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 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]
DivisionChampionSinceDefenses
Heavyweight Vacant May 14, 2016
Light Heavyweight United States Ryan Bader June 24, 2017 1
Middleweight Netherlands Gegard Mousasi May 25, 2018 1
Welterweight Canada Rory MacDonald January 20, 2018 0
Lightweight United States Brent Primus June 24, 2017 0
Featherweight Brazil Patrício Freire April 21, 2017 1
Bantamweight United States Darrion Caldwell October 6, 2017 1
Women[9]
DivisionChampionSinceDefenses
Women's Featherweight Canada Julia Budd March 3, 2017 2
Women's Flyweight United States Ilima-Lei Macfarlane November 3, 2017 1
Women's Strawweight Vacant February 5, 2013

Men's championship history

Heavyweight 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 Apr 4, 2014

Minakov was stripped of the title on May 14, 2016 after failing to make title defenses.[11]

Light Heavyweight 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 Sep 12, 2014
2. def. Linton Vassell at Bellator 130 on Oct 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 Sep 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 475 days
(incumbent)

1. def. Linton Vassell at Bellator 186 on Nov 3, 2017

Middleweight Championship

171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Cuba Hector Lombard
def. Jared Hess		 Bellator 12
Hollywood, FL, USA		 June 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.[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 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 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 Dec 9, 2017

5 Netherlands Gegard Mousasi Bellator 200
London, United Kingdom		 May 25, 2018 140 days (incumbent)

1. def. Rory MacDonald at Bellator 206 on Sept 29, 2018

Welterweight 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 1120 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.[14]
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 1. def. Lorenz Larkin at Bellator NYC on June 24, 2017
6 Canada Rory MacDonald Bellator 192
Inglewood, CA, USA		 January 20, 2018 265 days
(incumbent)

Lightweight 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 Apr 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 Jan 17, 2013
2. def. David Rickels at Bellator 97 on Jul 31, 2013

3 United States Eddie Alvarez (2) Bellator 106
Long Beach, CA, USA		 November 2, 2013 290 days
(1,173 days)
- United States Will Brooks
def. Michael Chandler for interim title		 Bellator 120
Southaven, MS, USA		 May 17, 2014 —
Title was vacated on August 19, 2014 when Alvarez was granted a release from the promotion.[15]
4 United States Will Brooks
def. Michael Chandler		 Bellator 131
San Diego, CA, USA		 November 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

Title was vacated on May 14, 2016 when Brooks was granted a release from the promotion.[11]
5 United States Michael Chandler (2)
def. Patricky Freire		 Bellator 157
St. Louis, MO, USA		 June 24, 2016 365 days
(1,080 days)		 1. def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 165 on Nov 19, 2016
6 United States Brent Primus
 Bellator NYC
New York City, NY, USA		 June 24, 2017 475 days
(incumbent)

Featherweight 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 Freire 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 Freire 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 1071 days
8 Brazil Patrício Freire (2) Bellator 178
Uncasville, CT, USA		 April 21, 2017 539 days (incumbent)

1. def. Daniel Weichel at Bellator 203 on Jul 14, 2018

Bantamweight 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 1. def. Joe Warren at Bellator 166 on Dec 2, 2016
6 United States Darrion Caldwell Bellator 184
Thackerville, OK, USA		 October 6, 2017 371 days
(incumbent)		 1. def. Leandro Higo at Bellator 195 on Mar 2, 2018

Women's championship history

Women's Featherweight 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 588 days
(incumbent)

1. def. Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 189 on Dec 1, 2017
2. def. Talita Nogueira at Bellator 202 on Jul 13, 2018

Women's Flyweight 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 City, PA, USA		 November 3, 2017 343 days
(incumbent)

1. def. Alejandra Lara at Bellator 201 on Jun 29, 2018

Women's Strawweight 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 left Bellator for Invicta FC.[16]

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
Featherweight1[›]United States Joe SotoMexico Yahir ReyesBellator 10June 5, 2009
Welterweight2[›]United States Lyman GoodDominican Republic Omar De La CruzBellator 11June 12, 2009
Middleweight3[›]Cuba Hector LombardUnited States Jared HessBellator 12June 19, 2009
Lightweight4[›]United States Eddie AlvarezUnited States Toby ImadaBellator 12June 19, 2009

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

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Two

(April 8, 2010 - June 24, 2010)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
LightweightUnited States Pat CurranUnited States Toby ImadaBellator 21June 10, 2010
WelterweightUnited States Ben AskrenUnited States Dan HornbuckleBellator 22June 17, 2010
MiddleweightRussia Alexander ShlemenkoUnited States Bryan BakerBellator 23June 24, 2010
FeatherweightUnited States Joe WarrenBrazil Patricio FreireBellator 23June 24, 2010

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Three

(August 12, 2010 - October 28, 2010)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight1[›]United States Cole KonradSouth Africa Neil GroveBellator 32October 14, 2010
Bantamweight2[›]United States Zach MakovskyUnited States Ed WestBellator 32October 14, 2010
Women's Strawweight3[›]United States Zoila GurgelJapan Megumi FujiiBellator 34October 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
WelterweightUnited States Jay HieronUnited States Rick HawnBellator 43May 7, 2011
LightweightUnited States Michael ChandlerBrazil Patricky FreireBellator 44May 14, 2011
Light Heavyweight1[›]Democratic Republic of the Congo Christian M'PumbuUnited States Richard HaleBellator 45May 21, 2011
FeatherweightBrazil Patrício FreireUnited States Daniel Mason-StrausBellator 45May 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
FeatherweightUnited States Pat CurranBrazil Marlon SandroBellator 48August 20, 2011

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Five

(September 27, 2011 - November 26, 2011)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Middleweight1[›]Russia Alexander ShlemenkoBrazil Vitor ViannaBellator 57November 12, 2011
WelterweightBrazil Douglas LimaUnited States Ben SaundersBellator 57November 12, 2011
BantamweightBrazil Eduardo DantasCuba Alexis VilaBellator 59November 26, 2011
Heavyweight2[›]United States Eric PrindleBrazil Thiago SantosBellator 62March 23, 2012

^ 1: Shlemenko next faced Season Six tournament winner Maiquel Falcão for the vacant middleweight title.
^ 2: 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.[17]

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Six

(March 9, 2012 - May 25, 2012)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
FeatherweightUnited States Daniel Mason-StrausBrazil Marlon SandroBellator 68May 11, 2012
Middleweight1[›]Brazil Maiquel FalcãoSweden Andreas SpångBellator 69May 18, 2012
LightweightUnited States Rick HawnUnited States Brent WeedmanBellator 70May 25, 2012
WelterweightFrance Karl AmoussouUnited States Bryan BakerBellator 72July 20, 2012
BantamweightBrazil Marcos GalvãoBrazil Luis NogueiraBellator 73August 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 HeavyweightSlovakia Attila VeghUnited States Travis WiuffBellator 73August 24, 2012

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Seven

(September 28, 2012 - December 14, 2012)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
WelterweightRussia Andrey KoreshkovUnited States Lyman GoodBellator 82November 30, 2012
Heavyweight1[›]Russia Alexander VolkovUnited States Richard HaleBellator 84December 14, 2012
FeatherweightRussia Shahbulat ShamhalaevUnited States Rad MartinezBellator 90February 21, 2013
Lightweight2[›]United States Dave JansenPoland Marcin HeldBellator 93March 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.[18]

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight

(January 17, 2013 - April 4, 2013)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight1[›]United States Emanuel NewtonRussia Mikhail ZayatsBellator 94March 28, 2013
LightweightUnited States David RickelsUnited States Saad AwadBellator 94March 28, 2013
MiddleweightUnited States Doug MarshallUnited States Brett CooperBellator 95April 4, 2013
Featherweight2[›]Russia Magomedrasul KhasbulaevUnited States Mike Richman Bellator 95April 4, 2013
Welterweight3[›]Brazil Douglas LimaUnited States Ben SaundersBellator 100September 20, 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 pomotion in December 2014.[19]
^ 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
HeavyweightRussia Vitaly MinakovUnited States Ryan MartinezBellator 97July 31, 2013
Light Heavyweight1[›]United States Muhammed LawalUnited States Jacob NoeBellator 97July 31, 2013
Bantamweight2[›]Brazil Rafael SilvaUnited States Anthony LeoneBellator 102October 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
Heavyweight1[›]France Cheick KongoAustralia Peter GrahamBellator 107November 8, 2013
MiddleweightUnited States Brennan WardDenmark Mikkel ParloBellator 107November 8, 2013
Bantamweight1[›]2[›]United States Joe WarrenUnited States Travis MarxBellator 107November 8, 2013
FeatherweightBrazil Patrício FreireUnited States Justin WilcoxBellator 108November 15, 2013
Welterweight3[›]United States Rick HawnUnited States Ron KeslarBellator 109November 22, 2013
Lightweight4[›]United States Will BrooksRussia Alexander SarnavskiyBellator 109November 22, 2013

^ 1: Tournament was a shortened, four-man tournament instead of the standard eight.
^ 2: Warren next faced 2013 Summer Series tournament winner Rafael Silva for the Interim Bantamweight title.
^ 3: Hawn next faced Season Eight tournament winner Douglas Lima for the vacant welterweight title.
^ 4: 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.[20]

Bellator MMA: Season Ten

(February 28, 2014 – May 17, 2014)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Featherweight3[›]Germany Daniel WeichelUnited States Desmond GreenBellator 119May 9, 2014
Heavyweight3[›]Russia Alexander VolkovBulgaria Blagoy IvanovBellator 120May 17, 2014
Light Heavyweight1[›]2[›]United States Quinton JacksonUnited States Muhammed LawalBellator 120May 17, 2014
Middleweight1[›]United States Brandon HalseyUnited States Brett CooperBellator 122July 25, 2014
WelterweightRussia Andrey KoreshkovUnited States Adam McDonoughBellator 122July 25, 2014
Lightweight3[›]Poland Marcin HeldBrazil Patricky FreireBellator 126September 26, 2014

^ 1: Tournament was a shortened, four-man tournament instead of the standard eight.
^ 2: Jackson would end up leaving Bellator MMA for the UFC and never claim his title shot.[21]
^ 3: Despite initial assurances to the contrary,[22][23] Bellator's new management would not honor the title shots Volkov, Weichel and Held earned while under the tournament format.

Bellator MMA: 2014 Summer Series

(June 6, 2014 – July 25, 2014)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light HeavyweightEngland Liam McGearyUnited States Kelly AnundsonBellator 124September 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 HeavyweightUnited States Phil DavisFrance Francis CarmontBellator 142: Dynamite 1September 19, 2015

Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament

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

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
HeavyweightTBDTBDTBDTBD

Champions by nationality

Division champions include title holders and interim title holders. Interim champions who become undisputed champions are listed only once. Tournament runners-up are not included.

CountryDivision
champions		Tournament
champions		Total
United States United States 232750
Brazil Brazil 5813
Russia Russia 4913
Cuba Cuba 112
Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo 112
England England 112
Slovakia Slovakia 112
France France -22
Canada Canada 2-2
Germany Germany -11
Poland Poland -11

Multi-division champions

Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes.[24] Tournament champions are not included.

ChampionDivisionWonLostDefensesReignTotal reign
United States Joe Warren Featherweight Sep 2, 2010
(Bellator 27)		 Mar 9, 2012
(Bellator 60)		 0 554 days 723 days
Bantamweight
(interim champion)		 May 2, 2014
(Bellator 118)		 October 10, 2014
(Bellator 128)		 0 -
Bantamweight October 10, 2014
(Bellator 128)		 March 27, 2015
(Bellator 135)		 0 169 days

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
4 United States Ben Askren Welterweight Oct 21, 2010 - July 31, 2013
3 Russia Alexander Shlemenko Middleweight Feb 7, 2013 - Sep 26, 2014
Brazil Rafael Carvalho Middleweight Oct 23, 2015 – present
2 United States Michael Chandler Lightweight Nov 19, 2011 - Nov 2, 2013
United States Pat Curran Featherweight Mar 9, 2012 - Nov 2, 2013
Brazil Eduardo Dantas Bantamweight Feb 14, 2013 - Oct 10, 2014
United States Emanuel Newton Light Heavyweight Mar 21, 2013 - Feb 27, 2015
Brazil Patrício Freire Featherweight Sep 5, 2014 - Nov 6, 2015
United States Will Brooks Lightweight Nov 15, 2014 - May 14, 2016

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 most title bouts. Tournament championships are not included.

Title wins

 Champion

 Weight class

 Record in title bouts
(Win-Loss-Draw)
5 United States Ben Askren Welterweight 5 - 0 - 0
Brazil Eduardo Dantas Bantamweight 5 - 2 - 0
United States Michael Chandler Lightweight 5 - 4 - 0
4 United States Pat Curran Lightweight
Featherweight
 0 - 1 - 0
4 - 2 - 0
Russia Alexander Shlemenko Middleweight 4 - 2 - 0
United States Emanuel Newton Light Heavyweight 4 - 1 - 0
United States Will Brooks Lightweight 4 - 0 - 0
Brazil Patrício Freire Featherweight 4 - 2 - 0
Brazil Rafael Carvalho Middleweight 4 - 1 - 0
3 United States Joe Warren Featherweight
Bantamweight
 1 - 1 - 0
2 - 2 - 0
United States Eddie Alvarez Lightweight 3 - 1 - 0
Brazil Douglas Lima Welterweight 3 - 3 - 0

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. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Bellator's 'Summer Series' returns with three four-man tournaments". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  4. ↑ Erickson, Matt. "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. 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. "Bellator announces departure of executives Bjorn Rebney and Tim Danaher". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  8. ↑ Marrocco, Steven. "Scott Coker: Bellator moving to monthly events in 2015; Spike TV to remain focus". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  9. 1 2 "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. 1 2 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. ↑ "Bellator releases welterweight champion Ben Askren". mmajunkie.com. November 14, 2013. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013.
  15. ↑ Alexander, Mookie. "Bellator releases lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez". BloodyElbow.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  16. ↑ Whitman, Mike. "Zoila Frausto Gurgel Signs with Invicta FC, Makes April Debut Against Jennifer Maia". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  17. ↑ "Bellator 62 weigh-in results: Thiago Santos heavy, Eric Prindle awarded tournament win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  18. ↑ Marrocco, Steven. "Sidelined 18 months, tourney champ Dave Jansen returns at Bellator 130 vs. Rick Hawn". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  19. ↑ Raimondi, Marc. "'One of the saddest stories in MMA':Where has former Bellator standout Frodo Khasbulaev been?". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  20. ↑ Stupp, Dann. "Bellator 120 to remain on PPV, Chandler meets replacement Brooks for interim title". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  21. ↑ "After 3-0 Bellator run, 'Rampage' Jackson re-signs with UFC for expected 2015 return". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  22. ↑ "Scott Coker: Bellator moving to monthly events in 2015; Spike TV to remain focus". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  23. ↑ "Four title fights highlight Bellator's first three events of 2015". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  24. ↑ "MMA All-time Record Holders". sportsillustrated.
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