All-time UFC heavyweight champions

The champions are listed in reverse chronological order.

Click here for the list of current UFC champions in each division and here for the champions in each MMA promotion.

All-time UFC champions by division:
Heavyweight | Light heavyweight
Middleweight | Welterweight
Lightweight | Men's featherweight
Men's bantamweight | Men's flyweight
Women's featherweight
Women's bantamweight
Women's flyweight
Strawweight

Current champion

Ciryl Gane
• Won title: Sept. 19, 2026
• Outcome: Elevated from interim champion after Tom Aspinall vacated the title
• Defenses: 0

Past champions

Tom Aspinall
• Won title: June 21, 2025
• Outcome: Elevated from interim champion after the retirement of Jon Jones
• Defenses: 1*

* -- Vacated title on Sept. 14, 2026, while recovering from injury.

Jon Jones
• Won title: March 4, 2023
• Outcome: Sub1 over Ciryl Gane (UFC 285)
• Defenses: 1

Francis Ngannou
• Won title: March 27, 2021
• Outcome: KO2 over Stipe Miocic (UFC 260)
• Defenses: 1

Stipe Miocic
• Won title: August 17, 2019
• Outcome: TKO4 over Daniel Cormier (UFC 241)
• Defenses: 1

Daniel Cormier
• Won title: July 7, 2018
• Outcome: TKO1 over Stipe Miocic (UFC 226)
• Defenses: 1

Stipe Miocic
• Won title: May 15, 2016
• Outcome: KO1 over Fabricio Werdum (UFC 198)
• Defenses: 3

Fabricio Werdum
• Won title: June 13, 2015
• Outcome: SUB3 over Cain Velasquez (UFC 188)
• Defenses: 0

Cain Velasquez
• Won title: Dec. 29, 2012
• Outcome: UD over Junior dos Santos (UFC 155)
• Defenses: 2

Junior dos Santos
• Won title: Nov. 12, 2011
• Outcome: KO1 over Cain Velasquez (UFC on Fox)
• Defenses: 1

Cain Velasquez
• Won title: Oct. 23, 2010
• Outcome: KO1 over Brock Lesnar (UFC 121)
• Defenses: 2

Brock Lesnar
• Won title: Nov. 15, 2008
• Outcome: KO2 over Randy Couture (UFC 91)
• Defenses: 2

Randy Couture
• Won title: March 3, 2007
• Outcome: UD over Tim Sylvia (UFC 68)
• Defenses: 2

Tim Sylvia
• Won title: April 15, 2006
• Outcome: KO1 over Andrei Arlovski (UFC 59)
• Defenses: 2

Andrei Arlovski
• Won title: Feb. 5, 2005*
• Outcome: SUB1 over Tim Sylvia (UFC 51)
• Defenses: 2

* -- Beat Sylvia for interim title; on Aug. 12, 2005, was named undisputed champ when Mir was stripped of title for inactivity.

Frank Mir
• Won title: June 19, 2004
• Outcome: SUB1 over Tim Sylvia (UFC 48)
• Defenses: 0

Tim Sylvia
• Won title: Feb. 28, 2003
• Outcome: KO1 over Ricco Rodriguez (UFC 41)
• Defenses: 1

Ricco Rodriguez
• Won title: Sept. 27, 2002
• Outcome: KO5 over Randy Couture (UFC 39)
• Defenses: 0

Josh Barnett
• Won title: March 22, 2002
• Outcome: KO2 over Randy Couture (UFC 36)
• Defenses: 0*

* -- Stripped of title on July 26 after testing positive for banned substances

Randy Couture
• Won title: Nov. 17, 2000
• Outcome: KO3 over Kevin Randleman (UFC 28)
• Defenses: 2

Kevin Randleman
• Won title: Nov. 19, 1999
• Outcome: UD over Pete Williams (UFC 23)
• Defenses: 1

Bas Rutten
• Won title: May 7, 1999
• Outcome: SD3 over Kevin Randleman (UFC 20)
• Defenses: 0*

* -- Vacated title in June 1999 to drop down to light heavyweight

Randy Couture
• Won title: Dec. 21, 1997
• Outcome: MD3 over Maurice Smith (UFC Japan)
• Defenses: 0*

* -- Stripped of title due to a contract dispute

Maurice Smith
• Won title: July 27, 1997
• Outcome: UD3 over Mark Coleman (UFC 14)
• Defenses: 1

Mark Coleman
• Won title: Feb. 7, 1997
• Outcome: SUB1 over Dan Severn (UFC 12)
• Defenses: 0