Total fights of champions in 2025

[fortheo]

I'm not certain, but I feel like the main difference now is the fact that champs are fighting this little while healthy, where as while champs were just as inactive before, they typically were out injured.

 

[Mongoosemk12]

That's not even one fight per champ per month for the entire year. Jesus Christ. When we talk about product dilution this is it right here.

 

[GOATtalks]

That's not even one fight per champ per month for the entire year. Jesus Christ. When we talk about product dilution this is it right here.

No, there were actually 14 men’s UFC title fights in 2025, so more than one per month. Jesus has nothing to do with this

 

[Mongoosemk12]

No, there were actually 14 men’s UFC title fights in 2025, so more than one per month. Jesus has nothing to do with this

Whatever, I'm trying to get high over here maaaaan.

 

[HavokHarmon]

Joshua Van has 4 because he was not champion in 3 of them.

As soon as the belt is put around them it's immediately "none of these guys are worth my time", "I want the money fight", "need some time off", etc...

I’ve noticed that too, I definitely think a lot of that is mental as much as it is physical. If you’ve been a top 5/10 guy for a while and been rattling off wins you’ve probably been motivated to get to the title. Once you have it you kind of have to reassess why you’re getting up to do roadwork at 5am and figure out another way to push yourself in the gym.

 

[snugglecakes]

shits fuckin weak... now show how often the dubya dubya wrasslin belts get defended.. Now that's a real league with some ballsy fighters.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

Stolen from Reddit, this is pathetic tbh.

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How about title fights in each weight class. Van having 4 fights tells us nothing. Yan had 2 but Merab had 4 title fights. Does Islam get credit for fucking up 2 divisions?

 

[laleggenda27]

Blame the UFC. They allow this inactivity. Defend or vacate.

Some version of this has been echoed over the years from fans, and it has always completely missed the point. The UFC doesn't "allow" this inactivity. The champions aren't dictating to the UFC. The UFC actually wants their highest earners to be relatively inactive. This is the UFC's business model: put one title fight at the top of the card, and stack the rest with cheap labor. It keeps overhead down and maximizes profit.

We constantly hear from fighters who are frustrated because the UFC has them on ice. There's a reason.

In theory, I agree that the UFC shouldn't placate money-fight seekers, religious holiday holdouts, rank-squatters, etc. But these things don't actually hinder the UFC's schedule.

 

[SamuraiBro]

Fighters get paid too much …

 

[Pequeño Corey]

Some version of this has been echoed over the years from fans, and it has always completely missed the point. The UFC doesn't "allow" this inactivity. The champions aren't dictating to the UFC. The UFC actually wants their highest earners to be relatively inactive. This is the UFC's business model: put one title fight at the top of the card, and stack the rest with cheap labor. It keeps overhead down and maximizes profit.

We constantly hear from fighters who are frustrated because the UFC has them on ice. There's a reason.

In theory, I agree that the UFC shouldn't placate money-fight seekers, religious holiday holdouts, rank-squatters, etc. But these things don't actually hinder the UFC's schedule.

They allowed Jon Jones to not unify his title. Now, was that by design because it was good for business? Your ass it was.

 

[Morris88]

Joshua Van has 4 because he was not champion in 3 of them.

As soon as the belt is put around them it's immediately "none of these guys are worth my time", "I want the money fight", "need some time off", etc...

"I've got 2 fights left on my contract then I'm going over to boxing"

 

[Natural Order]

It's been this way in the UFC forever.

If you want to see fighters fighting 5+ times a year on the regular you need to look at the 90's. There are a few reasons for the volume, not the least of which was generally abysmal pay (you want to make a lot of money, you need to fight a lot). There were also far fewer people in the sport, so filling cards meant the same people appearing regularly. Those guys were actual fighters, enjoying the act of fighting (more and more guys are simply athletes now imo)

Outside of Travis Fulton (whose stats are hard to confirm), Igor Vovchanchyn holds the most fights in a calendar year that I've ever seen (20 in his first year in the sport). 3/4 of the UFC roster has never seen 20 fights total!

That era was fun, and I'm thrilled I got to watch it when it happened. But it ain't ever coming back....

 

[Evbo]

Joshua Van has 4 because he was not champion in 3 of them.

As soon as the belt is put around them it's immediately "none of these guys are worth my time", "I want the money fight", "need some time off", etc...

I thought "legacy" was the most recent one...

 

[Ozze]

I’ve noticed that too, I definitely think a lot of that is mental as much as it is physical. If you’ve been a top 5/10 guy for a while and been rattling off wins you’ve probably been motivated to get to the title. Once you have it you kind of have to reassess why you’re getting up to do roadwork at 5am and figure out another way to push yourself in the gym.

Wonder also if sometimes, after being champion, the guys start getting crazy revenues on the side so their need to get paid to fight is not the same as before.

Much easier walking around with the belt just creating social content and doing sponsored shit.
Why risk getting punched in the mouth and losing it.

 

[bjjwar]

Merab didn’t do that. He fought 4 times as the champion in 2025.

Some people don’t like his style. But you can’t be more active than he was as a UFC champion.

Yeah i hate his style, but that alone should've made me shut my mouth.I prefer 10000x more an active champ putting it all on the line all the time like Merab did. BUnch of lazy champs we have spending their whole day filming content, but never fight...

Pereira gets a pass bc he was active before and saved some events and Van ofc he's brand new, but the rest fu** them. There should be a rule, you have to fight at least every 6 months if you have the belt. No interim, nothing, you get stripped. Imagine they would not make US Open this year bc Sinner or whoever has the title was a pus** and wanted to be lazy and party? No other sport doesn't hold the event because 1 guy or 1 team doesnt't want to participate even as the title holders. Show just goes on without them.µ

And this would make champs fight alot more bc they make alot of money outside of the UFC while being the champ. They would never want to be stripped and would fight all the time to keep their status for sponsorships, pods, etc.

 

[Tweak896]

Wonder also if sometimes, after being champion, the guys start getting crazy revenues on the side so their need to get paid to fight is not the same as before.

Much easier walking around with the belt just creating social content and doing sponsored shit.
Why risk getting punched in the mouth and losing it.

This modern mentality is why they do it. When you're a current champ, you get paid doing all this side stuff and it's a "smart career move" to keep the time spaced as much as possible between fights. It makes sense why they do, but UFC should start putting hard limits and shake the belt off fighters if they aren't delivering.

 

[KavkazDominance]

Gaspinall should be stripped already

 

[HHJ]

"I've got 2 fights left on my contract then I'm going over to boxing"

Because the biggest prize isnt in the UFC. UFC has disprespected Big Tom enough, they never even gave him an opportunity to win that belt!


If Big Tom won a title in boxing...

 

[Myrddin Wild]

Alex did 3 if you count back a year from his last fight.

3 fights in 2024... but if you're not stuck on teh 1st of January as your guide... you can go one fight back or one fight forward & he had 4 fights in a "year's time."

Merab had 4 fooking fights in this calendar year

That's what we want... so where'z teh love in this bitch fest of a thread?

 

[Viking Power]

People still think Aspinall should hold the belt even if he takes until end of year to defend because of surgeries. UFC needs to crack the whip and do what they did at LHW with Hill and Jiri. Works best, also makes a good fight for their return.

Weren’t Jiri and Hill voluntary releases of the belt?