How many years does it take for a fighter with championship potential to become a champion?

[12ga.]

Not a great example to be honest when you factor in injury proneness and cake eating dilemma's. Don't get it twisted either because i like Khabib.

I think if you can talk and can finish fights in spectacular fashion then the UFC machine is going to propel you to a title shot and will cut corners for you to get it faster than a fighter normally would.

While not greatest example Khabib was ready to go and signed contracts for 205 and 206 and Conor stepped over him. Conor a guy 1 and 1 to LW gatekeeper Nate.

Edit UFC didnt know about his weight issues either. He only missed weight once before at this point in time and was #1 for years and undefeated. Most ridiculous step over in history.

 

[wonderbread]

How many years does it take for a fighter with championship potential to become a champion?

A fan on Reddit looked into the records and careers of 61 UFC champions, and these were what he found:

"The average amount of years it took those 61 UFC champions to earn their belts was 6. The average amount of years into their career's that those 61 champions took to lose their belts was 7."

https://www.reddit.com/r/MMA/commen...rs_enter_their_prime/?st=j93m07sd&sh=cf3d509e
​

This inspired me to look into the records of welterweight champions to see if there is any truth to this, since welterweight is one of the most competitive divisions with new prospects showing up, such as Darren Till and Colby Covington (in before Erick Silva). This is what I found:

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What is the average age of WW champs when they first debuted?
22 years and 8 months

How many years before a WW with champion potential becomes champ?
5.5 --to-- 6.8 years *

What is the average age of WW champs when they won the first major title?
27 years and 8 months --to-- 29 years and 4 months

What is the average number of years a WW champ remains the champ before losing?
1.07 --to-- 1.8 years


* Robbie Lawler is a rare case where he won the UFC belt after 13.6 years in MMA. What's also worth noting is that Lawler actually won his first major MMA championship after 4.25 years in MMA, prior to joining the UFC.

As soon as he/she defends and wins.