Sometimes, things just don’t go your way. Such is life.
The UFC is no exception. One minute, you’re on top of the world. You’re The Champ. Next minute, you’re back in the pack. The bee’s knees no longer.
The guys in this list could tell you all about that. They are the shortest-reigning beltholders, by weight class and overall, in UFC history. Read through this article, then sit back and watch all that sweet, sweet bar bet revenue come a-rolling in.
Joking aside, I’m making no value judgments about the “quality” of these individuals’ time atop the mountain. (As you’ll see, it’s a mixed bag in any event.) After all, there’s probably a semi-decent chance their title runs will last longer than mine.
Featherweight and bantamweight, being new divisions with their inaugural champions still firmly in place, are of course excepted. The list is also restricted to fighters who lost the title in the cage or were stripped of the belt against their will. No vacations or other voluntary relinquishments need apply.
Without further ado, here they are in descending order by weight class, concluded by your grand champion of title-reign brevity.