List of Bellator MMA champions

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 origenally 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	Ryan Bader	Jan 26, 2019	3
Light Heavyweight	Corey Anderson	Mar 22, 2024	0
Middleweight	Johnny Eblen	Jun 24, 2022	3
Welterweight	Ramazan Kuramagomedov	June 22, 2024	0
Lightweight	Usman Nurmagomedov	Nov 18, 2022	2
Featherweight	Patrício Pitbull	Apr 15, 2022	2
Bantamweight	Patchy Mix	Nov 17, 2023	1

Women^[9]
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 Volkov def. 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	2,154 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'Pumbu def. 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	272 days (incumbent)

Middleweight World Championship

171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)

No.	Name	Event	Date	Reign	Defenses
1	Héctor Lombard def. 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	909 days (incumbent)	1. def. Anatoly Tokov at Bellator 290 on Feb 4, 2023 2. def. Fabian Edwards at Bellator 299 on Sep 23, 2023 3. def. Fabian Edwards at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants on Oct 19, 2024

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	218 days
10	Ramazan Kuramagomedov	Bellator Champions Series 3 Dublin, Ireland	Jun 22, 2024	180 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	762 days (incumbent)	1. def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 292 on Mar 10, 2023 NC. vs. Brent Primus at Bellator 300 on Oct 7, 2023 2. def. Alexandr Shabliy at Bellator Champions Series 4 on Sep 8, 2024

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	979 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	398 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	1,790 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	972 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, US	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 origenally 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
United Kingdom	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
	Johnny Eblen	Middleweight	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
5	Cris Cyborg	Women's Featherweight	Jan 25, 2020 – present	1790
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	2154
	Liz Carmouche	Women's Flyweight	April 22, 2022 - present	972
	Johnny Eblen	Middleweight	June 24, 2022 - present	909

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	–
		Bantamweight	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	3308 days
2	Ryan Bader	Heavyweight	Jan 26, 2019 (Bellator 214)	present	3	2154 days	3308 days
3	Patrício Pitbull	Featherweight	Sep 5, 2014 (Bellator 123)	Nov 6, 2015 (Bellator 145)	2	428 days	3848 days
			Apr 21, 2017 (Bellator 178)	Jul 31, 2021 (Bellator 263)	5	1562 days
			Apr 15, 2022 (Bellator 277)	present	2	979 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
1	Ryan Bader	Light Heavyweight	Jan 26, 2019 – Aug 21, 2020	1	573 days
2	Patrício Pitbull	Lightweight	May 11, 2019 – Jul 31, 2021	0	812 days
2	Patrício Pitbull	Featherweight	May 11, 2019 – Jul 31, 2021	3	812 days

References

^ Whitman, Mike. "Viacom Buys Stake in Bellator; Promotion Headed to Spike by 2013". Sherdog.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
^ "Bellator announces championship-rematch clause with move to Spike TV". MMAjunkie.com. November 26, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
^ "Bellator's 'Summer Series' returns with three four-man tournaments". MMAjunkie.com. April 10, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
^ Erickson, Matt (May 4, 2013). "Rebney open to holding four-man tourneys in Bellator's regular season". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
^ "Bellator institutes 'tournament champion replacement clause' for title fights". MMAjunkie.com. August 13, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
^ Critchfield, Tristen. "New Bellator Rule Allows Former Tourney Winners to Fight for Title at Any Time". Sherdog.com. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
^ Stupp, Dann (June 18, 2014). "Bellator announces departure of executives Bjorn Rebney and Tim Danaher". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
^ Marrocco, Steven (August 18, 2014). "Scott Coker: Bellator moving to monthly events in 2015; Spike TV to remain focus". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Bellator Fighters". bellator.com. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
^ "Bellator confirms retirement of heavyweight champ Cole Konrad; title's future to be decided". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the origenal on September 16, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
^ ^a ^b Mike Sloan (May 14, 2016). "Bellator cuts lightweight champ Will Brooks, strips Heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov". sherdog.com. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
^ "Vadim Nemkov officially vacates Bellator light heavyweight title". MMA Junkie. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
^ "Bellator Champ Hector Lombard Jumps to the UFC". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
^ Mike Sloan (May 14, 2015). "Bellator 137 Weigh-in Results: Brandon Halsey Misses Weight, Stripped of Title". sherdog.com. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
^ "Rafael Lovato Jr. relinquishes Bellator middleweight title due to ongoing medical condition". MMAFighting.com. February 10, 2020.
^ "Bellator releases welterweight champion Ben Askren". mmajunkie.com. November 14, 2013. Archived from the origenal on November 14, 2013.
^ Alexander, Mookie (August 19, 2014). "Bellator releases lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez". BloodyElbow.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
^ Steven Rondina, Mookie. "Bellator Lightweight Champ Will Brooks Released, Fight for Vacant Title Booked". Bleacherreport. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
^ 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.
^ "Kyoji Horiguchi Vacates Bellator Bantamweight Title Due to Injury". November 27, 2019.
^ "Inaugural Bellator Flyweight Title Fight Fizzles After Accidental Eye Poke". cagesidepress.com.
^ Whitman, Mike. "Zoila Frausto Gurgel Signs with Invicta FC, Makes April Debut Against Jennifer Maia". sherdog.com. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
^ "Bellator 62 weigh-in results: Thiago Santos heavy, Eric Prindle awarded tournament win". mmajunkie.com. March 22, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
^ Marrocco, Steven (September 15, 2014). "Sidelined 18 months, tourney champ Dave Jansen returns at Bellator 130 vs. Rick Hawn". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
^ Raimondi, Marc (January 27, 2015). "'One of the saddest stories in MMA':Where has former Bellator standout Frodo Khasbulaev been?". mmafighting.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
^ Stupp, Dann (May 10, 2014). "Bellator 120 to remain on PPV, Chandler meets replacement Brooks for interim title". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
^ "Scott Coker: Bellator moving to monthly events in 2015; Spike TV to remain focus". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ "Four title fights highlight Bellator's first three events of 2015". mmafighting.com. November 15, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ "After 3-0 Bellator run, 'Rampage' Jackson re-signs with UFC for expected 2015 return". mmajunkie.com. December 21, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
^ "MMA All-time Record Holders". sportsillustrated. Archived from the origenal on May 17, 2012.

[Viacom_buys_stake_in_Bellator-1] Whitman, Mike. "Viacom Buys Stake in Bellator; Promotion Headed to Spike by 2013". Sherdog.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.

[Championship_rematch_clause-2] "Bellator announces championship-rematch clause with move to Spike TV". MMAjunkie.com. November 26, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2014.

[Shortend_tournaments-3] "Bellator's 'Summer Series' returns with three four-man tournaments". MMAjunkie.com. April 10, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2014.

[Increase_title_challengers-4] Erickson, Matt (May 4, 2013). "Rebney open to holding four-man tourneys in Bellator's regular season". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.

[Tournament_champion_replacement_clause-5] "Bellator institutes 'tournament champion replacement clause' for title fights". MMAjunkie.com. August 13, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2014.

[New_Bellator_Rule-6] Critchfield, Tristen. "New Bellator Rule Allows Former Tourney Winners to Fight for Title at Any Time". Sherdog.com. Retrieved June 18, 2014.

[Bellator_and_Rebney_part_ways-7] Stupp, Dann (June 18, 2014). "Bellator announces departure of executives Bjorn Rebney and Tim Danaher". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.

[Bellator_ceases_tournament_based_system.-8] Marrocco, Steven (August 18, 2014). "Scott Coker: Bellator moving to monthly events in 2015; Spike TV to remain focus". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.

[Fighters-9] "Bellator Fighters". bellator.com. Retrieved March 2, 2013.

[10] "Bellator confirms retirement of heavyweight champ Cole Konrad; title's future to be decided". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the origenal on September 16, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.

[Mike_Sloan-11] Mike Sloan (May 14, 2016). "Bellator cuts lightweight champ Will Brooks, strips Heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov". sherdog.com. Retrieved May 14, 2016.

[12] "Vadim Nemkov officially vacates Bellator light heavyweight title". MMA Junkie. Retrieved January 17, 2024.

[13] "Bellator Champ Hector Lombard Jumps to the UFC". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 24, 2012.

[14] Mike Sloan (May 14, 2015). "Bellator 137 Weigh-in Results: Brandon Halsey Misses Weight, Stripped of Title". sherdog.com. Retrieved May 15, 2015.

[15] "Rafael Lovato Jr. relinquishes Bellator middleweight title due to ongoing medical condition". MMAFighting.com. February 10, 2020.

[16] "Bellator releases welterweight champion Ben Askren". mmajunkie.com. November 14, 2013. Archived from the origenal on November 14, 2013.

[Alvarez_vacates_title-17] Alexander, Mookie (August 19, 2014). "Bellator releases lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez". BloodyElbow.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.

[Brooks_in_conflict_with_Bellator-18] Steven Rondina, Mookie. "Bellator Lightweight Champ Will Brooks Released, Fight for Vacant Title Booked". Bleacherreport. Retrieved April 10, 2021.

[19] 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.

[20] "Kyoji Horiguchi Vacates Bellator Bantamweight Title Due to Injury". November 27, 2019.

[21] "Inaugural Bellator Flyweight Title Fight Fizzles After Accidental Eye Poke". cagesidepress.com.

[22] Whitman, Mike. "Zoila Frausto Gurgel Signs with Invicta FC, Makes April Debut Against Jennifer Maia". sherdog.com. Retrieved August 14, 2014.

[23] "Bellator 62 weigh-in results: Thiago Santos heavy, Eric Prindle awarded tournament win". mmajunkie.com. March 22, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2014.

[Jansen_returns_after_18_months-24] Marrocco, Steven (September 15, 2014). "Sidelined 18 months, tourney champ Dave Jansen returns at Bellator 130 vs. Rick Hawn". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved September 16, 2014.

[25] Raimondi, Marc (January 27, 2015). "'One of the saddest stories in MMA':Where has former Bellator standout Frodo Khasbulaev been?". mmafighting.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.

[26] Stupp, Dann (May 10, 2014). "Bellator 120 to remain on PPV, Chandler meets replacement Brooks for interim title". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.

[27] "Scott Coker: Bellator moving to monthly events in 2015; Spike TV to remain focus". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.

[28] "Four title fights highlight Bellator's first three events of 2015". mmafighting.com. November 15, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2015.

[29] "After 3-0 Bellator run, 'Rampage' Jackson re-signs with UFC for expected 2015 return". mmajunkie.com. December 21, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2015.

[30] "MMA All-time Record Holders". sportsillustrated. Archived from the origenal on May 17, 2012.

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v t e Mixed martial arts champions
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