Rating of ufc lightweight fighters. Weight categories in the UFC. UFC champions in all weight categories. Women's weight categories in the UFC. A light weight. Men

Last year was very rich in changes in the elite of the most popular mixed style fighting organization. Only Demetrius Johnson managed to retain the championship title, while new kings and queens appeared in all other divisions. We will talk about new challenges from past and present champions in 2016.

Flyweight. Women

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

Joanna Jedrzejczyk – Claudia Gadelha

Joanna Jedrzejczyk – Carla Esparza

Joanna Jedrzejczyk – Rose Namajunas

Bantamweight. Women

According to latest news, the rematch between Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey has been postponed. Apparently, the latter is taking much longer to recover, physically and psychologically, than expected. The once most dominant champion in MMA was happily replaced by Miesha Tate, who has this moment a streak of four wins in a row. As it became known, Rousey will not compete in the 200 tournament in July, which gives a chance to quickly get to the title fight for Amanda Nunes or Julianne Pena. In addition, the native of Bishkek, Valentina Shevchenko, who is one step away from the top ten, deserves attention; in the event of another beautiful victory, she can easily get a fight with any of the division leaders.

Flyweight. Men

Demetrious Johnson has already beaten everyone. Of course, the division is replenished with new fighters, but, having two convincing victories over the main contenders in Joseph Benavidez and John Dodson, Mighty Mouse at the very least he can count on a spot 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, is preparing for the 10th (!) title defense against Henry Cejudo. After the high-profile defeats of 2015, failure can be expected from any fighter, but interesting options for the lightest champion could be Jussier Formiga and, of course, Ali Bagautinov, who, hopefully, will be able to recover and achieve the right to revenge.

Demetrius Johnson - Henry Cejudo

Demetrius Johnson – Ali Bagautinov

Bantamweight. Men

Of course, the most anticipated event in this division is the return of Dominick Cruz, who has finally managed to heal from 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 fight. The Dominator’s opponent will be current champion TJ Dillashaw, who “destroyed” Renan Baran twice. The fate of the Brazilian remains unclear: problems with weight loss may force him to move to the featherweight category, however, the final answer has not yet come.

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 plenty of rivals in his weight class. First of all, this is the winner of the Anthony Pettis – Eddie Alvarez fight. For some time, these fighters sharply lost their positions: Pettis lost the title, and Alvarez failed his debut in the organization. However, reputation and quality of performances turned out to be more important than dry numbers in the record. It should be noted that this fight became a contender’s only in the absence of Khabib Nurmagomedov, who will most likely return in the summer. Depending on the current situation, the Dagestan Eagle can hold either an intermediate fight, for example, with Cerrone, or immediately compete 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 very interesting to the general public. Still, Johny Hendricks, who will face Stephen Thompson on February 6, and Tyron Woodley, who recently defeated Kelvin Gastelum, appear to be more likely contenders. With a positive set of circumstances, Albert Tumenov may also reach the title fight by the end of the year, 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 class, without a doubt, will be the return of Anderson Silva, who will meet Michael Bisping on February 27. Whether Viagra or something else was that banned substance, few people care anymore, but the Spider’s prospect of regaining the title can rival in resonance the defeats of Velasquez and Rousey. This prospect, however, will open only in case of victory and subsequent absence of complaints from the anti-doping agency. At the same time, the confirmed contender for the title, Yoel Romero, was in the sights of the “hunters” for lovers of prohibited 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 Weidman may get his chance for 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 at his weight or move to the heavy division. Obviously, an athlete of Jon Jones’ caliber can immediately get a title fight and once again test Daniel Cormier’s strength. It’s more difficult to talk about Black Fedor’s other opponents: Anthony Johnson will meet Ryan Bader on January 30, and Alexander Gustafsson gave good fight champion, but he shouldn’t count on a quick revenge.

Daniel Cormier – Jon Jones

Heavy weight. Men

Currently, fans around the world are waiting for the second fight between Fabrice Werdum and Cain Velasquez. The Mexican is expected to undergo a complete transformation in more familiar climatic conditions, but the Brazilian should by no means be written off, because he, too, will breathe easier. Meanwhile, passions are also running high in the immediate vicinity of the title fight. Alistair Overem returned to his previous condition after knocking out Junior dos Santos, and Stipe Miocic only confirmed his championship claims confident victory over Andrei Orlovsky. Both Miocic and Overem can safely come on as substitutes if one of the champion pair is injured, although the audience would be glad to see them meet in person.

Fabrice Werdum – Cain Velasquez

Alistair Overem - heavyweight champion

Stipe Miocic is the heavyweight champion.

In this article we will discuss weight categories in the UFC, let's talk about people who have made their mark in this area. This championship attracts the attention of many martial arts fans, but not everyone knows the details of its formation or organization of fights. We will provide you with information about what men's and women's weight categories currently exist in the UFC. We will 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 the same divisions by weight that exist today. It was simple sports organization, which organized championships for fighters. The rules of the fight were mixed, and they still remain that way. 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 there was already average weight. 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 divided into five different types:

heavy;
semi-heavy;
average;
welterweight;
easy.

Weight categories in the UFC went through all these changes, first of all, in order to be able to optimally distribute participants and achieve maximum results in fights. After all, it is much more interesting to watch a fight between approximately equal opponents, and not to see how a heavyweight fights with a miniature and lightweight athlete. It was many years before the divisions were again revised and lighter divisions were added, as well as separate weight categories for women in the UFC.

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;
semi-heavy;
average;
welterweight;
easy;
featherweight;
lightest;
lightest,
easiest for women;
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;
semi-heavy.

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

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 ranges from 53 to 70 kilograms. Divided into categories:

featherweight;
lightest;
lightest.

TO light category include athletes weighing from sixty-six to seventy kilograms. In the world it is known as light weight. Featherweight UFC category unites 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 fair half of the planet’s population was the identification of two categories that apply specifically to them. This was a kind of recognition of women as real participants and worthy opponents in this sport. Two groups were formed:

lightest;
lightest.

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

Current Champions

UFC Champions in all weight categories won their titles in different time and defended their right to bear this title various times. We provide you with a list of the most relevant leaders who are such at the moment.

Heavyweight champion - Fabricio Werdum from Brazil. He won the title in the summer of 2015 and has never defended it.
Light heavyweight champion - Daniel Cormet from the USA. He became one in the spring of 2015 and has already managed to defend the right to be first in this category once.
Middleweight champion - Luke Rockhold from the USA. He won the title in the winter of 2015 and has not yet had time to confirm it.
Welterweight champion - Robie Lawlear from 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.
Lightweight champion - Rafael DosAnjuz from 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 had never defended his title in a fight.
Bantamweight champion - Dominick Cruz from the USA. The most recent title he won was in the winter of 2016, so he has never fought to defend the title.
Flyweight champion - Dimitrius Johnson from the USA. This fighter managed to fight for this title seven times and won each 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 Holy 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 Yogana Engrzeczyk of Poland. This happened in the spring of 2015, and she has already managed to fight twice for the right to be the best.

It is worth noting that the champion in any category is the fighter who wins the “title” fight. This fight lasts five rounds, each lasting five minutes. To defend his title, the champion fights the next challenger. If the current champion loses, the title goes to the winner. Otherwise, the title remains with the former favorite. There is also the concept of a temporary champion. It is given to a fighter if the current champion for a long time cannot fight to defend the title (for example, due to health reasons).

Outstanding fighters

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

Ronda Jean Rousey. First women's lightweight champion. She is considered the highest paid athlete in the world with an income of more than six and a half million dollars a year.
was a champion among light heavyweight fighters. Eight times he confirmed his right to be a champion. Unfortunately, problems with legislation did not allow the athlete to realize his potential to the fullest.
Andersen Silva is rightfully considered the king of the middleweight division. He fought ten fights to defend the title.
Georges Saintpierre had slightly fewer fights to defend his title in the welterweight category. Many experts believe this in the world.
Famous names such as Chuck Lidel, Dan Henderson, Bijay Pan, Tito Artis, Randy Couture, Met Hughes and others have left an indelible mark on the history of the UFC. And this is not the entire list of significant people in this area.

In the end, I would like to add that the championships organized by the UFC are excellently organized, are considered prestigious, and all fighters strive to get to this championship at least once in their lives. Watching competitions on TV, even from a distance and through a screen, you can feel the special atmosphere of the events. Winning such a competition is a real achievement that fighters strive for since childhood, and everyone 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 is translated from Portuguese as “forward, horse.” He was born on July 30, 1977 in Porto Allegri in Brazil, but currently lives in San Jose, America, where he trains at Kings MMA. Fabricio's fighting background is Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai.

Werdum earned his championship belt in the summer of 2015. June 13th within UFC tournament 188 he met Cain Velasquez, who at that time held 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 Velasquez in a rematch, but his opponent pulled out of the fight due to injury. Werdum's next appearance in the octagon is scheduled for May 14, 2016 as part of the UFC 198 show. During the first defense, Fabricio'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. Best fighter UFC, regardless of weight categories, Jon Jones, as a title holder, met with Daniel and won. Jones later got into trouble with the law, causing the promotion to take the belt from him. The latter was soon played out 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 on October 17, 1984 in Santa Cruz, California, 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 in addition to this type of martial arts, he is well acquainted with kickboxing and freestyle wrestling.

Rockhold won the UFC championship belt relatively recently, when he defeated the previously undefeated Chris Weidman in 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 attacks by 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 his helpless opponent until the match was stopped by the referee. Despite the fact that Rokhkold had a serious advantage during the fight, the promotion bosses scheduled an immediate rematch, which will take place on June 4, 2016 at the UFC 199 show.

UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler

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

He earned the UFC welterweight title on December 6, 2014 in a confrontation with Johny Hendricks. The Ruthless (Lawler's nickname) won the game as a result of a split decision of the judges. Since then, Robbie has made two defenses of his title. First, at UFC 189, he defeated Rory MacDonald by TKO, after which he will meet Carlos Condit at UFC 195, which took place on January 2, 2016. It is still unknown who Lawler's next opponent will be.

UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos was born on October 26, 1984 in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is where he currently resides, training under Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA. The basis of a fighter's combat operations is Thai boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Rafael dos Anjos became the champion following the title battle with Anthony Pettis. On March 15, 2015, at UFC 185, Rafael won thanks to a unanimous decision of the judges. In December 2015, he made his first defense of the belt against Donald Cerrone. While many expected this fight to be a competitive battle, dos Anjos showed in the first seconds of the opening round that he would not give Cowboy a chance, destroying him by technical knockout. The fighter's next appearance in the cage was scheduled for March 5, 2016. Rafal had to defend his belt from the attacks 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 mixed martial arts. In addition, he brings the UFC the greatest income, and therefore enjoys leniency from the promotion’s management. The fighter was born on July 14, 1988 in Dublin, Ireland, where he currently lives. 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 took possession of the championship belt relatively recently. It took him only 13 seconds to dethrone former title holder, Brazilian Jose Aldo. The exact gift of the jaw raised the Irishman's fame to even higher heights. high altitudes, and disgraced former champion. In his next fight, McGregor was supposed to fight for a second belt against lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, but the latter was injured and withdrew from the fight. His replacement, Nate Diaz, caught “golden boy” Dana White in a submission in the second round. It is still unknown who Notorious will fight with now, but a lot says that his opponent will again be Jose Aldo.

UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz

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

Dominick Cruz has only lost once in his long career and is one of two men to defeat current flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson. However, injuries prevented Dominque from fully revealing his talents. On July 7, 2012, Cruz was supposed to fight with Uriah Faber, but this fight did not take place because Dominic 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 won, and then went into downtime again due to further health problems. On January 7, 2016, the fighter triumphantly returned to the UFC, taking the belt from then-champion TJ Dillashaw. Mine next fight Cruz will fight against Urij Faber again at UFC 199 on June 4, 2016.