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
| Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Featherweight |  Cris Cyborg | Jan 25, 2020 | 5 |
| Women's Flyweight |  Liz Carmouche | Apr 22, 2022 | 3 |
Men's championship history
Heavyweight World Championship
206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole Konrad def. Neil Grove | Bellator 32 Kansas City, MO, US | Oct 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 |  Alexander Volkovdef. Rich Hale | Bellator 84 Hammond, IN, US | Dec 14, 2012 | 337 days | |
| 3 | Vitaly Minakov | Bellator 108 Atlantic City, NJ, US | Nov 15, 2013 | 911 days | 1. def. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 115 on Apr 4, 2014 |
| Minakov was stripped of the title on May 14, 2016 after failing to make title defenses.[11] | |||||
| 4 | Ryan Bader def. Fedor Emelianenko | Bellator 214 Inglewood, CA, US | Jan 26, 2019 | 1,941 days (incumbent) | NC. vs. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 226 on Sep 7, 2019 1. def. interim champion Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 273 on Jan 29, 2022 2. def. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 280 on May 6, 2022 3. def. Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 290 on Feb 4, 2023 |
| — | Valentin Moldavsky def. Timothy Johnson for interim title | Bellator 261 Uncasville, CT, US | Jun 25, 2021 | — | |
Light Heavyweight World Championship
186 to 205 lbs (84 to 93 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Christian M'Pumbudef. Rich Hale | Bellator 45 Lake Charles, LA, US | May 21, 2011 | 650 days | |
| 2 |  Attila Végh | Bellator 91 Rio Rancho, NM, US | Feb 28, 2013 | 387 days | |
| — | Emanuel Newton def. Muhammed Lawal for interim title | Bellator 106 Long Beach, CA, US | Nov 2, 2013 | — | |
| 3 | Emanuel Newton | Bellator 113 Mulvane, KS, US | Mar 21, 2014 | 343 days | 1. def. Joey Beltran at Bellator 124 on Sep 12, 2014 2. def. Linton Vassell at Bellator 130 on Oct 24, 2014 |
| 4 |  Liam McGeary | Bellator 134 Uncasville, CT, US | Feb 27, 2015 | 617 days | 1. def. Tito Ortiz at Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 on Sep 19, 2015 |
| 5 | Phil Davis | Bellator 163 Uncasville, CT, US | Nov 4, 2016 | 232 days | |
| 6 | Ryan Bader | Bellator 180 New York City, NY, US | Jun 24, 2017 | 1,155 days | 1. def. Linton Vassell at Bellator 186 on Nov 3, 2017 |
| 7 | Vadim Nemkov | Bellator 244 Uncasville, CT, US | Aug 21, 2020 | 1244 days | 1. def. Phil Davis at Bellator 257 on Apr 16, 2021 2. def. Julius Anglickas at Bellator 268 on Oct 16, 2021 NC. vs. Corey Anderson at Bellator 277 on Apr 15, 2022 3. def. Corey Anderson at Bellator 288 on Nov 18, 2022 4. def. Yoel Romero at Bellator 297 on Jun 16, 2023 |
| Nemkov vacated the title after announcing his move to Heavyweight on January 17, 2024.[12] | |||||
| 8 | Corey Anderson def. Karl Moore | Bellator Champions Series 1 Belfast, Northern Ireland | Mar 22, 2024 | 59 days | |
Middleweight World Championship
171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Héctor Lombarddef. Jared Hess | Bellator 12 Hollywood, FL, US | Jun 19, 2009 | 1,040 days | 1. def. Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 34 on Oct 28, 2010 |
| Lombard vacated the title on April 24, 2012 when he left Bellator for the UFC.[13] | |||||
| 2 | Alexander Shlemenko def. Maiquel Falcão | Bellator 88 Duluth, GA, US | Feb 7, 2013 | 597 days | 1. def. Brett Cooper at Bellator 98 on Sep 7, 2013 2. def. Doug Marshall at Bellator 109 on Nov 22, 2013 3. def. Brennan Ward at Bellator 114 on Mar 28, 2014 |
| 3 | Brandon Halsey | Bellator 126 Phoenix, AZ, US | Sep 26, 2014 | 230 days | |
| Halsey was stripped of the title on May 14, 2015 after failing to make weight for his title defense against Kendall Grove at Bellator 137.[14] | |||||
| 4 | Rafael Carvalho def. Brandon Halsey | Bellator 144 Uncasville, CT, US | Oct 23, 2015 | 945 days | 1. def. Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 155 on May 20, 2016 2. def. Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 176 on Apr 8, 2017 3. def. Alessio Sakara at Bellator 190 on Dec 9, 2017 |
| 5 |  Gegard Mousasi | Bellator 200 London, England | May 25, 2018 | 394 days | 1. def. Rory MacDonald at Bellator 206 on Sep 29, 2018 |
| 6 | Rafael Lovato Jr. | Bellator 223 London, England | Jun 22, 2019 | 233 days | |
| Lovato vacated the title on February 10, 2020 when it was revealed he had been diagnosed with a cerebral cavernoma.[15] | |||||
| 7 | Gegard Mousasi (2) def. Douglas Lima | Bellator 250 Uncasville, CT, US | Oct 29, 2020 | 604 days (998 days) | 1. def. John Salter at Bellator 264 on Aug 13, 2021 2. def. Austin Vanderford at Bellator 275 on Feb 25, 2022 |
| 8 | Johnny Eblen | Bellator 282 Uncasville, CT, US | Jun 24, 2022 | 696 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Anatoly Tokov at Bellator 290 on Feb 4, 2023 2. def. Fabian Edwards at Bellator 299 on Sep 23, 2023 |
Welterweight World Championship
156 to 170 lbs (70 to 77 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyman Good def. Omar de la Cruz | Bellator 11 Uncasville, CT, US | Jun 12, 2009 | 485 days | |
| 2 | Ben Askren | Bellator 33 Philadelphia, PA, US | Oct 21, 2010 | 1,120 days | 1. def. Jay Hieron at Bellator 56 on Oct 29, 2011 2. def. Douglas Lima at Bellator 64 on Apr 6, 2012 3. def. Karl Amoussou at Bellator 86 on Jan 24, 2013 4. def. Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 97 on Jul 31, 2013 |
| Askren vacated the title on November 14, 2013 when he left Bellator for the ONE FC.[16] | |||||
| 3 | Douglas Lima def. Rick Hawn | Bellator 117 Council Bluffs, IA, US | Apr 18, 2014 | 455 days | |
| 4 | Andrey Koreshkov | Bellator 140 Uncasville, CT, US | Jul 17, 2015 | 482 days | 1. def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 153 on Apr 22, 2016 |
| 5 | Douglas Lima (2) | Bellator 164 Tel Aviv, Israel | Nov 10, 2016 | 437 days (892 days) | 1. def. Lorenz Larkin at Bellator NYC on Jun 24, 2017 |
| 6 |  Rory MacDonald | Bellator 192 Inglewood, CA, US | Jan 20, 2018 | 644 days | 1. drew with Jon Fitch at Bellator 220 on Apr 27, 2019 2. def. Neiman Gracie at Bellator 222 on Jun 14, 2019 |
| 7 | Douglas Lima (3) | Bellator 232 Uncasville, CT, US | Oct 26, 2019 | 594 days (1,486 days) | |
| 8 |  Yaroslav Amosov | Bellator 260 Uncasville, CT, US | Jun 11, 2021 | 890 days | 1. def. interim champion Logan Storley at Bellator 291 on Feb 25, 2023 |
| — | Logan Storley def. Michael Page for the interim title | Bellator 281 London, England | May 13, 2022 | — | |
| 9 |  Jason Jackson | Bellator 301 Chicago, IL, US | Nov 17, 2023 | 185 days (incumbent) | |
Lightweight World Championship
146 to 155 lbs (66 to 70 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Alvarez def. Toby Imada | Bellator 12 Hollywood, FL, US | Jun 19, 2009 | 883 days | 1. def. Pat Curran at Bellator 39 on April 2, 2011 |
| 2 | Michael Chandler | Bellator 58 Hollywood, FL, US | Nov 19, 2011 | 715 days | 1. def. Rick Hawn at Bellator 85 on Jan 17, 2013 2. def. David Rickels at Bellator 97 on Jul 31, 2013 |
| 3 | Eddie Alvarez (2) | Bellator 106 Long Beach, CA, US | Nov 2, 2013 | 290 days (1,123 days) | |
| — | Will Brooks def. Michael Chandler for interim title | Bellator 120 Southaven, MS, US | May 17, 2014 | — | |
| Alvarez vacated the title on August 19, 2014 when he left Bellator for the UFC.[17] | |||||
| 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.[18] | |||||
| 4 | Will Brooks def. Michael Chandler for undisputed title | Bellator 131 San Diego, CA, US | Nov 15, 2014 | 546 days | 1. def. Dave Jansen at Bellator 136 on Apr 10, 2015 2. def. Marcin Held at Bellator 145 on Nov 6, 2015 |
| Brooks vacated the title on May 14, 2016 when he left Bellator for the UFC.[11] | |||||
| 5 | Michael Chandler (2) def. Patricky Pitbull | Bellator 157 St. Louis, MO, US | Jun 24, 2016 | 365 days (1,080 days) | 1. def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 165 on Nov 19, 2016 |
| 6 | Brent Primus | Bellator NYC New York City, NY, US | Jun 24, 2017 | 539 days | |
| 7 | Michael Chandler (3) | Bellator 212 Honolulu, HI, US | Dec 14, 2018 | 149 days (1,229 days) | |
| 8 | Patrício Pitbull | Bellator 221 Rosemont, IL, US | May 11, 2019 | 879 days | |
| Patrício vacated the title on October 6, 2021.[19] | |||||
| 9 | Patricky Pitbull def. Peter Queally | Bellator 270 Dublin, Ireland | Nov 5, 2021 | 378 days | |
| 10 | Usman Nurmagomedov | Bellator 288 Chicago, IL, US | Nov 18, 2022 | 549 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 292 on Mar 10, 2023 NC. vs. Brent Primus at Bellator 300 on Oct 7, 2023 |
Featherweight World Championship
136 to 145 lbs (61 to 66 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Soto def. Yahir Reyes | Bellator 10 Ontario, CA, US | Jun 5, 2009 | 454 days | |
| 2 | Joe Warren | Bellator 27 San Antonio, TX, US | Sep 2, 2010 | 554 days | |
| 3 | Pat Curran | Bellator 60 Hammond, IN, US | Mar 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 | Daniel Straus | Bellator 106 Long Beach, CA, US | Nov 2, 2013 | 133 days | |
| 5 | Pat Curran (2) | Bellator 112 Hammond, IN, US | Mar 14, 2014 | 176 days (780 days) | |
| 6 | Patrício Pitbull | Bellator 123 Uncasville, CT, US | Sep 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 | Daniel Straus (2) | Bellator 145 St. Louis, MO, US | Nov 6, 2015 | 532 days (665 days) | |
| 8 | Patrício Pitbull (2) | Bellator 178 Uncasville, CT, US | Apr 21, 2017 | 1,562 days (1,990 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 Sep 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 | A. J. McKee | Bellator 263 Inglewood, CA, US | Jul 31, 2021 | 259 days | |
| 10 | Patrício Pitbull (3) | Bellator 277 San Jose, CA, US | Apr 15, 2022 | 766 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Ádám Borics at Bellator 286 on Oct 1, 2022 2. def. Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator Champions Series 1 on Mar 22, 2024 |
Bantamweight World Championship
126 to 135 lbs (57 to 61 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zach Makovsky def. Ed West | Bellator 32 Kansas City, MO, US | Oct 14, 2010 | 547 days | |
| 2 | Eduardo Dantas | Bellator 65 Atlantic City, NJ, US | Apr 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 |
| - | Joe Warren def. Rafael Silva for interim title | Bellator 118 Atlantic City, NJ, US | May 2, 2014 | — | |
| 3 | Joe Warren | Bellator 128 Thackerville, OK, US | Oct 10, 2014 | 169 days | |
| 4 | Marcos Galvão | Bellator 135 Thackerville, OK, US | Mar 27, 2015 | 448 days | |
| 5 | Eduardo Dantas (2) | Bellator 156 Fresno, CA, US | Jun 17, 2016 | 477 days (1,338 days) | 1. def. Joe Warren at Bellator 166 on Dec 2, 2016 |
| 6 | Darrion Caldwell | Bellator 184 Thackerville, OK, US | Oct 6, 2017 | 617 days | 1. def. Leandro Higo at Bellator 195 on Mar 2, 2018 |
| 7 |  Kyoji Horiguchi | Bellator 222 New York City, NY, US | Jun 14, 2019 | 166 days | |
| Horiguchi vacated the title on November 27, 2019 for the division not to stagnate when he announced he was injured.[20] | |||||
| 8 | Juan Archuleta def. Patchy Mix | Bellator 246 Uncasville, CT, US | Sep 12, 2020 | 237 days | |
| 9 | Sergio Pettis | Bellator 258 Uncasville, CT, US | May 7, 2021 | 925 days | 1. def. Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 272 on Dec 3, 2021 2. def. Patrício Pitbull at Bellator 297 on Jun 16, 2023 |
| — | Raufeon Stots def. Juan Archuleta for the interim title | Bellator 279 Honolulu, HI, US | Apr 23, 2022 | — | 1. def. Danny Sabatello at Bellator 289 on Dec 9, 2022 |
| — | Patchy Mix def. interim champion Raufeon Stots | Bellator 295 Honolulu, HI, US | Apr 22, 2023 | — | |
| 10 | Patchy Mix | Bellator 301 Chicago, IL, US | Nov 17, 2023 | 185 days (incumbent) | 1. def Magomed Magomedov at Bellator Champions Series 2 on May 17, 2024 |
Flyweight World Championship
116 to 125 lbs (53 to 57 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyoji Horiguchi and Makoto Takahashi fought for the inaugural title on July 30, 2023, at Bellator MMA x Rizin 2. The fight ended in a no-contest after an unintentional eye poke rendered Takahashi unable to continue.[21] | |||||
Women's championship history
Women's Featherweight World Championship
126 to 145 lbs (57 to 66 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julia Budd def. Marloes Coenen | Bellator 174 Thackerville, OK, US | Mar 3, 2017 | 1,058 days | 1. def. Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 189 on Dec 1, 2017 2. def. Talita Nogueira at Bellator 202 on Jul 13, 2018 3. def. Olga Rubin at Bellator 224 on Jul 12, 2019 |
| 2 | Cris Cyborg | Bellator 238 Inglewood, CA, US | Jan 25, 2020 | 1,577 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 Nov 12, 2021 4. def. Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279 on Apr 23, 2022 5. def. Cat Zingano at Bellator 300 on Oct 7, 2023 |
Women's Flyweight World Championship
116 to 125 lbs (53 to 57 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ilima-Lei Macfarlane def. Emily Ducote | Bellator 186 University Park, PA, US | Nov 3, 2017 | 1,133 days | 1. def. Alejandra Lara at Bellator 201 on Jun 29, 2018 2. def. Valérie Létourneau at Bellator 213 on Dec 15, 2018 3. def. Veta Arteaga at Bellator 220 on Apr 27, 2019 4. def. Kate Jackson at Bellator 236 on Dec 21, 2019 |
| 2 | Juliana Velasquez | Bellator 254 Uncasville, CT, US | Dec 10, 2020 | 498 days | 1. def. Denise Kielholtz at Bellator 262 on Jul 16, 2021 |
| 3 | Liz Carmouche | Bellator 278 Honolulu, HI, US | Apr 23, 2022 | 759 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Juliana Velasquez at Bellator 289 on Dec 9, 2022 2. def. DeAnna Bennett at Bellator 294 on April 21, 2023 3. def. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane at Bellator 300 on Oct 7, 2023 |
Defunct titles
Women's Strawweight World Championship
Under 115 pounds (52 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoila Gurgel def. Megumi Fujii | Bellator 34 Hollywood, FL, USA | Oct 28, 2010 | 831 days | |
| Gurgel vacated the title on February 5, 2013 when she sign with Invicta FC. The title was subsequently deactivated.[22] | |||||
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] |  Hector Lombard | Jared Hess | Bellator 12 | Jun 19, 2009 |
| Welterweight[2] | Lyman Good |  Omar De La Cruz | Bellator 11 | Jun 12, 2009 |
| Lightweight[3] | Eddie Alvarez | Toby Imada | Bellator 12 | Jun 19, 2009 |
| Featherweight[4] | Joe Soto |  Yahir Reyes | Bellator 10 | Jun 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 | Alexander Shlemenko | Bryan Baker | Bellator 23 | Jun 24, 2010 |
| Welterweight | Ben Askren | Dan Hornbuckle | Bellator 22 | Jun 17, 2010 |
| Lightweight | Pat Curran | Toby Imada | Bellator 21 | Jun 10, 2010 |
| Featherweight | Joe Warren | Patrício Pitbull | Bellator 23 | Jun 24, 2010 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Three
(August 12, 2010 - October 28, 2010)
| Weight Division | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight[1] | Cole Konrad |  Neil Grove | Bellator 32 | Oct 14, 2010 |
| Bantamweight[2] | Zach Makovsky |  Ed West | Bellator 32 | Oct 14, 2010 |
| Women's Strawweight[3] | Zoila Gurgel | Megumi Fujii | Bellator 34 | Oct 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] | Christian M'Pumbu | Rich Hale | Bellator 45 | May 21, 2011 |
| Welterweight | Jay Hieron | Rick Hawn | Bellator 43 | May 7, 2011 |
| Lightweight | Michael Chandler | Patricky Pitbull | Bellator 44 | May 14, 2011 |
| Featherweight | Patrício Pitbull | 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 | Pat Curran (2) | Marlon Sandro | Bellator 48 | Aug 20, 2011 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Five
(September 27, 2011 - November 26, 2011)
| Weight Division | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight[1] | Eric Prindle | Thiago Santos | Bellator 62 | Mar 23, 2012 |
| Middleweight[2] | Alexander Shlemenko (2) | Vitor Vianna | Bellator 57 | Nov 12, 2011 |
| Welterweight | Douglas Lima | Ben Saunders | Bellator 57 | Nov 12, 2011 |
| Bantamweight | Eduardo Dantas | Alexis Vila | Bellator 59 | Nov 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.[23]
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] | Maiquel Falcão |  Andreas Spång | Bellator 69 | May 18, 2012 |
| Welterweight |  Karl Amoussou | Bryan Baker | Bellator 72 | Jul 20, 2012 |
| Lightweight | Rick Hawn | Brent Weedman | Bellator 70 | May 25, 2012 |
| Featherweight | Daniel Straus | Marlon Sandro | Bellator 68 | May 11, 2012 |
| Bantamweight | Marcos Galvão | Luis Nogueira | Bellator 73 | Aug 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 | Attila Vegh | Travis Wiuff | Bellator 73 | Aug 24, 2012 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Seven
(September 28, 2012 - December 14, 2012)
| Weight Division | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight[1] | Alexander Volkov | Richard Hale | Bellator 84 | Dec 14, 2012 |
| Welterweight | Andrey Koreshkov | Lyman Good | Bellator 82 | Nov 30, 2012 |
| Lightweight[2] | Dave Jansen |  Marcin Held | Bellator 93 | Mar 21, 2013 |
| Featherweight | Shahbulat Shamhalaev | Rad Martinez | Bellator 90 | Feb 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.[24]
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight
(January 17, 2013 - April 4, 2013)
| Weight Division | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Heavyweight[1] | Emanuel Newton | Mikhail Zayats | Bellator 94 | Mar 28, 2013 |
| Middleweight | Doug Marshall | Brett Cooper | Bellator 95 | April 4, 2013 |
| Welterweight[3] | Douglas Lima (2) | Ben Saunders | Bellator 100 | Sep 20, 2013 |
| Lightweight | David Rickels | Saad Awad | Bellator 94 | Mar 28, 2013 |
| Featherweight[2] | Magomedrasul Khasbulaev | Mike Richman | Bellator 95 | Apr 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.[25]
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 | Vitaly Minakov | Ryan Martinez | Bellator 97 | Jul 31, 2013 |
| Light Heavyweight[1] | Muhammed Lawal | Jacob Noe | Bellator 97 | Jul 31, 2013 |
| Bantamweight[2] | Rafael Silva | Anthony Leone | Bellator 102 | Oct 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] | Cheick Kongo | Peter Graham | Bellator 107 | November 8, 2013 |
| Middleweight | Brennan Ward |  Mikkel Parlo | Bellator 107 | Nov 8, 2013 |
| Welterweight[2] | Rick Hawn (2) | Ron Keslar | Bellator 109 | Nov 22, 2013 |
| Lightweight[3] | Will Brooks | Alexander Sarnavskiy | Bellator 109 | Nov 22, 2013 |
| Featherweight | Patrício Pitbull (2) | Justin Wilcox | Bellator 108 | Nov 15, 2013 |
| Bantamweight[1][4] | Joe Warren (2) | Travis Marx | Bellator 107 | Nov 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.[26]
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] | Alexander Volkov (2) |  Blagoy Ivanov | Bellator 120 | May 17, 2014 |
| Light Heavyweight[2][3] | Quinton Jackson | Muhammed Lawal | Bellator 120 | May 17, 2014 |
| Middleweight[2] | Brandon Halsey | Brett Cooper | Bellator 122 | July 25, 2014 |
| Welterweight | Andrey Koreshkov (2) | Adam McDonough | Bellator 122 | Jul 25, 2014 |
| Lightweight[1] | Marcin Held | Patricky Pitbull | Bellator 126 | Sep 26, 2014 |
| Featherweight[1] |  Daniel Weichel | Desmond Green | Bellator 119 | May 9, 2014 |
1: Despite initial assurances to the contrary,[27][28] 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.[29]
Bellator MMA: 2014 Summer Series
(June 6, 2014 – July 25, 2014)
| Weight Division | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Heavyweight | Liam McGeary | Kelly Anundson | Bellator 124 | Sep 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 | Phil Davis | Francis Carmont | Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 | Sep 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 | Ryan Bader | Fedor Emelianenko | Bellator 214: Fedor vs. Bader | Jan 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 | Douglas Lima (3) | Rory MacDonald | Bellator 232 | Oct 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 | A. J. McKee | Patrício Pitbull | Bellator 263 | Jul 31, 2021 |
Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament
(April 9, 2021 - November 18, 2022)
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 | Vadim Nemkov | Corey Anderson | Bellator 288 | Nov 18, 2022 |
Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix Tournament
(April 22, 2022 - April 22, 2023)
Year long, ten-man Bantamweight tournament.
| Weight Division | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bantamweight | Patchy Mix | Raufeon Stots | Bellator 295 | April 22, 2023 |
Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix Tournament
(March 10, 2023 - Present)
Year long, eight-man Bantamweight tournament. Current Lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightweight | 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 | 26 | 2 | 29 | 55 |
| Brazil | 9 | — | 9 | 18 |
| Russia | 5 | 1 | 9 | 15 |
| Canada | 2 | — | — | 2 |
| Cuba | 1 | — | 1 | 2 |
| D.R. Congo | 1 | — | 1 | 2 |
| England | 1 | — | 1 | 2 |
| Slovakia | 1 | — | 1 | 2 |
| Japan | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Ukraine | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| France | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| Germany | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Patrício Pitbull | Lightweight Featherweight Bantamweight | 1 12 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 3 1 |
| 6 | Michael Chandler | Lightweight | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Ryan Bader | Heavyweight Light Heavyweight | 4 2 | 0 0 | 1 0 | 0 1 | |
| Cris Cyborg | Women's Featherweight | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Eduardo Dantas | Bantamweight | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ilima-Lei Macfarlane | Women's Flyweight | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Gegard Mousasi | Middleweight | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Ben Askren | Welterweight | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vadim Nemkov | Light Heavyweight | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 4 | ||||||
| Douglas Lima | Middleweight Welterweight | 0 4 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 1 4 | |
| Pat Curran | Lightweight Featherweight | 0 4 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 1 2 | |
| Alexander Shlemenko | Middleweight | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Julia Budd | Women's Featherweight | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Emanuel Newton | Light Heavyweight | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Rafael Carvalho | Middleweight | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Will Brooks | Lightweight | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Liz Carmouche | Women's Flyweight | 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 | Patrício Pitbull | Featherweight | Apr 21, 2017 – July 31, 2021 | 1562 |
| Cris Cyborg | Women's Featherweight | Jan 25, 2020 – present | 1577 | |
| 4 | Ben Askren | Welterweight | Oct 21, 2010 – July 31, 2013 | 1014 |
| Ilima-Lei Macfarlane | Women's Flyweight | Nov 3, 2017 – Dec 10, 2020 | 1133 | |
| Vadim Nemkov | Light Heavyweight | Aug 21, 2020 – Jan 17, 2024 | 1251 | |
| 3 | Alexander Shlemenko | Middleweight | Feb 7, 2013 – Sep 26, 2014 | 596 |
| Rafael Carvalho | Middleweight | Oct 23, 2015 – May 25, 2018 | 945 | |
| Julia Budd | Women's Featherweight | Mar 3, 2017 – Jan 25, 2020 | 1058 | |
| Ryan Bader | Heavyweight | Jan 26, 2019 - present | 1941 | |
| Liz Carmouche | Women's Flyweight | April 22, 2022 - present | 759 |
Multi-division champions
Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes.[30] Tournament champions are not included.
| Interim title |
| No. | Champion | Division | Won | Lost | Defenses | Reign | Total Reign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Warren | Featherweight | Sep 2, 2010 (Bellator 27) | Mar 9, 2012 (Bellator 60) | 0 | 554 days | 723 days |
| Bantamweight | May 2, 2014 (Bellator 118) | Oct 10, 2014 (Bellator 128) | 0 | – | |||
| Oct 10, 2014 (Bellator 128) | Mar 27, 2015 (Bellator 135) | 0 | 169 days | ||||
| 2 | Ryan Bader | Light Heavyweight | Jun 24, 2017 (Bellator 180) | Aug 21, 2020 (Bellator 244) | 1 | 1154 days | 3095 days |
| Heavyweight | Jan 26, 2019 (Bellator 214) | present | 3 | 1941 days | |||
| 3 | Patrício Pitbull | Featherweight | Sep 5, 2014 (Bellator 123) | Nov 6, 2015 (Bellator 145) | 2 | 428 days | 3635 days |
| Apr 21, 2017 (Bellator 178) | Jul 31, 2021 (Bellator 263) | 5 | 1562 days | ||||
| Apr 15, 2022 (Bellator 277) | present | 2 | 766 days | ||||
| Lightweight | May 11, 2019 (Bellator 221) | Oct 6, 2021 (Vacated) | 0 | 879 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 | Ryan Bader | Heavyweight | Jan 26, 2019 – Aug 21, 2020 | 0 | 573 days |
| Light Heavyweight | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Patrício Pitbull | Lightweight | May 11, 2019 – Jul 31, 2021 | 0 | 812 days |
| Featherweight | 3 |
See also
- List of current Bellator fighters
- List of Bellator MMA alumni
- List of Bellator MMA events
- List of Bellator Kickboxing champions
- List of current mixed martial arts champions
- List of EliteXC champions
- List of Invicta FC champions
- List of ONE Championship champions
- List of Pride champions
- List of PFL champions
- List of Strikeforce champions
- List of UFC champions
- List of WEC champions
- Mixed martial arts weight classes