Who Are the Five Worst UFC Champions of All Time?

Dave Menne won the first ever UFC middleweight title by beating Gil Castillo via decision. But his reign lasted just four months. He lost the belt to Murilo Bustamante in his first defence and after that, he became completely irrelevant in the UFC. 

While he was a solid fighter during his era, racking up 31 wins and only seven losses as he claimed the UFC title, he simply didn’t have the minerals to maintain his championship status.

4. Ricco Rodriguez (Heavyweight Champion, 2002-2003)

Ricco Rodriguez shocked the world in 2002 by beating UFC legend Randy Couture to win the heavyweight title, and this incredible TKO victory would move him to 14-1 at that time. But his reign was short-lived. 

He lost the belt in his very next fight to Tim Sylvia, and his career would quickly spiral after that. Outside of the Octagon, reported personal struggles and lack of discipline overshadowed his ability that was once regarded as a genuinely elite fighter.

3. Nicco Montano (Flyweight Champion, 2017-2018)

Nicco Montano won the first ever women’s flyweight championship via The Ultimate Fighter tournament. But she never actually defended the title; she was ultimately forced to withdraw from her first scheduled defence against Valentina Shevchenko due to weight cut issues. 

The UFC would then decide to strip her of the title. A couple of years later, she would return to the bantamweight division where she faced Julianna Pena but would lose via decision. She never competed again after that.

2. Tim Sylvia (Heavyweight Champion, 2003 & 2004-2005)

Tim Sylvia held the UFC heavyweight belt twice but never commanded the respect of fans due to how both of his title reigns played out. His fighting style was very awkward and sometimes unexciting to watch, and his first reign ended rather abruptly.

After brutally finishing Gan McGee in the first round to move his record to 14-0, he would later test positive for steroids and was therefore stripped. He later won the belt back in 2006, but his plodding fights with Andrei Arlovski and Jeff Monson were considered some of the dullest title bouts in UFC history.

MMA legend Randy Couture would eventually move up to heavyweight and dominate Sylvia. After that, Sylvia would have two fights in the company before departing and never returning.

1. Germaine de Randamie (Featherweight Champion, 2017)

Germaine de Randamie became the first ever UFC women’s featherweight champion by defeating Holly Holm in a controversial fight that featured multiple illegal strikes after the bell. 

Instead of wanting to defend her belt against the division’s most feared fighter, Cris Cyborg, she flat-out refused and she cited Cyborg’s past doping issues as a reason for not defending the belt against her. 

The UFC wasn’t having any of it and went on to strip her of the title within a couple of months. Afterwards, the division gained credibility once Cyborg took over and began to batter her opponents at will.

Meanwhile, De Randamie moved up to bantamweight and eventually lost in a title fight against Amanda Nunes before returning to the win column versus Julianna Pena. “The Iron Lady” would take a break from the sport before competing for the first time in four years when she lost to Norma Dumont in April 2024. She later announced her retirement from the sport.