Current UFC Champions: Every Titleholder by Division (October 2026)
All 11 UFC divisions as of October 8, 2026: who holds each belt, when they won it, their record, and the title fights already booked.
As of October 8, 2026, the UFC has 10 undisputed champions and one interim champion across its 11 active divisions. The undisputed heavyweight title is vacant after Tom Aspinall gave it up on September 14, so interim champion Ciryl Gane is the only heavyweight holding a belt. Five divisions have had a title change, a new interim champion or a vacancy since the start of 2026, most recently when Natalia Silva won the vacant women's flyweight title at UFC 332 on October 3.
UFC champions by division
| Division | Champion | Won the title | How | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight (265 lb) | Vacant; Ciryl Gane (interim) | June 14, 2026, UFC Freedom 250 | TKO of Alex Pereira, Round 2 | 14-2 (1 NC) | 0 |
| Light heavyweight (205 lb) | Carlos Ulberg | April 11, 2026, UFC 327 | KO of Jiri Prochazka, Round 1 | 14-1 | 0 |
| Middleweight (185 lb) | Sean Strickland | May 9, 2026, UFC 328 | Split decision over Khamzat Chimaev | 31-7 | 0 |
| Welterweight (170 lb) | Islam Makhachev | November 15, 2025, UFC 322 | Decision over Jack Della Maddalena | 29-1 | 1 |
| Lightweight (155 lb) | Justin Gaethje | June 14, 2026, UFC Freedom 250 | TKO of Ilia Topuria, Round 4 | 28-5 | 0 |
| Featherweight (145 lb) | Alexander Volkanovski | April 12, 2025, UFC 314 | Decision over Diego Lopes | 28-4 | 1 |
| Bantamweight (135 lb) | Petr Yan | December 6, 2025, UFC 323 | Decision over Merab Dvalishvili | 20-5 | 0 |
| Flyweight (125 lb) | Joshua Van | December 6, 2025, UFC 323 | TKO of Alexandre Pantoja, Round 1 | 18-2 | 2 |
| Women's bantamweight (135 lb) | Kayla Harrison | June 7, 2025, UFC 316 | Submission of Julianna Pena, Round 2 | 19-1 | 0 |
| Women's flyweight (125 lb) | Natalia Silva | October 3, 2026, UFC 332 | Decision over Wang Cong | 21-5-1 | 0 |
| Women's strawweight (115 lb) | Mackenzie Dern | October 25, 2025, UFC 321 | Decision over Virna Jandiroba | 17-5 | 1 |
Islam Makhachev is the only man holding a title who has also held a second UFC belt in the past: he made four lightweight defenses before moving up to welterweight. Sean Strickland and Petr Yan are both on their second reigns in their divisions. The women's featherweight title has had no holder since Amanda Nunes retired in June 2023.
Title fights already booked
Four of the 11 belts are scheduled to be on the line before the end of November. Two of those fights are at UFC 333 on Saturday, October 24, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, with the main card at 2pm ET (18:00 UTC). The other two are at UFC 334 on Saturday, November 14, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
| Event | Date | Bout | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| UFC 333, Abu Dhabi | October 24, 2026 | Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev | Featherweight |
| UFC 333, Abu Dhabi | October 24, 2026 | Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili | Bantamweight |
| UFC 334, New York | November 14, 2026 | Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit | Undisputed heavyweight |
| UFC 334, New York | November 14, 2026 | Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes | Women's bantamweight |
Heavyweight: the belt nobody holds
Tom Aspinall was promoted from interim to undisputed champion when Jon Jones retired in June 2025. His first fight as full champion, against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25, 2025, ended as a no contest after an eye poke in the first round left Aspinall unable to continue. He announced on September 14, 2026, that he was vacating the title, saying he had damaged the same right eye again in sparring.
Gane had already picked up the interim belt by then. He stopped Alex Pereira with punches at 1:27 of the second round at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, 2026, a few months after Pereira gave up the light heavyweight title to move up. Gane was not elevated when Aspinall left. UFC CEO Dana White said a few days later:
Does it make him the undisputed champion? No. He's still got to fight.
That fight is set. Gane faces the unbeaten Josh Hokit (10-0) for the undisputed title in the UFC 334 main event on November 14. Gane goes into that fight as interim champion.
Light heavyweight and middleweight
Alex Pereira announced on February 27, 2026, that he was giving up the light heavyweight title to move up to heavyweight, and the vacant belt went to Carlos Ulberg at UFC 327 in Miami on April 11. The New Zealander was struggling on his left leg during the fight and still knocked out Jiri Prochazka with a left hook and follow-up punches at 3:45 of the first round. Ulberg is 14-1 and has not defended the title yet.
Sean Strickland won the middleweight title for the second time at UFC 328 in Newark on May 9, beating Khamzat Chimaev by split decision. Two judges scored it 48-47 for Strickland and one had it 48-47 for Chimaev, who took Strickland down nine times but suffered the first loss of his pro career. Strickland's first reign began in September 2023, when he upset Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in Sydney.
Welterweight and lightweight
Islam Makhachev moved up from lightweight and won the welterweight title from Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision at UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2025. He defended it against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia on August 15, 2026, winning 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47. That win was his 17th in a row in the UFC, the longest streak in the promotion's history. He is 29-1 overall and sits first on the UFC's men's pound-for-pound list.
Justin Gaethje's path to the lightweight title took more than six years from his first interim belt in 2020. He won interim gold again by beating Paddy Pimblett on points at UFC 324 on January 24, 2026, then faced unbeaten champion Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250. Topuria won the early rounds, but Gaethje hurt him with a right hand in the third and Topuria's corner stopped the fight after the fourth. Gaethje, 28-5, has not defended the title yet.
Featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight
Alexander Volkanovski regained the featherweight title after Topuria vacated it to move up, beating Diego Lopes by unanimous decision at UFC 314 in Miami on April 12, 2025. He beat Lopes again on points at UFC 325 in Sydney on February 1, 2026. His next defense is against Movsar Evloev in the UFC 333 main event on October 24.
Petr Yan took the bantamweight title from Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 323 in Las Vegas on December 6, 2025, ending Dvalishvili's reign after three defenses. It is Yan's second run as champion; his first started in 2020. The two meet again in the UFC 333 co-main event.
Joshua Van won the flyweight title on the same UFC 323 card. Alexandre Pantoja hurt his arm 26 seconds into the fight and could not continue, and Van has since made the reign look less like an accident. He stopped Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round at UFC 328 in May, then beat Pantoja clearly in their rematch at UFC 331 in Los Angeles on September 19, 2026, with scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45. Van, born in Myanmar, is 18-2 and the only current champion with two defenses.
Women's divisions
Kayla Harrison won the women's bantamweight title at UFC 316 in Newark on June 7, 2025, submitting Julianna Pena with a kimura at 4:55 of the second round. She is 19-1 and has not defended the belt. Her first defense is against Amanda Nunes, the former two-division champion, in the UFC 334 co-main event on November 14.
Valentina Shevchenko never lost the women's flyweight title. Shevchenko, who had defended it against Manon Fiorot and Zhang Weili in 2025, announced on September 5, 2026, that she would vacate it after an injury. Natalia Silva then beat Wang Cong by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City on October 3 to become champion. Silva is 21-5-1.
Mackenzie Dern became women's strawweight champion at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25, 2025, beating Virna Jandiroba by unanimous decision for the title Zhang Weili had vacated to move up to flyweight. Dern defended it against Gillian Robertson by unanimous decision in the UFC 330 co-main event on August 15, 2026. She is 17-5.
Every UFC title change in 2026 so far
- January 24: Justin Gaethje wins the interim lightweight title at UFC 324.
- April 11: Carlos Ulberg wins the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 327.
- May 9: Sean Strickland wins the middleweight title at UFC 328.
- June 14: Justin Gaethje becomes undisputed lightweight champion and Ciryl Gane wins the interim heavyweight title, both at UFC Freedom 250.
- September 14: Tom Aspinall vacates the heavyweight title.
- October 3: Natalia Silva wins the vacant women's flyweight title at UFC 332.
Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski, Joshua Van and Mackenzie Dern kept their titles through 2026 with at least one defense each. Kayla Harrison and Petr Yan have held theirs all year without fighting for them, and both are booked to defend before November ends.
Questions
Who are the current UFC champions?
As of October 8, 2026: Carlos Ulberg (light heavyweight), Sean Strickland (middleweight), Islam Makhachev (welterweight), Justin Gaethje (lightweight), Alexander Volkanovski (featherweight), Petr Yan (bantamweight), Joshua Van (flyweight), Kayla Harrison, Natalia Silva and Mackenzie Dern (women's bantamweight, flyweight and strawweight). Ciryl Gane is interim heavyweight champion.
Who is the UFC heavyweight champion right now?
The undisputed title is vacant after Tom Aspinall vacated it on September 14, 2026. Ciryl Gane is interim champion and fights Josh Hokit for the undisputed title at UFC 334 on November 14, 2026.
Which UFC champion has the most title defenses right now?
Flyweight champion Joshua Van, with two: Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 and Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331.
