UFC's Strawweight Champions: Complete History

The UFC strawweight division has crowned seven champions since its December 2014 launch, with reigns ranging from a few months to multiple years of dominance.

Carla Esparza became the inaugural titleholder when she submitted Rose Namajunas in the third round of the tournament final, per ESPN. Esparza lost the belt in her first defense six months later when Joanna Jedrzejczyk stopped her at UFC 185.

Jedrzejczyk's Record-Setting Run

Jedrzejczyk held the belt longer than anyone in division history, defending five times before Namajunas dethroned her at UFC 217 in November 2017. Namajunas defended once against Jedrzejczyk in a rematch before losing to Jessica Andrade via second-round slam knockout at UFC 237.

Andrade's reign lasted four months. Weili Zhang stopped her in 42 seconds at UFC Shenzhen in August 2019, according to the report. Zhang defended against Jedrzejczyk in a classic at UFC 248 before losing to Namajunas in their April 2021 meeting.

Namajunas made one successful defense in the rematch with Zhang before Esparza reclaimed the title at UFC 274. Esparza's second reign ended quickly when Zhang took the belt back at UFC 281 in November 2022.

The division currently sits vacant after Zhang moved up to flyweight. The UFC has not announced a timeline for crowning a new champion.

Reported via:

• ESPN MMA — All-time UFC strawweight champions
• ESPN MMA — Current and all-time UFC champions