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I've ranked and given a brief description of the longest amounts of time a fighter was recognized as a UFC Champion without defending against top guys. Examples that came to mind immediately were Couture (legal dispute) and Cruz (injury). Recently though, it seems we are witnessing more champs get away with avoiding top fighters in their division. I believe that inactivity as a champion, for any reason, has an effect on the entire division, not just the champion and the #1 contender, so I searched for the most egregious examples of inactivity during a championship reign and listed them.
Here's the list:
1. Dominick Cruz - Defended title against Demetrius Johnson on October 1st, 2011. Then was out with injuries for 3 years. Cruz wasn't stripped until January 6th 2014. Cruz was a UFC champion for over 2 years without fighting.
Its important to note that during this time there was an interim champion, Renan Barao, who was champion from July 1st, 2012 until May 24th, 2014. His interim title reign lasted 554 days (18 months) and he was promoted to undisputed champion when Cruz was stripped. Barao had already defended the interim belt twice. Barao had 138 days (4 months) as undisputed champion (692 days (22 months) total as interim and undisputed champion combined). Its really insane the money and recognition that Barao was screwed out of due to not being properly viewed as the best BW.
Cruz takes the number 1 spot easily. He was champion from October 1st, 2011-January 6th 2014 without a single fight. A record that I hope never gets broken. 828 days (over 27 months) as champion without a single fight.
2. Cain Velasquez - Cain is another on the list due to injuries. He actually had two long championship layoffs due to injury. He fought Brock Lesnar on October 24th, 2010 and was out until November 12th, 2011 where he fought JDS. He was out again as champion from October 19th, 2013 until June 15th, 2015 where he fought Werdum.
Cains two layoffs were for 384 days and 602 days (20 months), respectively. Cain had the HW title, without fighting for an overall total of 986 days. (32 months)
He is only #2 because it was 2 separate stints of absence.
3. Georges St. Pierre - GSP was sidelined for a bit with knee injuries during his title reign that required surgery and rehab. From April 30th, 2011 to November 17th, 2012, GSP was unable to fight. It is important to note that this was the longest time off in GSPs championship career and that he fought top contenders regularly.
He makes the list with an inactive championship time of 567 days (18 months).
4. Michael Bisping - He is included on this list for choosing not to fight top contenders in his division. He is currently one of the most offensive on the list. He claimed injury, but suddenly felt better when a money fight was on the horizon. Bisping won the MW title on June 4th, 2016. He would go on to have two defenses, one against a #13 ranked Dan Henderson, and one against a retired WW in GSP. He lost the title to GSP on November 4th, 2017, and vacated a month later.
Bisping held the belt without defending against a top contender for a whopping 518 days. (17 months)
EDIT: GSP Vacated the MW title on December 7th, 2017. His total MW championship reign was 33 days.
5. Conor Mcgregor (Lightweight) - The only fighter with the distiction of making the list twice. Conor Mcgregor won the LW title from Eddie Alvarez on November 12th, 2016. He has yet to defend and took a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather earlier this year. He has no fight scheduled and Dana has stated that he may not fight until summer, if he ever fights again. However the promotions is still recognizing him as the LW champion.
This is also the only current champion on the list, so the count only exists up until today, but we are still currently counting.
Mcgregor hasn't defended the LW belt in 463 days, and counting. (15 months, and counting.)
6. Anthony Pettis - Pettis had a break due to injury during his title reign aswell. He fought Benson Henderson on August 31st, 2013 and was out with injury until he fought Gilbert Malendez on December 4th, 2014.
He was out of action for 462 days. (15 months)
7. Randy Couture - Ended up in legal dispute with the UFC for not successfully recruiting Fedor and tried to seek release from his contract. To be honest, I thought this one was alot longer than it actually was. Randy fought Gabriel Gonzaga on August 25th, 2007 and did not return to defend until November 15th, 2008.
He takes this spot at 448 days. (15 months)
8. Frank Mir - Frank Mir won the UFC HW title on June 19th, 2004 at UFC 48 by stoppage due to breaking Tim Sylvia's arm in a first round armbar. Unfortunately, he would get into a motorcycle accident a few months later that severely injured him and made him unable to compete. He was stripped of the HW title on August 12th, 2005 as he was unable to make a unification bout with then interim champ Andrei Arlovski. He was champion for 419 days before being stripped.
9. Jose Aldo - Aldo was a bit injury prone during his career, but his longest layoff was between January 14th, 2012 and February 2nd, 2013. He went a span of 385 days (13 months) without defending in his longest layoff as champion.
10. Matt Serra - Serra pulled off the biggest upset in UFC history against GSP on April 7th, 2007. However, injury would sideline him for a year afterward. He returned to fight GSP again on April 19th, 2008.
He went 377 days without a defense.
11. Conor Mcgregor (Featherweight) - Conor Mcgregor won the FW title in a fight with Chad Mendes on July 11th, 2015 (interim) and unified on December 12th, 2015. He would never defend the title, despite taking three fights in the next year. On the 26th of November 2016, the UFC decided to strip him of the title as he hadn't defended at all and had no FW bout scheduled.
Jose Aldo, the Interim champ at the time was then promoted to full champion.
FW Conor hops onto this list at 350 days.
NOTE: I made this list to try to take a look at tangible harm this has on individual weight divisions and on top contenders as it relates to sales and purses. Thats the only reason Conor is listed here into 2 separate weight divisions and Cain isn't #1. But for those curious, Conor has 813 days. and counting (27 months, and counting) as an inactive champion total (between FW and LW), which ranks him #3 total all-time behind only Cain and Cruz, respectively.
EDIT: AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, CONOR WILL BE STRIPPED BY APRIL 7TH, 2018, WHICH WOULD LEAVE CONOR AT FINAL TOTAL OF 511 DAYS (17 MONTHS) AS INACTIVE LW CHAMPION RANKING HIM 5TH ALL-TIME FOR A SINGLE WEIGHT DIVISION
AND 861 DAYS TOTAL AS A NONDEFENDING MMA CHAMPION. RANKING HIM #2 ALL-TIME (TOTAL) BEHIND ONLY CAIN (#1 IN LONGEST CONTINUAL TIME AS CHAMP WITHOUT A DEFENSE)
Here's the list:
1. Dominick Cruz - Defended title against Demetrius Johnson on October 1st, 2011. Then was out with injuries for 3 years. Cruz wasn't stripped until January 6th 2014. Cruz was a UFC champion for over 2 years without fighting.
Its important to note that during this time there was an interim champion, Renan Barao, who was champion from July 1st, 2012 until May 24th, 2014. His interim title reign lasted 554 days (18 months) and he was promoted to undisputed champion when Cruz was stripped. Barao had already defended the interim belt twice. Barao had 138 days (4 months) as undisputed champion (692 days (22 months) total as interim and undisputed champion combined). Its really insane the money and recognition that Barao was screwed out of due to not being properly viewed as the best BW.
Cruz takes the number 1 spot easily. He was champion from October 1st, 2011-January 6th 2014 without a single fight. A record that I hope never gets broken. 828 days (over 27 months) as champion without a single fight.
2. Cain Velasquez - Cain is another on the list due to injuries. He actually had two long championship layoffs due to injury. He fought Brock Lesnar on October 24th, 2010 and was out until November 12th, 2011 where he fought JDS. He was out again as champion from October 19th, 2013 until June 15th, 2015 where he fought Werdum.
Cains two layoffs were for 384 days and 602 days (20 months), respectively. Cain had the HW title, without fighting for an overall total of 986 days. (32 months)
He is only #2 because it was 2 separate stints of absence.
3. Georges St. Pierre - GSP was sidelined for a bit with knee injuries during his title reign that required surgery and rehab. From April 30th, 2011 to November 17th, 2012, GSP was unable to fight. It is important to note that this was the longest time off in GSPs championship career and that he fought top contenders regularly.
He makes the list with an inactive championship time of 567 days (18 months).
4. Michael Bisping - He is included on this list for choosing not to fight top contenders in his division. He is currently one of the most offensive on the list. He claimed injury, but suddenly felt better when a money fight was on the horizon. Bisping won the MW title on June 4th, 2016. He would go on to have two defenses, one against a #13 ranked Dan Henderson, and one against a retired WW in GSP. He lost the title to GSP on November 4th, 2017, and vacated a month later.
Bisping held the belt without defending against a top contender for a whopping 518 days. (17 months)
EDIT: GSP Vacated the MW title on December 7th, 2017. His total MW championship reign was 33 days.
5. Conor Mcgregor (Lightweight) - The only fighter with the distiction of making the list twice. Conor Mcgregor won the LW title from Eddie Alvarez on November 12th, 2016. He has yet to defend and took a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather earlier this year. He has no fight scheduled and Dana has stated that he may not fight until summer, if he ever fights again. However the promotions is still recognizing him as the LW champion.
This is also the only current champion on the list, so the count only exists up until today, but we are still currently counting.
Mcgregor hasn't defended the LW belt in 463 days, and counting. (15 months, and counting.)
6. Anthony Pettis - Pettis had a break due to injury during his title reign aswell. He fought Benson Henderson on August 31st, 2013 and was out with injury until he fought Gilbert Malendez on December 4th, 2014.
He was out of action for 462 days. (15 months)
7. Randy Couture - Ended up in legal dispute with the UFC for not successfully recruiting Fedor and tried to seek release from his contract. To be honest, I thought this one was alot longer than it actually was. Randy fought Gabriel Gonzaga on August 25th, 2007 and did not return to defend until November 15th, 2008.
He takes this spot at 448 days. (15 months)
8. Frank Mir - Frank Mir won the UFC HW title on June 19th, 2004 at UFC 48 by stoppage due to breaking Tim Sylvia's arm in a first round armbar. Unfortunately, he would get into a motorcycle accident a few months later that severely injured him and made him unable to compete. He was stripped of the HW title on August 12th, 2005 as he was unable to make a unification bout with then interim champ Andrei Arlovski. He was champion for 419 days before being stripped.
9. Jose Aldo - Aldo was a bit injury prone during his career, but his longest layoff was between January 14th, 2012 and February 2nd, 2013. He went a span of 385 days (13 months) without defending in his longest layoff as champion.
10. Matt Serra - Serra pulled off the biggest upset in UFC history against GSP on April 7th, 2007. However, injury would sideline him for a year afterward. He returned to fight GSP again on April 19th, 2008.
He went 377 days without a defense.
11. Conor Mcgregor (Featherweight) - Conor Mcgregor won the FW title in a fight with Chad Mendes on July 11th, 2015 (interim) and unified on December 12th, 2015. He would never defend the title, despite taking three fights in the next year. On the 26th of November 2016, the UFC decided to strip him of the title as he hadn't defended at all and had no FW bout scheduled.
Jose Aldo, the Interim champ at the time was then promoted to full champion.
FW Conor hops onto this list at 350 days.
NOTE: I made this list to try to take a look at tangible harm this has on individual weight divisions and on top contenders as it relates to sales and purses. Thats the only reason Conor is listed here into 2 separate weight divisions and Cain isn't #1. But for those curious, Conor has 813 days. and counting (27 months, and counting) as an inactive champion total (between FW and LW), which ranks him #3 total all-time behind only Cain and Cruz, respectively.
EDIT: AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, CONOR WILL BE STRIPPED BY APRIL 7TH, 2018, WHICH WOULD LEAVE CONOR AT FINAL TOTAL OF 511 DAYS (17 MONTHS) AS INACTIVE LW CHAMPION RANKING HIM 5TH ALL-TIME FOR A SINGLE WEIGHT DIVISION
AND 861 DAYS TOTAL AS A NONDEFENDING MMA CHAMPION. RANKING HIM #2 ALL-TIME (TOTAL) BEHIND ONLY CAIN (#1 IN LONGEST CONTINUAL TIME AS CHAMP WITHOUT A DEFENSE)
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