(For hardcore fans… yeah, I already know your answer)

As of November 2025, we just had another welterweight title fight — and the belt changed hands for the second time this year.
A weight class with rich history, iconic champions, and debates about “the GOAT”, Welterweight has always been one of the toughest divisions in the UFC, right next to Lightweight.

In this post, we’ll dig into the full history of the 170-lb throne and look at every king who ruled it.

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🇭🇷 Pat “The Croation Sensation” Miletich (1998–2001)

The first ever UFC welterweight champion, lady and gentlemen.
He won the belt against Mikey Burnett in a super close split-decision at UFC: Ultimate Brazil — back when it was still called the Lightweight title (yes, the naming was kinda confused back then).

Fun fact:
The fight was only 3 rounds, yet it was a championship fight.

Pat defended the belt four times:

• Jorge Patino (UFC 18)
• Andre Pederneiras (UFC 21)
• John Alessio (UFC 26)
• Kenichi Yamamoto (UFC 29)

A strong reign with four successful defenses — more than many champs today.
Miletich set the tone for what 170 would become: tough, gritty, and elite.

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🥷🏻 Carlos “The Ronin” Newton (2001)

Choked Pat Miletich at UFC 31 to become the second welterweight king.
Sadly, he lost the belt immediately in his next fight — one of the shortest reigns in the division.

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🤼‍♂️ Matt Hughes (2001–2004)

One of the greatest to ever do it.
Hughes slammed Carlos Newton out at UFC 34 and became the new champion. Then he went on a five-defense streak:

• Hayato Sakurai (UFC 36)
• Carlos Newton (UFC 38)
• Gil Castillo (UFC 40)
• Sean Sherk (UFC 42)
• Frank Trigg (UFC 45)

Hughes’ name is tied to rivalries, toughness, and longevity.
No argument — he’s one of the greatest welterweight champions ever.

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🌴 BJ Penn “The Prodigy” (2004)

Rear-naked-choked Matt Hughes at UFC 46, becoming the new 170 king.
BJ Penn — the first American BJJ world champion at black belt level — is a legend in martial arts.

He was later stripped of the belt after leaving the UFC to fight in K-1, without any defense for the title.

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🤼‍♂️ Matt Hughes (2004–2006) — Second Reign

Hughes came back and won the vacant belt by armbar-ing Georges St-Pierre at UFC 50.
He then added two more title defenses:

• Frank Trigg (UFC 52)
• BJ Penn (UFC 63)

Honorable mentions during his second time reign:

• Joe Riggs (UFC 56) — Riggs missed weight, so not a title defense
• Royce Gracie (UFC 60) — superfight, not a title bout

Another dominant run. Hughes earned his spot among the division’s greats.

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🇨🇦 Georges St-Pierre “Rush” (2006–2007)

Here comes the MMA GOAT — Georges St-Pierre. And yes, I can guarantee this man is your answer for the question in the title above. Well, no doubt anything about this legend.

His first attempt at gold was in 2004, but he lost to Hughes.
At UFC 65, he came back, head-kicked Hughes, and became the welterweight champion.

But he lost the belt in the very next fight — the “demo version” of his championship run.

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🔪 Matt “The Terror” Serra (2007–2008)

Landed a clean knockdown and finished GSP with ground-and-pound — one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
But he couldn’t hold the belt long.

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🇨🇦 Georges St-Pierre “Rush” (2007–2013) — GOAT Reign

First became interim champ after beating Hughes at UFC 79.
Then, at UFC 83, he smashed Matt Serra with brutal knees to the body and regained undisputed gold for the second time.

Then the true GOAT run began: nine straight title defenses.

• Jon Fitch (UFC 87)
• BJ Penn (UFC 94)
• Thiago Alves (UFC 100)
• Dan Hardy (UFC 111)
• Josh Koscheck (UFC 124)
• Jake Shields (UFC 129)
• Carlos Condit (UFC 154)
• Nick Diaz (UFC 158)
• Johny Hendricks (UFC 167)

He then took time off and vacated the belt — but later returned to win the middleweight title, rear-naked choke out Michael Bisping and becoming a double champ in 2017.
With everything he archived, GSP is the welterweight GOAT. No debate.

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🔪 Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit (2012 – Interim)

Beat Nick Diaz for the interim belt (UFC 143), then lost to GSP in their undisputed fight.
Still one of the most violent fighters in UFC history.

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👨🏻‍🏫 Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks (2014)

After a razor-close loss to GSP, he got another chance — this time he beat Robbie Lawler for the belt (UFC 171).
Unfortunately, weight-cut issues and USADA caused his career to decline fast.

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🩸 Robbie “Ruthless” Lawler (2014–2016)

Beat Hendricks in their rematch (UFC 181) to become champion.
His reign included:

• The legendary war with Rory MacDonald (UFC 189)
• A close fight with Carlos Condit (UFC 195)

A short reign, but one of the most memorable in UFC history.

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🫵🏻 Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley (2016–2019)

Knocked out Lawler (UFC 201) and defended the belt four times:

• Stephen Thompson (UFC 205) — draw
• Stephen Thompson (UFC 209) — majority decision win
• Demian Maia (UFC 214)
• Darren Till (UFC 228)

People didn’t love his “calculated” style, but the wins were real.
Still, his overconfidence didn’t help his reputation. One of the most hated champion in history.

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💥 Colby “Chaos” Covington (2018 – Interim)

Beat Rafael Dos Anjos for the interim title, then got stripped due to medical issues.
Never became undisputed champion.

Honestly, I imagine this guy as the evil twin of Dustin Poirier:
three title fights — all losses, cocky trash talk, beats everyone except the real champ, boring hugging-style approach.

That’s exactly why most fans refuse to give him any credit.

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🇳🇬 Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman (2019–2022)

Dominated Woodley to become the first African UFC champion.
Usman’s era was massive — a 15-fight win streak and five title defenses:

• Colby Covington (UFC 245)
• Jorge Masvidal (UFC 251)
• Gilbert Burns (UFC 258)
• Jorge Masvidal (UFC 261) — KO
• Colby Covington (UFC 268)

Many consider him the welterweight GOAT alongside GSP, even Dana White.
Can’t blame them, Usman’s resume speaks for itself.

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🥊 Leon “Rocky” Edwards (2022–2024)

“Look at me now! Headshot! Dead!”
One of the most iconic moments in UFC history.

Leon was losing badly at UFC 278…
until he landed the head kick that knocked Usman out cold, ended his win streak, and lit the entire arena on fire.
Even just writing this right now takes me straight back to that moment.

He defended the belt twice:

• Kamaru Usman (UFC 286)
• Colby Covington (UFC 296)

A late-career rise, but absolutely impressive.

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🤔 Belal “Remember The Name” Muhammad (2024–2025)

Great nickname, but often a meme in the UFC community.
Beat Leon Edwards in their rematch (UFC 304) using takedowns and pressure.
Lost the belt immediately afterward.

Skilled but criticized for a defensive, calculated style.
To “remember the name,” he’ll need more than just takedowns.

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🇦🇺 Jack Della Maddalena (2025)

Started his career with two straight losses — then went on an 18-fight win streak. Very impressive.
Beat Belal Muhammad in a five-round war (UFC 315) to become champion.
Yeah… Belal finally showed his “Canelo boxing hands” instead of hugging — and immediately got punched for it.

Sharp boxing, smart setups — but he lost the belt right after.

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🇷🇺 Islam Makhachev (2025–Present)

Former lightweight champion.
Vacated his 155 belt, moved up, and mauled Jack Della Maddalena for five rounds (UFC 322).

Became double champion, Khabib gave him the belt this time instead of Dana White, cementing himself as one of the best fighters alive.

The new era begins.
Will he defend at Welterweight? Against who?
We’ll see — but it’s promising, especially since he wants to fight on the UFC White House card on July 4, 2026.

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📘 Quick Reference: UFC Welterweight Champions (1998–2025)

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Champion	Nationality	Title Type	Reign Start	Reign End	Notes
Pat Miletich	🇺🇸	Undisputed	Oct 16, 1998	May 04, 2001	First champion
Carlos Newton	🇨🇦	Undisputed	May 04, 2001	Nov 02, 2001
Matt Hughes (1)	🇺🇸	Undisputed	Nov 02, 2001	Jan 31, 2004	Iconic rivalries
B.J. Penn	🇺🇸	Undisputed	Jan 31, 2004	May 17, 2004	Stripped
Matt Hughes (2)	🇺🇸	Undisputed	Oct 22, 2004	Nov 18, 2006	Great comeback
Georges St-Pierre (1)	🇨🇦	Undisputed	Nov 18, 2006	Apr 07, 2007	First run of championship
Matt Serra	🇺🇸	Undisputed	Apr 07, 2007	Apr 19, 2008
Georges St-Pierre	🇨🇦	Interim	Dec 29, 2007	Apr 19, 2008
Georges St-Pierre (2)	🇨🇦	Undisputed	Apr 19, 2008	Dec 13, 2013	Retired, vacated the belt
Carlos Condit	🇺🇸	Interim	Feb 04, 2012	Nov 17, 2012
Johny Hendricks	🇺🇸	Undisputed	Mar 15, 2014	Dec 06, 2014	Know for his close fight with GSP
Robbie Lawler	🇺🇸	Undisputed	Dec 06, 2014	Jul 30, 2016	Blood War
Tyron Woodley	🇺🇸	Undisputed	Jul 30, 2016	Mar 02, 2019	Most hated
Colby Covington	🇺🇸	Interim	Jun 09, 2018	Sep 08, 2018	Stripped
Kamaru Usman	🇳🇬	Undisputed	Mar 02, 2019	Aug 20, 2022	First African champion
Leon Edwards	🇬🇧	Undisputed	Aug 20, 2022	Jul 27, 2024	Iconic head kick KO
Belal Mohammad	🇵🇸 🇺🇸	Undisputed	Jul 27, 2024	May 10, 2025	Most boring fights
Jack Della Maddalena	🇦🇺	Undisputed	May 10, 2025	Nov 15, 2025	Aussie Aussie Aussie!
Islam Makhachev	🇷🇺	Undisputed	Nov 15, 2025	Incumbent	Moved up from lightweight

📌 Facts

• The welterweight division has three double champs:
  BJ Penn (LW), Georges St-Pierre (MW), Islam Makhachev (LW).
• The weight class never has any Brazilian champion (yet)
• Welterweight is one of the three divisions with the most champions, alongside Lightweight and Heavyweight.

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🏁 Final Thoughts

In total, the UFC has had 16 welterweight champions — and the list is full of icons like Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Kamaru Usman, and now Islam Makhachev.
This division has always been a battlefield for greatness — a true test of every fighter’s career.

Do you think Islam can hold and defend his reign until he retired? Or who do you think will be the next champion of 170?