In this article, we will discuss weight classes in the UFC, talk about people who have distinguished themselves in this area. This championship attracts the attention of many martial arts fans, but not everyone knows the details of the formation or organization of fights. We will introduce you to information about which male and female weight categories in the UFC currently exist. Also pay special attention to the heroes of this championship.

Let's start from the very beginning and remember that when the UFC organization appeared in 1993, it did not have such divisions by weight that exist today. It was a simple sports organization that organized championships for fighters. The rules of the duel were mixed, and they still remain so. But there were only two categories:

• heavy weight - for fighters whose weight was more than 91 kilograms;
• light weight - for those whose weight was less than 90 kilograms.

A few years later, the division into subgroups changed, and an average weight had already appeared. At the same time, weight categories in the UFC have not stopped changing. A super light subgroup also appeared, and by 2001, the weight categories of fighters were already distributed into five different types:

• heavy;
• light heavy;
• average;
• welterweight;
• light.

Weight classes in the UFC went through all these changes, primarily in order to be able to optimally distribute participants and achieve maximum performance in fights. After all, it is much more interesting to watch a duel of approximately equal rivals, and not to see how a heavyweight fights with a miniature and lightweight athlete. Many years passed before the subgroups were again revised and lighter weights were added, as well as separate weight categories in the UFC for women.

Weight categories

So, since 2012, the organization has been holding fights in ten categories, two of which are women's. Participants are distributed according to the following weight groups:

• heavy;
• light heavy;
• average;
• welterweight;
• light;
• featherweight;
• the easiest;
• easiest,
• lightest for women;
• the easiest for women.

heavyweights

Speaking about this subgroup, it is worth noting that these weight categories in the UFC are divided into two types:

• heavy;
• light heavy.

The heavy category includes fighters weighing from ninety-three to one hundred and twenty kilograms. The English name is heavyweight. If a fighter weighs from eighty-four to ninety-three kilograms, then he is already referred to the light heavy category. The English name is light heavyweight.

Average weight

This group includes:

• middle category;

The first subgroup, whose English name is middle weight, includes participants weighing from seventy-seven to eighty-four kilograms. Lighter fighters belong to the welter weight category and must weigh a minimum of seventy kilograms, and a maximum of seventy-seven.

A light weight

This group of participants is formed for participants whose weight is from 53 to 70 kilograms. Divided into categories:

• featherweight;
• the easiest;
• the easiest.

The light category includes athletes with a weight of sixty-six to seventy kilograms. In the world it is known as light weight. The UFC featherweight division is comprised of fighters who weigh a minimum of sixty-one and a maximum of sixty-six kilograms. The English equivalent of the name is feather weight. Already by the name it is clear that the lightest group includes fighters with even less weight, from fifty-seven to sixty-one kilograms. The name of the category is known as bantam weight. And the last division of this weight group is the lightest category (or fly weight) with participants weighing from fifty-three to fifty-seven kilograms.

Women in the UFC

A great achievement for the beautiful half of the world's population was the selection of two categories that apply specifically to them. It was a kind of recognition of women as real participants and worthy opponents in this sport. Two groups were formed:

• the easiest;
• the easiest.

The lightest category called women's bantam weight unites women with a mass of fifty-seven to sixty-one kilograms. And the category women's straw weight, or the lightest, refers to athletes who weigh from forty-eight to fifty-two kilograms.

Current Champions

UFC champions in all weight divisions won their titles at different times and defended their right to hold this title a different number of times. We provide you with a list of the most relevant leaders that are currently.

• Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum of Brazil. He won the title in the summer of 2015 and has never defended it yet.
• Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormet of the USA. He became it in the spring of 2015 and has already managed to defend the right to be the first in this category once.
• The middleweight champion is Luke Rockhold of the United States. He won the title in the winter of 2015 and has not had time to confirm it yet.
• The welterweight champion is Robbie Lawlier of the USA. In the winter of 2014, he received this title and has already justified the title of the best fighter in this category twice.
• The lightweight champion is Rafael DosAngus of Brazil. In the spring of 2015, he became the best in his weight category and once defended the right to be called that.
• Featherweight champion - Irishman Connor Became it in the winter of 2015, while he has never defended his title in battle.
• The bantamweight champion is Dominic Cruz of the United States. The most recent of the titles won in the winter of 2016, so he has never fought to defend the title.
• Flyweight champion Dimitrius Johnson of the United States. This fighter managed to fight for this title seven times and won every time, remaining the best in his category. He won the title for the first time in the fall of 2012.
• As for the women's categories, the American Holly Holm became the champion in the bantamweight division in the fall of 2015. She has never fought to confirm the title.
• The women's flyweight champion was Johana Enzeczyk from Poland. It happened in the spring of 2015, and she has already fought twice for the right to be the best.

It is worth noting that the fighter who wins the "title" fight becomes the champion in any category. This fight lasts five rounds, each of which lasts five minutes. To defend his title, the champion fights the next contender. If the reigning champion loses, then the title passes to the winner. Otherwise, the title remains with the former favorite. There is also the concept of an interim champion. It is given to a fighter if the current champion cannot fight to defend the title for a long time (for example, for health reasons).

Outstanding fighters

There are people who are not among the list of champions at the moment, but they left a bright mark in the history of the UFC. We want to recall some of them.

• Ronda Jean Rousey. First Women's Lightweight Champion. It is considered the highest paid female athlete in the world with an income of more than six and a half million dollars a year.
• was the light heavyweight champion. Eight times he confirmed the right to be a champion. Unfortunately, problems with the law did not allow the athlete to fully realize himself.
• Andersen Silva is rightfully considered the king of middleweight. He made ten fights to defend the title.
• Slightly fewer fights spent to defend the title in the welterweight category, Georges Saintpierre. Many experts believe this in the world.
• Famous names such as Chuck Lidel, Dan Henderson, BJ Peng, Tito Artis, Randy Couture, Met Hughes and others have left an indelible mark on UFC history. And this is not the whole list of significant people in this field.

In the end, I would like to add that the championships organized by the UFC are distinguished by excellent organization, are considered prestigious, and all fighters strive to get to this championship at least once in their lives. Watching competitions on TV, even at a distance and through the screen, you can feel the special atmosphere of the events. Victory in such a competition is a real achievement that fighters have been striving for since childhood, and everyone who is interested in martial arts knows the names of the champions.

Fabricio Werdum is one of the many representatives of the Brazilian MMA school. His nickname Vai Cavalo translates from Portuguese as "forward, horse." He was born on July 30, 1977 in Porto Allegri, Brazil, but currently lives in San Jose, USA, where he trains in Kings MMA. The fighting basis of Fabricio is Brazilian jiu-jitsu and muay thai.

Werdum earned the championship belt in the summer of 2015. On June 13, as part of the UFC 188 tournament, he met with Cain Velasquez, who at that time owned the title. The Brazilian dominated throughout the fight and eventually caught his opponent in a guillotine in the third round. In February 2016, he was supposed to meet with Velasquez in a rematch, but the opponent withdrew from the fight due to injury. Werdum's next entry into the octagon is scheduled for May 14, 2016 as part of the UFC 198 show. During the first defense, Fabriciou's opponent will be top contender Stipe Miocic.

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier was born on March 20, 1979 in the American city of Lafayette. He currently resides in San Jose and trains at the American Kickboxing Academy. His background is freestyle wrestling and kickboxing. In addition, Daniel boasts a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Cormier's main problem at the moment is that many do not consider him a true champion. The best UFC fighter, regardless of weight categories, Jon Jones, in the rank of title holder, met with Daniel and got the victory. Later, Jones got in trouble with the law, causing the promotion to take the belt from him. The latter was soon played by Cormier and Anthony Johnson. On May 23, 2015, at UFC 187, Cormier defeated Johnson and sat on the light heavyweight throne, after which he made his first title defense in a battle with Alexander Gustafsson. The long-awaited rematch with Jon Jones will take place on April 23, 2016 as part of the UFC 197 tournament.

UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold

Luke Rockhold was born October 17, 1984 in the California city of Santa Cruz, is a citizen of the United States of America and trains with Daniel Cormier at the American Kickboxing Academy. He has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but besides this type of martial arts, he is well acquainted with kickboxing and freestyle wrestling.

Rockhold won the UFC belt relatively recently, when he won a victory over the previously undefeated Chris Weidman in a dominant style. Initially, the battle, which took place as part of the co-main event of the UFC 194 show, proceeded to the accompaniment of the attacks of the current champion, but later Rockhold managed to seize the initiative due to the fact that he retained more strength. He pinned Weidman to the ground and began beating the helpless opponent until the match was stopped by the referee. Despite the fact that Rochkold had a serious advantage during the fight, the promotion bosses appointed an immediate rematch, which will take place on June 4, 2016 at UFC 199.

UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler

Robbie Lawler is one of the most daring UFC champions. This guy was born in San Diego on March 20, 1982, and currently lives in Coconut Creek and trains at the American Top Team fight club. The fighter came to mixed martial arts from karate, and often his fights are held in a stance and are nominated for the title of the best fights of the year.

He earned the UFC welterweight title on December 6, 2014 in a confrontation with Johny Hendrix. Ruthless (Lawler's nickname) got the victory in it according to the results of a separate decision of the judges. Robbie has since made two defenses of his title. First, at UFC 189, he defeated Rory McDonald by technical knockout, after which he will meet with Carlos Condit as part of UFC 195, held on January 2, 2016. Who will be Lawler's next opponent is still unknown.

UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael Dos Anjos was born on October 26, 1984 in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Here he currently resides, training under the guidance of Rafael Cordeiro in Kings MMA. The basis of the fighter's fighting is Thai boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Rafael dos Anjos became the champion after the title battle with Anthony Pettis. On March 15, 2015, as part of UFC 185, Rafael won the victory thanks to a unanimous decision of the judges. In December 2015, he made his first belt defense against Donald Cerrone. While many expected a competitive battle from this meeting, dos Anjos already in the first seconds of the debut round showed that he would not give Cowboy a chance, destroying him by technical knockout. The next outing of the fighter in the cage was scheduled for March 5, 2016. Rafal had to defend his belt from the encroachments of UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor. However, the Brazilian broke his leg and withdrew from the fight.

UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is one of the most popular figures in the world of mixed martial arts. In addition, he brings the UFC the greatest income, and therefore enjoys the indulgence of the promotion management. The fighter was born on July 14, 1988 in Dublin, Ireland, where he lives at the moment. His background is diverse: karate, taekwondo, boxing and even capoeira. In addition, Conor has a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, but has not yet proven that he can be called successful in this type of martial arts.

McGregor has long attracted the attention of the whole world to his person, although he has taken possession of the championship belt relatively recently. It took only 13 seconds for him to overthrow the former title holder, the Brazilian Jose Aldo, from the throne. The exact gift of the jaw lifted the Irishman's glory to even greater heights, and dishonored the former champion. In his next fight, McGregor was scheduled to fight for the second belt against lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, but the latter was injured and pulled out of the fight. His replacement, Nate Diaz, caught Dana White's golden boy in the second round with a submission. With whom Notorius will now fight is still unknown, but it says a lot that Jose Aldo will be his opponent again.

UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominic Cruz

Dominic Cruz is another representative of the American school of mixed martial arts. Dominator was born on September 3, 1985 in Tucson, Orizona. Currently, his place of residence is the California city of Chula Vista. This guy trains with the Alliance MMA team, and his basic MMA techniques are boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling.

Dominick Cruz has lost only once in his long career and is one of the two men who defeated reigning flyweight title holder Demetrius Johnson. However, injuries prevented Dominka from fully revealing his talents. On July 7, 2012, Cruz was supposed to fight Juraj Faber, but this fight did not take place, because Dominik suffered a cruciate ligament injury. A series of injuries kept him out of the octagon until the fall of 2014, when he met with Takeya Mizugaki and got the victory, and then again went into idle time due to yet another health problem. On January 7, 2016, the fighter made a triumphant return to the UFC, taking the belt from then-champion TJ Dillashaw. Cruise's next fight will be against Juraj Faber again at UFC 199 on June 4, 2016.

UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrius Johnson

Last year was very rich in changes in the elite of the most popular organization of mixed martial arts. Only Demetrius Johnson managed to retain the championship title, while new kings and queens appeared in all other divisions. The new challenges of former and current champions in 2016 will be discussed.

The lightest weight. Women

In 2015, Joanna Jedrzejczyk managed to take away the championship title from Carla Esparza and defend it twice, defeating Jessica Penne and Valerie Letourneau. In the battle with the latter, by the way, the representative of Poland set a new record for the number of kicks inflicted (70!) And this is with 220 accented punches. One way or another, the next rival Endrzejczyk will have a very difficult time. As much as we would like to see Marina Moroz as a contender, most likely, the next applicant will be Claudia Gadelha, who in 2014 lost to the Polish woman by a split decision of the judges. In the future, there is also a rematch with Carla Esparza and an extremely interesting confrontation with Rose Namajunas, who spoiled the face of Paige Vanzant.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk - Claudia Gadelha

Joanna Jedrzejczyk - Carla Esparza

Joanna Jedrzejczyk - Rose Namajunas

The lightest weight. Women

According to the latest news, the rematch between Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey has been postponed. Apparently, the latter needs much more time to recover, physically and psychologically, than expected. The once-dominant champion in MMA was replaced by Misha Tate, who currently has a series of four victories in a row. As it became known, Rousey will not perform in July at the 200 tournament, which gives a chance to get to the title fight Amanda Nunes or Julianne Peigne faster. In addition, Valentina Shevchenko, a native of Bishkek, who is one step away from the top ten, deserves attention, who, in the event of another beautiful victory, can easily get a fight with any of the leaders of the division.

The lightest weight. Men

Demetrius Johnson has already defeated everyone. Of course, the division is replenished with new fighters, but with two convincing victories over the main contenders in the face of Joseph Benavidez and John Dodson, the Mighty Mouse at least can count on a place in the Hall of Fame and a super fight with the bantamweight champion. However, he is in no hurry to force things and, according to rumors, he is preparing for the 10th (!) title defense against Henry Cejudo. After the high-profile defeats of 2015, failure can be expected from any fighter, however, Jussier Formiga and, of course, Ali Bagautinov, who, hopefully, will be able to recover and achieve the right to rematch, can become interesting options for the lightest champion.

Demetrius Johnson - Henry Cejudo

Demetrius Johnson - Ali Bagautinov

The lightest weight. Men

By far the most anticipated event in this division is the return of Dominick Cruz, who has finally managed to heal his injury. True, sometimes you want to knock on wood so as not to jinx it, even if there is less than a week left before the battle. The Dominator's opponent will be the current champion TJ Dillashaw, who twice "destroyed" Renan Baran. The fate of the Brazilian is still unclear: problems with cutting weight may force him to move to the featherweight category, however, the final answer has not yet followed.

Renan Baran - ?

Feather-weight. Men

Connor McGregor - Frankie Edgar

A light weight. Men

As noted above, Rafael dos Anjos could face Connor McGregor. At the same time, the Brazilian has enough rivals in his weight. First of all, this is the winner of the fight Anthony Pettis - Eddie Alvarez. For some time, these fighters lost their positions sharply: Pettis lost the title, and Alvarez failed his debut in the organization. However, the reputation and quality of performances turned out to be more important than the dry numbers in the record. It should be noted that this fight became a candidate only in the absence of Khabib Nurmagomedov, who, most likely, will return in the summer. Depending on the current situation, the Dagestan Oryol can hold both an intermediate fight, for example, with Cerrone, and immediately fight for the belt.

Welterweight. Men

Robbie Lawler started the year with a rather controversial victory over Carlos Condit, but somehow retained the title. Although Dana White is unlikely to give the latter a second chance, a rematch could be of great interest to the general public. Still, Johnny Hendrix, who is scheduled to face Stephen Thompson on February 6, and Tyron Woodley, who recently defeated Kelvin Gastelum, seem to be more likely contenders. With a positive set of circumstances, by the end of the year, Albert Tumenov may also get to the title fight, but we will find out about this later.

Robbie Lawler - Carlos Condit

Robbie Lawler – Johny Hendrix

Robbie Lawler - Tyron Woodley

Average weight. Men

The main event in this weight category, without a doubt, will be the return of Anderson Silva, who will face Michael Bisping on February 27. Was that the banned substance Viagra or something else, few people care anymore, but the prospect of the Spider regaining the title can compete in resonance with the defeats of Velasquez and Rousey. This prospect, however, will open only in case of victory and the subsequent absence of claims from the anti-doping agency. At the same time, the approved contender for the title of Yoel Romero got into the sight of the “hunters” for lovers of illegal substances. Today we are talking only about suspicions, but if they are confirmed, Ronaldo Souza may go to a meeting with Luke Rockhold. If a quick solution to this situation is not found, Chris Wademan may get his chance for an immediate revenge.

Anderson Silva - Michael Bisping

Luke Rockhold - Chris Weidman

Luke Rockhold - Yoel Romero/Ronaldo Souza

Light heavyweight. Men

A sensation is also expected in the light heavyweights: Jon Jones intends to return to the cage. True, photo reports from his training raise doubts as to whether he will remain in his weight or move to the heavyweight division. Obviously, an athlete of the size of John Jones can immediately get a fight for the title and once again test the strength of Daniel Cormier. It is more difficult to talk about other opponents of Black Fedor: Anthony Johnson will meet Ryan Bader on January 30, and Alexander Gustafsson gave a good fight to the champion, but he should not count on a quick revenge.

Daniel Cormier - John Jones

Heavy weight. Men

Fans around the world are currently waiting for the second fight between Fabrice Werdum and Cain Velasquez. A complete transformation is expected from the Mexican in more familiar climatic conditions, but the Brazilian should by no means be written off, because he will breathe easier. Meanwhile, passions are also boiling in the immediate vicinity of the title fight. Alistair Overem returned to his previous condition, knocking out Junior dos Santos, and Stipe Miocic only confirmed his champion claims with a confident victory over Andrey Orlovsky. Both Miocic and Overem can safely come on as a substitute if one of the champion pair is injured, although the audience would be happy to meet them face-to-face.

Fabricio Werdum - Cain Velasquez

Alistair Overem - heavyweight champion

Stipe Miocic is the heavyweight champion.