UFC Flyweight Championship History

Despite the belt only changing hands a mere six times since the division’s inception 12 years ago, the UFC Flyweight Championship has produced one of the more fascinating title lineages in UFC history. From Demetrious Johnson’s legacy-defining reign, to Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo’s exciting tetralogy, the story of the 125-lb. division has been nothing short of captivating.

Ahead of UFC 310, take a look at a chronological history of the UFC flyweight belt. The flyweight title is on the line Saturday in the UFC 310 main event when Alexandre Pantoja (28-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) takes on promotional newcomer Kai Asakura (21-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a former Rizin champion.

In March of 2012, the UFC kicked off their newly-instated flyweight class by hosting a special four-man tournament to determine who would become the division’s inaugural champion.

Demetrious Johnson (2012-2018)

In comparison to Benavidez, who breezed past his first opponent in the competition with a blistering second-round knockout, the road toward the tournament final wound up becoming much longer for Johnson. In the semifinals, he first had to contend with former Tachi Palace Fights Flyweight Champion Ian McCall, whom Johnson would go to a draw with in their first encounter before finally getting the win three months later in a rematch by unanimous decision.

Demetrious Johnson defeats Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 (9/22/12) to win first UFC flyweight title. For the next six years, Johnson went on to embark on the most dominant title run in promotional history, defending his 125 lbs belt an impressive 11 consecutive times, reigning for 2,142 days.

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Demetrious Johnson celebrates after his submission victory over Ray Borg in their UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC 216 event inside T-Mobile Arena on October 7, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Title defenses:

• John Dodson (twice)
• John Moraga
• Joseph Benavidez
• Ali Bagautinov
• Chris Cariaso
• Kyoji Horiguchi
• Henry Cejudo
• Tim Elliott
• Wilson Reis
• Ray Borg

Henry Cejudo (2018-2020)

After a successful wrestling career, which saw him win gold at the 2008 Olympic Games, Cejudo began his journey into mixed martial arts in 2013, fighting five times in that year alone and going undefeated by the time he signed with the UFC in late 2014. The defeat didn’t keep “Triple C” down for long, however, as the former Olympian quickly rebounded with two wins over Wilson Reis and Sergio Pettis to earn another shot at the seemingly-unstoppable 125-lb. kingpin at UFC 227.

Henry Cejudo defeats Johnson at UFC 227 (8/4/18) to win title. For the first defense of his newly-acquired strap, Cejudo took on bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw at UFC on ESPN+1. A reputable hard puncher at 135 lbs., Dillashaw had decided to move down in weight to challenge Cejudo for the chance to earn a second belt.

Henry Cejudo celebrates his TKO victory over TJ Dillashaw in their flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the Barclays Center on January 19, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

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As grand as this win was for Cejudo, his time as the 125-lb. champion would not last as long as his predecessor, as he also opted to move up in weight to challenge Marlon Moraes for the vacant 135-lb. belt in the wake of Dillashaw being suspended for a failed drug test. Following this history-making performance, Cejudo opted to vacate his Flyweight throne to become a full-time Bantamweight competitor.

Title defenses:

• T.J. Dillashaw

Deiveson Figueiredo (2020-2021)

With the belt now up for grabs, Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo faced veteran flyweight fighter Joseph Benavidez at UFC on ESPN+ 27 for the vacant championship. Unfortunately, Figueiredo wasn’t able to compete for said championship after a failed trip to the scales rendered him ineligible to win the strap. The pair then met up five months later in a runback for the still empty flyweight throne.

Deiveson Figueiredo defeats Joseph Benavidez at UFC Fight Night (7/19/20) to win title. This time there wouldn’t be any controversy, as Figueiredo not only made weight successfully, but also finished Benavidez yet again, this time with a positively brutal round one rear naked choke to, at last, become the new 125-lb. champion.

Deiveson Figueiredo secures a rear choke submission against Joseph Benavidez during their UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 19, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

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In his first outing as a titleholder, Figueiredo easily submitted Alex Perez to notch his first defense at UFC 255. Competing on the same card was another top flyweight who also made easy work of his opponent with a swift stoppage victory by the name of Brandon Moreno. Taking the earlier rounds with his striking, it looked as though Figueiredo was on track to earn his second defense of his reign.

Title defenses:

• Alex Perez
• Brandon Moreno (draw)

Brandon Moreno (2021-2022)

As the fight progressed, however, the champion’s gas tank began to noticeably diminish, allowing Moreno to seize the momentum with his superior volume. Figuereido vs. What no one could have predicted at the time was that this draw was about to propel these two fighters into the greatest rivalry in 125 lbs history.

Brandon Moreno defeats Figueiredo in rematch at UFC 263 (6/12/21) to win title. With the score tied at one win apiece, the seemingly eternal rivals crossed paths for a final time at UFC 283.

Brandon Moreno celebrates his championship victory against Deiveson Figueiredo during UFC 263 at Gila River Arena.

Title defenses:

• None

Deiveson Figueiredo (2022)

Deiveson Figueiredo defeats Brandon Moreno at UFC 270.

Deiveson Figueiredo celebrates his win by unanimous decision against Brandon Moreno during UFC 270 at Honda Center.

Title defenses:

• None

Brandon Moreno (interim) (2022)

Brandon Moreno (interim) defeats Kai Kara-France at UFC 277.

Brandon Moreno fights Kai Kara-France in a flyweight interim title bout during UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center.

Title defenses:

• None

Brandon Moreno (2023)

Brandon Moreno defeats Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 283.

Brandon Moreno reacts after the fight against Deiveson Figueiredo during UFC 283 at Jeunesse Arena.

In the third round, Moreno landed a wide left punch that caused Figueiredo’s eye to almost instantly start to swell up. Having closed out his championship feud with his long-time nemesis, “The Assassin Baby” was set to take on a man who had already defeated him twice before, Alexandre Pantoja, at UFC 290.

For their barn-burning third encounter, both men logged arguably the best flyweight fight in MMA history. For five rounds, they continually battered each other with devastating punches, with both competitors landing over 160 strikes each.

Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil enters the Octagon in the UFC flyweight championship fight during the UFC 290 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Alexandre Pantoja (2023-Present)

After a tumultuous three years where the strap changed hands multiple times, Pantoja has looked to be the first stable flyweight champion since Demetrious Johnson, with him having already logged two title defenses over Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg. Expected to compete one more time before the year is over, fans eagerly await the next part in the exciting saga of the 125-lb.

Here is a table summarizing the UFC Flyweight Champions and their reigns:

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