Douglas Lima Middleweight
Welterweight 		0
4		 0
0		 0
0		 1
4
United States Pat Curran Lightweight
Featherweight 		0
4		 0
0		 0
0		 1
2
Russia Alexander Shlemenko Middleweight 4 0 0 2
Canada Julia Budd Women's Featherweight 4 0 0 1
United States Emanuel Newton Light Heavyweight 4 0 0 1
Brazil Rafael Carvalho Middleweight 4 0 0 1
United States Will Brooks Lightweight 4 0 0 0
Brazil Cris Cyborg Women's Featherweight 4 0 0 0

Most consecutive title defenses

The following includes all Bellator champions who were able to consecutively defend their title two times or more. Fighters with the same number of title defenses are listed chronologically.

Defenses Champion Weight class Span Days
5 Brazil Patrício Freire Featherweight April 21, 2017 – July 31, 2021 1562
4 United States Ben Askren Welterweight October 21, 2010 – July 31, 2013 1014
United States Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Women's Flyweight November 3, 2017 – December 10, 2020 1133
3 Russia Alexander Shlemenko Middleweight February 7, 2013 – September 26, 2014 596
Brazil Rafael Carvalho Middleweight October 23, 2015 – May 25, 2018 945
Canada Julia Budd Women's Featherweight March 3, 2017 – January 25, 2020 1058
Brazil Cris Cyborg Women's Featherweight January 25, 2020 – present 1621

Multi-division champions

Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes.[28] Tournament champions are not included.

Interim title
No. Champion Division Won Lost Defenses Reign Total Reign
1 United States Joe Warren Featherweight September 2, 2010
(Bellator 27) 		March 9, 2012
(Bellator 60) 		0 554 days 723 days
Bantamweight May 2, 2014
(Bellator 118) 		October 10, 2014
(Bellator 128) 		0 –
October 10, 2014
(Bellator 128) 		March 27, 2015
(Bellator 135) 		0 169 days
2 United States Ryan Bader Heavyweight January 26, 2019
(Bellator 214) 		Present 1 1985 days
3139 days
Light Heavyweight June 24, 2017
(Bellator 180) 		August 21, 2020
(Bellator 244) 		1 1154 days
3 Brazil Patrício Pitbull Lightweight May 11, 2019
(Bellator 221) 		October 6, 2021
(Vacated) 		0 879 days 3679 days
Featherweight September 5, 2014
(Bellator 123) 		November 6, 2015
(Bellator 145) 		2 428 days
April 21, 2017
(Bellator 178) 		July 31, 2021
(Bellator 263) 		5 1562 days
April 15, 2022
(Bellator 277) 		Present 0 810 days

Simultaneous two division champions

This table, different from the previous one, only counts the periods in which the fighter loaded the titles simultaneously and the defenses in that period of time.

No. Champion Division Span Defenses Simultaneous Reign
1 United States Ryan Bader Heavyweight January 26, 2019 – August 21, 2020 0 573 days
Light Heavyweight 1
2 Brazil Patrício Pitbull Lightweight May 11, 2019 – July 31, 2021 0 812 days
Featherweight 3

See also

References

  1. ^ Whitman, Mike. "Viacom Buys Stake in Bellator; Promotion Headed to Spike by 2013". Sherdog.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  2. ^ "Bellator announces championship-rematch clause with move to Spike TV". MMAjunkie.com. 26 November 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  3. ^ "Bellator's 'Summer Series' returns with three four-man tournaments". MMAjunkie.com. 10 April 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  4. ^ Erickson, Matt (4 May 2013). "Rebney open to holding four-man tourneys in Bellator's regular season". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  5. ^ "Bellator institutes 'tournament champion replacement clause' for title fights". MMAjunkie.com. 13 August 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  6. ^ Critchfield, Tristen. "New Bellator Rule Allows Former Tourney Winners to Fight for Title at Any Time". Sherdog.com. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  7. ^ Stupp, Dann (18 June 2014). "Bellator announces departure of executives Bjorn Rebney and Tim Danaher". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  8. ^ Marrocco, Steven (18 August 2014). "Scott Coker: Bellator moving to monthly events in 2015; Spike TV to remain focus". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Bellator Fighters". bellator.com. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
  10. ^ "Bellator confirms retirement of heavyweight champ Cole Konrad; title's future to be decided". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-16. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
  11. ^ a b Mike Sloan (2016-05-14). "Bellator cuts lightweight champ Will Brooks, strips Heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  12. ^ "Bellator Champ Hector Lombard Jumps to the UFC". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  13. ^ Mike Sloan (2015-05-14). "Bellator 137 Weigh-in Results: Brandon Halsey Misses Weight, Stripped of Title". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  14. ^ "Rafael Lovato Jr. relinquishes Bellator middleweight title due to ongoing medical condition". MMAFighting.com. February 10, 2020.
  15. ^ "Bellator releases welterweight champion Ben Askren". mmajunkie.com. November 14, 2013. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013.
  16. ^ Alexander, Mookie (19 August 2014). "Bellator releases lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez". BloodyElbow.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  17. ^ Steven Rondina, Mookie. "Bellator Lightweight Champ Will Brooks Released, Fight for Vacant Title Booked". Bleacherreport. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  18. ^ Mike Heck (October 6, 2021). "Patricio Pitbull vacates lightweight title; Peter Queally vs. Patricky Pitbull elevated to title fight at Bellator 270". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  19. ^ "Kyoji Horiguchi Vacates Bellator Bantamweight Title Due to Injury". November 27, 2019.
  20. ^ Whitman, Mike. "Zoila Frausto Gurgel Signs with Invicta FC, Makes April Debut Against Jennifer Maia". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  21. ^ "Bellator 62 weigh-in results: Thiago Santos heavy, Eric Prindle awarded tournament win". mmajunkie.com. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  22. ^ Marrocco, Steven (15 September 2014). "Sidelined 18 months, tourney champ Dave Jansen returns at Bellator 130 vs. Rick Hawn". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  23. ^ Raimondi, Marc (27 January 2015). "'One of the saddest stories in MMA':Where has former Bellator standout Frodo Khasbulaev been?". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  24. ^ Stupp, Dann (10 May 2014). "Bellator 120 to remain on PPV, Chandler meets replacement Brooks for interim title". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  25. ^ "Scott Coker: Bellator moving to monthly events in 2015; Spike TV to remain focus". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  26. ^ "Four title fights highlight Bellator's first three events of 2015". mmafighting.com. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  27. ^ "After 3-0 Bellator run, 'Rampage' Jackson re-signs with UFC for expected 2015 return". mmajunkie.com. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  28. ^ "MMA All-time Record Holders". sportsillustrated.
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