UFC Lightweight — title history
Every UFC Lightweight title fight, in order. The most recent was won by Justin Gaethje on 2026-06-14.
Title fights (41)
| Date | Winner | Opponent | Method | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-11-17 | Ben Earwood | Chris Lytle | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 28 |
| 2001-02-23 | Jens Pulver | Caol Uno | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 30 |
| 2001-09-28 | Jens Pulver | Dennis Hallman | Decision (unanimous) (49–47, 48–47, 48–47) | UFC 33 |
| 2002-01-11 | Jens Pulver | B.J. Penn | Decision (majority) (48–45, 47–47, 48–47) | UFC 35 |
| 2006-10-14 | Sean Sherk | Kenny Florian | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 49–46, 50–45) | UFC 64 |
| 2007-07-07 | Sean Sherk | Hermes França | Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 49–46) | UFC 73 |
| 2008-01-19 | B.J. Penn | Joe Stevenson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 80 |
| 2008-05-24 | B.J. Penn | Sean Sherk | TKO (flying knee and punches) | UFC 84 |
| 2009-08-08 | B.J. Penn | Kenny Florian | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 101 |
| 2009-12-12 | B.J. Penn | Diego Sanchez | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 107 |
| 2010-04-10 | Frankie Edgar | B.J. Penn | Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 48–47, 49–46) | UFC 112 |
| 2010-08-28 | Frankie Edgar | B.J. Penn | Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 50–45) | UFC 118 |
| 2011-10-08 | Frankie Edgar | Gray Maynard | TKO (punches) | UFC 136 |
| 2012-02-26 | Benson Henderson | Frankie Edgar | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 48–47, 49–46) | UFC 144 |
| 2012-08-11 | Benson Henderson | Frankie Edgar | Decision (split) (46–49, 48–47, 48–47) | UFC 150 |
| 2012-12-08 | Benson Henderson | Nate Diaz | Decision (unanimous) (50–43, 50–45, 50–45) | UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz |
| 2013-08-31 | Anthony Pettis | Benson Henderson | Submission (armbar) | UFC 164 |
| 2014-12-06 | Anthony Pettis | Gilbert Melendez | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 181 |
| 2015-03-14 | Rafael dos Anjos | Anthony Pettis | Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 50–45) | UFC 185 |
| 2015-12-19 | Rafael dos Anjos | Donald Cerrone | TKO (body kick and punches) | UFC on Fox 17 |
| 2016-07-07 | Eddie Alvarez | Rafael dos Anjos | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez |
| 2016-11-12 | Conor McGregor | Eddie Alvarez | TKO (punches) | UFC 205 |
| 2017-10-07 | Tony Ferguson (interim) | Kevin Lee | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC 216 |
| 2017-11-04 | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Al Iaquinta | Decision (unanimous) (50–44, 50–43, 50–43) | UFC 223 |
| 2018-10-06 | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Conor McGregor | Submission (neck crank) | UFC 229 |
| 2019-04-13 | Dustin Poirier (interim) | Max Holloway | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 49–46, 49–46) | UFC 236 |
| 2019-09-07 | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Dustin Poirier | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 242 |
| 2020-04-18 | Justin Gaethje (interim) | Tony Ferguson | TKO (punch) | UFC 249 |
| 2020-10-24 | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Justin Gaethje | Technical Submission (triangle choke) | UFC 254 |
| 2021-05-15 | Charles Oliveira | Michael Chandler | TKO (punches) | UFC 262 |
| 2021-12-11 | Charles Oliveira | Dustin Poirier | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 269 |
| 2022-05-07 | Charles Oliveira | Justin Gaethje | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 274 |
| 2022-10-22 | Islam Makhachev | Charles Oliveira | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC 280 |
| 2023-02-12 | Islam Makhachev | Alexander Volkanovski | Decision (unanimous) (48–47, 48–47, 49–46) | UFC 284 |
| 2023-10-21 | Islam Makhachev | Alexander Volkanovski | KO (head kick and punches) | UFC 294 |
| 2024-04-13 | Max Holloway | Justin Gaethje | KO (punch) | UFC 300 |
| 2024-06-01 | Islam Makhachev | Dustin Poirier | Submission (brabo choke) | UFC 302 |
| 2025-01-18 | Islam Makhachev | Renato Moicano | Submission (brabo choke) | UFC 311 |
| 2026-01-24 | Justin Gaethje (interim) | Paddy Pimblett | Decision (unanimous) (48–47, 49–46, 49–46) | UFC 324 |
| 2026-03-07 | Charles Oliveira | Max Holloway | Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 50–45) | UFC 326 |
| 2026-06-14 | Justin Gaethje | Ilia Topuria | TKO (corner stoppage) | UFC Freedom 250 |
Where this came from
Derived from UFC event articles on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA): the title fights are the bouts whose notes name this championship. Title eliminators are excluded; interim-title bouts are marked. Vacancies and strippings are not inferred. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the UFC.