A detailed timeline of every UFC champion since the start of the new millennium [UPDATED FEB 2024]
By Amy Kaplan
New UFC champions in 2007
March 3 – Randy Couture won the UFC heavyweight title when he defeated Tim Sylvia at UFC 68
April 7 – Matt Serra won the UFC welterweight title when he defeated Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69.
May 26 – Quinton “Rampage” Jackson won the UFC light heavyweight title when he defeated Chuck Liddell at UFC 71.
Dec. 8 – Sean Sherk was stripped of the lightweight title after testing positive for anabolic steroids.
Dec. 29 – Georges St-Pierre won the interim UFC welterweight title when he defeated Matt Hughes at UFC 79.
New UFC champions in 2008
Jan. 19 – B.J. Penn won the vacant UFC lightweight title when he defeated Joe Stevenson at UFC 80.
Feb. 2 – Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira won the interim UFC heavyweight title when he defeated Tim Sylvia at UFC 81.
March 1 – The Pride World Welterweight Championship was unified with the UFC Middleweight Championship when Anderson Silva defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 82.
April 19 – Georges St-Pierre won the UFC welterweight title when he defeated Matt Serra at UFC 83.
July 5 – Forrest Griffin won the UFC light heavyweight title when he defeated Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 86
Nov 15 – Brock Lesnar won the UFC heavyweight title when he defeated Randy Couture at UFC 81.
Dec 27 (UFC 92)
- Frank Mir won the interim UFC heavyweight title when he defeated Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.
- Rashad Evans won the UFC light heavyweight title when he defeated Forrest Griffin.