Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion

Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class.

At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded Bellator Fighting Championships as a tournament based organization. The inaugural champion for each weight class was determined by the winner of an eight-man tournament. All subsequent title challengers were required to first win an eight-man tournament in a specific weight class in order to earn the right to challenge that division's reigning champion. Dethroned champions were required to re-enter the tournaments in order to attempt to regain their title. Under Bjorn Rebney's sole leadership, Bellator MMA would strictly adhere to these rules during the first four years of its operation.

The first changes to this format would begin to appear not long after Viacom, Inc. purchased a controlling stake in the organization. In November 2012, CEO Bjorn Rebney announced the introduction of a ''"championship rematch clause"''. This would allow Bellator to schedule an immediate title-fight rematch if officials deemed the fight necessary. The next major change occurred during Bellator's 2013 Summer Series when it was announced that all three tournaments would be shorter, four-man affairs instead of the standard eight. Though originally stated to return to the eight-man only tournaments afterwards, officials instead decided to add two additional four-man tournaments to the existing tournament lineup in an effort to provide a more consistent flow of title challengers for their champions to face.

Two additional rule changes would be announced. The first was the ''"tournament champion replacement clause"'' introduced in August 2013. This allowed officials to grant title shots to replacement fighters when tournament winners were injured, or otherwise unavailable, through a complex voting and points system. Then, in June 2014, CEO Bjorn Rebney made an announcement stating that any fighter who had previously won a Bellator tournament would maintain permanent eligibility to fight for a title without having to re-enter another tournament. Neither of these changes would ever be implemented, however, as one week later Bellator MMA and its founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted ways, bringing about an end to the organization's tournament based model.

Current champions

{, class="wikitable" width="60%"
, + Men
! width="25%", Division !!width="35%", Champion !!width="20%", Since !!width="5%", Defenses
, -
, Heavyweight
,
,
, align=center, 2
, -
,
,
,
, align=center, 3
, -
, Middleweight
,
,
, align=center, 0
, -
, rowspan=2, Welterweight
,
,
, align=center, 0
, -
,
,
, align=center, 0
, -
, Lightweight
,
,
, align=center, 0
, -
, Featherweight
, {{Nowrap, {{flagicon, BRA Patrício Pitbull
, {{Nowrap, April 15, 2022
, align=center, 1
, -
, rowspan=2, Bantamweight
, {{Nowrap, {{flagicon, USA Sergio Pettis
, {{Nowrap, May 7, 2021
, align=center, 1
, -
, {{Nowrap, {{flagicon, USA Raufeon Stots {{small, (interim)
, {{Nowrap, April 23, 2022
, align=center, 1

{, class="wikitable" width="60%"
, + Women
! width="25%", Division !!width="35%", Champion !!width="20%", Since !!width="5%", Defenses
, -
, {{Nowrap, Women's Featherweight
, {{Nowrap, {{flagicon, BRA Cris Cyborg
, {{Nowrap, January 25, 2020
, align=center, 4
, -
, {{Nowrap, Women's Flyweight
, {{Nowrap, {{flagicon, USA Liz Carmouche
, {{Nowrap, April 22, 2022
, style="text-align:center;" , 1

Men's championship history

Heavyweight World Championship

''206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)''
{, class="wikitable" width=100% style="text-align: center;"
! width=1%, No.
! width=23%, Name
! width=15%, Event
! width=17%, Date
! width=8%, Reign
! width=36%, Defenses
, -
! 1
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Cole Konrad
{{small, def. Neil Grove
, Bellator 32
{{small, {{nowrap, Kansas City, MO, USA
, October 14, 2010
, 699 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Eric Prindle at Bellator 70 on May 25, 2012
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Konrad vacated the title on September 12, 2012 when he retired from MMA competition.''
, -
! 2
, align=left, {{flagicon, RUS Alexander Volkov
{{small, def. Rich Hale
, Bellator 84
{{small, Hammond, IN, USA
, December 14, 2012
, 337 days
,
, -
! 3
, align=left, {{flagicon, RUS Vitaly Minakov
, Bellator 108
{{small, Atlantic City, NJ, USA
, November 15, 2013
, 911 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 115 on April 4, 2014
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Minakov was stripped of the title on May 14, 2016 after failing to make title defenses.''{{cite web, url=http://mmajunkie.com/2016/05/bellator-grants-lightweight-champ-will-brooks-immediate-release-strips-heavyweight-champ-vitaly-minakov, title=Bellator cuts lightweight champ Will Brooks, strips Heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov, publisher=sherdog.com, author=Mike Sloan, date=2016-05-14, access-date=2016-05-14
, -
! 4
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Ryan Bader
{{small, def. Fedor Emelianenko
, Bellator 214
{{small, Inglewood, CA, USA
, January 26, 2019
, {{formatnum:{{age in days, 2019, 1, 26 days
(incumbent)
, align=left, {{small, NC. vs. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 226 on September 7, 2019
{{nowrap, 1. def. interim champion Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 273 on January 29, 2022
2. def. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 280 on May 6, 2022
, -
! —
, align=left, {{flagicon, RUS Valentin Moldavsky
{{small, {{nowrap, def. Timothy Johnson for interim title
, {{nowrap, Bellator 261
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, June 25, 2021
, —
,

Light Heavyweight World Championship

''186 to 205 lbs (84 to 93 kg)''
{, class="wikitable" width=100% style="text-align: center;"
! width=1%, No.
! width=23%, Name
! width=15%, Event
! width=17%, Date
! width=8%, Reign
! width=36%, Defenses
, -
! 1
, align=left, {{flagicon, COD Christian M'Pumbu
{{small, def. Rich Hale
, Bellator 45
{{small, Lake Charles, LA, USA
, May 21, 2011
, 650 days
,
, -
! 2
, align=left, {{flagicon, Slovakia Attila Végh
, Bellator 91
{{small, Rio Rancho, NM, USA
, February 28, 2013
, 387 days
,
, -
! —
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Emanuel Newton
{{small, {{nowrap, def. Muhammed Lawal for interim title
, Bellator 106
{{small, Long Beach, CA, USA
, November 2, 2013
, —
,
, -
! 3
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Emanuel Newton
, Bellator 113
{{small, Mulvane, KS, USA
, March 21, 2014
, 343 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Joey Beltran at Bellator 124 on September 12, 2014
{{small, 2. def. Linton Vassell at Bellator 130 on October 24, 2014
, -
! 4
, align=left, {{flagicon, England Liam McGeary
, Bellator 134
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, February 27, 2015
, 617 days
, align=left, {{small, {{nowrap, 1. def. Tito Ortiz at Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 on September 19, 2015
, -
! 5
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Phil Davis
, Bellator 163
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, November 4, 2016
, 232 days
,
, -
! 6
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Ryan Bader
, Bellator 180
{{small, {{nowrap, New York City, NY, USA
, June 24, 2017
, 1,155 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Linton Vassell at Bellator 186 on November 3, 2017
, -
! 7
, align=left, {{flagicon, RUS Vadim Nemkov
, {{nowrap, Bellator 244
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, August 21, 2020
, {{age in days, 2020, 8, 21 days
(incumbent)
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Phil Davis at Bellator 257 on April 16, 2021
{{small, 2. def. Julius Anglickas at Bellator 268 on October 16, 2021
{{small, NC. vs. Corey Anderson at Bellator 277 on April 15, 2022
{{small, 3. def. Corey Anderson at Bellator 288 on November 18, 2022

Middleweight World Championship

''171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)''
{, class="wikitable" width=100% style="text-align: center;"
! width=1%, No.
! width=23%, Name
! width=15%, Event
! width=17%, Date
! width=8%, Reign
! width=36%, Defenses
, -
! 1
, align=left, {{flagicon, CUB Héctor Lombard
{{small, def. Jared Hess
, Bellator 12
{{small, Hollywood, FL, USA
, June 19, 2009
, 1,040 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 34 on October 28, 2010
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Lombard vacated the title on April 24, 2012 when he left Bellator for the UFC.''
, -
! 2
, align=left, {{nowrap, {{flagicon, Russia Alexander Shlemenko
{{small, def. Maiquel Falcão
, Bellator 88
{{small, Duluth, GA, USA
, February 7, 2013
, 597 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Brett Cooper at Bellator 98 on September 7, 2013
{{small, 2. def. Doug Marshall at Bellator 109 on November 22, 2013
{{small, 3. def. Brennan Ward at Bellator 114 on March 28, 2014
, -
! 3
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Brandon Halsey
, Bellator 126
{{small, Phoenix, AZ, USA
, September 26, 2014
, 230 days
,
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Halsey was stripped of the title on May 14, 2015 after failing to make weight for his Bellator 137 title defense. Halsey defeated Kendall Grove in a catchweight (188 lbs) bout in which the title was at stake for Grove only''
, -
! 4
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Rafael Carvalho
{{small, def. Brandon Halsey
, Bellator 144
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, October 23, 2015
, 945 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 155 on May 20, 2016
{{small, 2. def. Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 176 on April 8, 2017
{{small, 3. def. Alessio Sakara at Bellator 190 on December 9, 2017
, -
! 5
, align=left, {{flagicon, NED Gegard Mousasi
, Bellator 200
{{small, London, United Kingdom
, May 25, 2018
, 394 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Rory MacDonald at Bellator 206 on September 29, 2018
, -
! 6
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Rafael Lovato Jr.
, Bellator 223
{{small, {{nowrap, London, United Kingdom
, June 22, 2019
, 233 days
,
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Lovato vacated the title on February 10, 2020 when it was revealed he had been diagnosed with a cerebral cavernoma.''
, -
! 7
, align=left, {{flagicon, NED Gegard Mousasi {{small, (2)
{{small, def. Douglas Lima
, Bellator 250
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, October 29, 2020
, 604 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. John Salter at Bellator 264 on August 13, 2021
{{small, {{nowrap, 2. def. Austin Vanderford at Bellator 275 on February 25, 2022

, -
! 8
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Johnny Eblen
, Bellator 282
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, June 24, 2022
, {{age in days, 2022, 6, 24 days
(incumbent)
,

Welterweight World Championship

''156 to 170 lbs (70 to 77 kg)''
{, class="wikitable" width=100% style="text-align: center;"
! width=1%, No.
! width=23%, Name
! width=15%, Event
! width=17%, Date
! width=8%, Reign
! width=36%, Defenses
, -
! 1
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Lyman Good
{{small, def. Omar de la Cruz
, Bellator 11
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, June 12, 2009
, 485 days
,
, -
! 2
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Ben Askren
, Bellator 33
{{small, Philadelphia, PA, USA
, October 21, 2010
, 1,120 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Jay Hieron at Bellator 56 on October 29, 2011
{{small, 2. def. Douglas Lima at Bellator 64 on April 6, 2012
{{small, 3. def. Karl Amoussou at Bellator 86 on January 24, 2013
{{small, 4. def. Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 97 on July 31, 2013
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Askren vacated the title on November 14, 2013 when he left Bellator for the ONE FC.''
, -
! 3
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Douglas Lima
{{small, def. Rick Hawn
, Bellator 117
{{small, {{nowrap, Council Bluffs, IA, USA
, April 18, 2014
, 455 days
,
, -
! 4
, align=left, {{flagicon, RUS Andrey Koreshkov
, Bellator 140
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, July 17, 2015
, 482 days
, align=left, {{small, {{nowrap, 1. def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 153 on April 22, 2016
, -
! 5
, align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Douglas Lima {{small, (2)
, Bellator 164
{{small, Tel Aviv, Israel
, November 10, 2016
, 437 days
(892 days)
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Lorenz Larkin at Bellator NYC on June 24, 2017
, -
! 6
, align=left, {{flagicon, CAN Rory MacDonald
, Bellator 192
{{small, Inglewood, CA, USA
, January 20, 2018
, 644 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. drew with Jon Fitch at Bellator 220 on April 27, 2019
{{small, 2. def. Neiman Gracie at Bellator 222 on June 14, 2019
, -
! 7
, align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Douglas Lima {{small, (3)
, Bellator 232
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, October 26, 2019
, 594 days
(1,486 days)
,
, -
! 8
, align=left, {{flagicon, UKR Yaroslav Amosov
, {{nowrap, Bellator 260
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, June 11, 2021
, {{age in days, 2021, 6, 11 days
(incumbent)
,
, -
! —
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Logan Storley
{{small, {{nowrap, def. Michael Page for the interim title
, Bellator 281
{{small, London, England
, May 13, 2022
, {{age in days, 2022, 5, 13 days
(incumbent)
,

Lightweight World Championship

''146 to 155 lbs (66 to 70 kg)''
{, class="wikitable" width=100% style="text-align: center;"
! width=1%, No.
! width=23%, Name
! width=15%, Event
! width=17%, Date
! width=8%, Reign
! width=36%, Defenses
, -
! 1
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Eddie Alvarez
{{small, def. Toby Imada
, Bellator 12
{{small, Hollywood, FL, USA
, June 19, 2009
, 883 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Pat Curran at Bellator 39 on April 2, 2011
, -
! 2
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Michael Chandler
, Bellator 58
{{small, Hollywood, FL, USA
, November 19, 2011
, 715 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Rick Hawn at Bellator 85 on January 17, 2013
{{small, 2. def. David Rickels at Bellator 97 on July 31, 2013
, -
! 3
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Eddie Alvarez {{small, (2)
, Bellator 106
{{small, Long Beach, CA, USA
, November 2, 2013
, 290 days
(1,123 days)
,
, -
! —
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Will Brooks
{{small, def. Michael Chandler for interim title
, Bellator 120
{{small, Southaven, MS, USA
, May 17, 2014
, —
,
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Alvarez vacated the title on August 19, 2014 when he left Bellator for the UFC.''{{cite web, url=http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2014/8/19/6045697/bellator-releases-lightweight-champion-eddie-alvarez-mma-news, title=Bellator releases lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, publisher=BloodyElbow.com, access-date=August 19, 2014, last=Alexander, first=Mookie, date=19 August 2014
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Brooks was not promoted to champion, due to his desire not to renew with the event and the possibility of losing the last two champions of the division to a rival organization.''{{cite web, url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2640133-bellator-lightweight-champ-will-brooks-released-fight-for-vacant-title-booked, publisher=Bleacherreport, access-date=April 10, 2021, last=Steven Rondina, first=Mookie, title=Bellator Lightweight Champ Will Brooks Released, Fight for Vacant Title Booked
, -
! 4
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Will Brooks
{{small, {{nowrap, def. Michael Chandler for undisputed title
, Bellator 131
{{small, San Diego, CA, USA
, November 15, 2014
, 546 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Dave Jansen at Bellator 136 on April 10, 2015
{{small, 2. def. Marcin Held at Bellator 145 on November 6, 2015
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Brooks vacated the title on May 14, 2016 when he left Bellator for the UFC.''
, -
! 5
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Michael Chandler {{small, (2)
{{small, def. Patricky Pitbull
, Bellator 157
{{small, St. Louis, MO, USA
, June 24, 2016
, 365 days
(1,080 days)
, align=left, {{small, {{nowrap, 1. def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 165 on November 19, 2016
, -
! 6
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Brent Primus

, {{nowrap, Bellator NYC
{{small, {{nowrap, New York City, NY, USA
, June 24, 2017
, 539 days
,
, -
! 7
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Michael Chandler {{small, (3)
, Bellator 212
{{small, Honolulu, HI, USA
, December 14, 2018
, 149 days
(1,229 days)
,
, -
! 8
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Patrício Pitbull
, Bellator 221
{{small, Rosemont, IL, USA
, May 11, 2019
, 879 days
,
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Patrício vacated the title on October 6, 2021.''
, -
! 9
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Patricky Pitbull
{{small, def. Peter Queally
, Bellator 270
{{small, Dublin, Ireland
, November 5, 2021
, 378 days
,
, -
! 10
, align=left, {{flagicon, RUS Usman Nurmagomedov
, Bellator 288
{{small, Chicago, IL, USA
, November 18, 2022
, {{age in days, 2022, 11, 18 days
(incumbent)
,

Featherweight World Championship

''136 to 145 lbs (61 to 66 kg)''
{, class="wikitable" width=100% style="text-align: center;"
! width=1%, No.
! width=23%, Name
! width=15%, Event
! width=17%, Date
! width=8%, Reign
! width=36%, Defenses
, -
! 1
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Joe Soto
{{small, def. Yahir Reyes
, Bellator 10
{{small, Ontario, CA, USA
, June 5, 2009
, 454 days
,
, -
! 2
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Joe Warren
, Bellator 27
{{small, San Antonio, TX, USA
, September 2, 2010
, 554 days
,
, -
! 3
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Pat Curran
, Bellator 60
{{small, Hammond, IN, USA
, March 9, 2012
, 604 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Patrício Pitbull at Bellator 85 on Jan 17, 2013
{{small, {{nowrap, 2. def. Shahbulat Shamhalaev at Bellator 95 on Apr 4, 2013
, -
! 4
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Daniel Straus
, Bellator 106
{{small, Long Beach, CA, USA
, November 2, 2013
, 133 days
,
, -
! 5
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Pat Curran {{small, (2)
, Bellator 112
{{small, Hammond, IN, USA
, March 14, 2014
, 176 days
(780 days)
,
, -
! 6
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Patrício Pitbull
, Bellator 123
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, September 5, 2014
, 428 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Daniel Straus at Bellator 132 on Jan 16, 2015
{{small, 2. def. Daniel Weichel at Bellator 138 on Jun 19, 2015
, -
! 7
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Daniel Straus {{small, (2)
, Bellator 145
{{small, St. Louis, MO, USA
, November 6, 2015
, 532 days
(665 days)
,
, -
! 8
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Patrício Pitbull {{small, (2)
, Bellator 178
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, April 21, 2017
, 1,562 days
(1,990 days)
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Daniel Weichel at Bellator 203 on Jul 14, 2018
{{small, 2. def. Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 209 on Nov 15, 2018
{{small, 3. def. Juan Archuleta at Bellator 228 on Sept 28, 2019
{{small, 4. def. Pedro Carvalho at Bellator 252 on Nov 12, 2020
{{small, 5. def. Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 255 on Apr 2, 2021
, -
! 9
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA A.J. McKee
, Bellator 263
{{small, Inglewood, CA, USA
, July 31, 2021
, 259 days
,
, -
! 10
, align=left, {{nowrap, {{flagicon, BRA Patrício Pitbull {{small, (3)
, {{nowrap, Bellator 277
{{small, San Jose, CA, USA
, April 15, 2022
, {{age in days, 2022, 04, 15 days
(incumbent)
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Ádám Borics at Bellator 286 on Oct 1, 2022

Bantamweight World Championship

''126 to 135 lbs (57 to 61 kg)''
{, class="wikitable" width=100% style="text-align: center;"
! width=1%, No.
! width=23%, Name
! width=15%, Event
! width=17%, Date
! width=8%, Reign
! width=36%, Defenses
, -
! 1
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Zach Makovsky
{{small, def. Ed West
, Bellator 32
{{small, Kansas City, MO, USA
, October 14, 2010
, 547 days
,
, -
! 2
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Eduardo Dantas
, Bellator 65
{{small, Atlantic City, NJ, USA
, April 13, 2012
, 911 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Marcos Galvão at Bellator 89 on Feb 14, 2013
{{small, {{nowrap, 2. def. Anthony Leone at Bellator 111 on March 8, 2014
, -
! -
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Joe Warren
{{small, def. Rafael Silva for interim title
, Bellator 118
{{small, Atlantic City, NJ, USA
, May 2, 2014
, —
,
, -
! 3
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Joe Warren
, Bellator 128
{{small, Thackerville, OK, USA
, October 10, 2014
, 169 days
,
, -
! 4
, align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Marcos Galvão
, Bellator 135
{{small, Thackerville, OK, USA
, March 27, 2015
, 448 days
,
, -
! 5
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Eduardo Dantas {{small, (2)
, Bellator 156
{{small, Fresno, CA, USA
, June 17, 2016
, 477 days
(1,338 days)
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Joe Warren at Bellator 166 on December 2, 2016
, -
! 6
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Darrion Caldwell
, Bellator 184
{{small, Thackerville, OK, USA
, October 6, 2017
, 617 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Leandro Higo at Bellator 195 on March 2, 2018
, -
! 7
, align=left, {{flagicon, JPN Kyoji Horiguchi
, Bellator 222
{{small, {{nowrap, New York City, NY, USA
, June 14, 2019
, 166 days
,
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Horiguchi vacated the title on November 27, 2019 for the division not to stagnate when he announced he was injured.''
, -
! 8
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Juan Archuleta
{{small, def. Patchy Mix
, Bellator 246
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, September 12, 2020
, 237 days
,
, -
! 9
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Sergio Pettis
, Bellator 258
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, May 7, 2021
, {{age in days, 2021, 5, 7 days
(incumbent)
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 272 on December 3, 2021
, -
! —
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Raufeon Stots
{{nowrap, {{small, def. Juan Archuleta for the interim title
, {{nowrap, Bellator 279
{{small, Honolulu, HI, USA
, April 23, 2022
, {{age in days, 2021, 12, 9 days
(incumbent)
, align=left, {{small, {{nowrap, 1. def. Danny Sabatello at Bellator 289 on December 9, 2022

Women's championship history

Women's Featherweight World Championship

''{{convert, 126, lb, kg to {{convert, 145, lb, kg''
{, class="wikitable" width=100% style="text-align: center;"
! width=1%, No.
! width=23%, Name
! width=15%, Event
! width=17%, Date
! width=8%, Reign
! width=36%, Defenses
, -
! 1
, align=left, {{flagicon, CAN Julia Budd
{{small, {{nowrap, def. Marloes Coenen
, Bellator 174
{{small, {{nowrap, Thackerville, OK, USA
, March 3, 2017
, 1,058 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017
{{small, 2. def. Talita Nogueira at Bellator 202 on July 13, 2018
{{small, 3. def. Olga Rubin at Bellator 224 on July 12, 2019
, -
! 2
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Cris Cyborg
, {{nowrap, Bellator 238
{{small, Inglewood, CA, USA
, January 25, 2020
, {{formatnum:{{age in days, 2020, 01, 25 days
(incumbent)
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 249 on Oct 15, 2020
{{small, 2. def. Leslie Smith at Bellator 259 on May 21, 2021
{{small, {{nowrap, 3. def. Sinead Kavanagh at Bellator 271 on November 12, 2021
{{small, 4. def. Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279 on April 23, 2022

Women's Flyweight World Championship

''{{convert, 116, lb, kg to {{convert, 125, lb, kg''
{, class="wikitable" width=100% style="text-align: center;"
! width=1%, No.
! width=23%, Name
! width=15%, Event
! width=17%, Date
! width=8%, Reign
! width=36%, Defenses
, -
! 1
, align=left, {{nowrap, {{flagicon, USA Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
{{small, def. Emily Ducote
, Bellator 186
{{small, {{nowrap, University Park, PA, USA
, November 3, 2017
, 1,133 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Alejandra Lara at Bellator 201 on June 29, 2018
{{small, {{nowrap, 2. def. Valérie Létourneau at Bellator 213 on December 15, 2018
{{small, 3. def. Veta Arteaga at Bellator 220 on April 27, 2019
{{small, 4. def. Kate Jackson at Bellator 236 on December 21, 2019
, -
! 2
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Juliana Velasquez
, Bellator 254
{{small, Uncasville, CT, USA
, December 10, 2020
, 498 days
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Denise Kielholtz at Bellator 262 on July 16, 2021
, -
! 3
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Liz Carmouche
, {{nowrap, Bellator 278
{{small, Honolulu, HI, USA
, April 23, 2022
, {{formatnum:{{age in days, 2022, 04, 22 days
(incumbent)
, align=left, {{small, 1. def. Juliana Velasquez at Bellator 289 on December 9, 2022

Defunct titles

Women's Strawweight World Championship

''Under {{convert, 115, lb, kg''
{, class="wikitable" width=100% style="text-align: center;"
! width=1%, No.
! width=23%, Name
! width=15%, Event
! width=17%, Date
! width=8%, Reign
! width=36%, Defenses
, -
! 1
, align=left, {{nowrap, {{flagicon, USA Zoila Gurgel
{{small, def. Megumi Fujii
, {{nowrap, Bellator 34
{{small, Hollywood, FL, USA
, October {{nowrap, 28, 2010
, 831 days
,
, -
! colspan=6 , ''Gurgel vacated the title on February 5, 2013 when she sign with Invicta FC. The title was subsequently deactivated.''

Tournament winners

Originally, all title challengers were determined through these tournaments with the winners earning the right to challenge the reigning champion at that weight class or, if necessary, be allowed to compete for an interim or vacant title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season One

''(April 3, 2009 - June 19, 2009)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Middleweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Cuba Hector Lombard , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Jared Hess , , Bellator 12 , , June 19, 2009
, -
, Welterweight{{cref, 2 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Lyman Good , , align=left, {{flagicon, Dominican Republic Omar De La Cruz , , Bellator 11 , , June 12, 2009
, -
, Lightweight{{cref, 3 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Eddie Alvarez , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Toby Imada , , Bellator 12 , , June 19, 2009
, -
, Featherweight{{cref, 4 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Joe Soto , , align=left, {{flagicon, Mexico Yahir Reyes , , Bellator 10 , , June 5, 2009

{{cnote, 1, Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Middleweight Champion.
{{cnote, 2, Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion.
{{cnote, 3, Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Lightweight Champion.
{{cnote, 4, Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Featherweight Champion.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Two

''(April 8, 2010 - June 24, 2010)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Middleweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Alexander Shlemenko , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Bryan Baker , , Bellator 23 , , June 24, 2010
, -
, Welterweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Ben Askren , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Dan Hornbuckle , , Bellator 22 , , June 17, 2010
, -
, Lightweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Pat Curran , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Toby Imada , , Bellator 21 , , June 10, 2010
, -
, Featherweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Joe Warren , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Patrício Pitbull , , Bellator 23 , , June 24, 2010

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Three

''(August 12, 2010 - October 28, 2010)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Heavyweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Cole Konrad , , align=left, {{flagicon, South Africa Neil Grove , , Bellator 32 , , October 14, 2010
, -
, Bantamweight{{cref, 2 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Zach Makovsky , , align=left, {{flagicon, Philippines Ed West , , Bellator 32 , , October 14, 2010
, -
, Women's Strawweight{{cref, 3 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Zoila Gurgel , , align=left, {{flagicon, Japan Megumi Fujii , , Bellator 34 , , October 28, 2010

{{cnote, 1, Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Heavyweight Champion.
{{cnote, 2, Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Bantamweight Champion.
{{cnote, 3, Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Women's Strawweight Champion.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

''(March 5, 2011 - May 21, 2011)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Light Heavyweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Democratic Republic of the Congo Christian M'Pumbu , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Rich Hale , , Bellator 45 , , May 21, 2011
, -
, Welterweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Jay Hieron , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Rick Hawn , , Bellator 43 , , May 7, 2011
, -
, Lightweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Michael Chandler , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Patricky Pitbull , , Bellator 44 , , May 14, 2011
, -
, Featherweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Patrício Pitbull , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Daniel Straus , , Bellator 45 , , May 21, 2011

{{cnote, 1, Tournament determined the inaugural List of Bellator champions#Light Heavyweight World Championship, Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion.

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2011 Summer Series

''(June 25, 2011 - August 20, 2011)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Featherweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Pat Curran (2) , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Marlon Sandro , , Bellator 48 , , August 20, 2011
, -

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Five

''(September 27, 2011 - November 26, 2011)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Heavyweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Eric Prindle , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Thiago Santos (heavyweight fighter), Thiago Santos , , Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Six#Bellator LXII, Bellator 62 , , March 23, 2012
, -
, Middleweight{{cref, 2 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Alexander Shlemenko (2), , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Vitor Vianna , , Bellator 57 , , November 12, 2011
, -
, Welterweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Douglas Lima , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Ben Saunders (fighter), Ben Saunders , , Bellator 57 , , November 12, 2011
, -
, Bantamweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Eduardo Dantas , , align=left, {{flagicon, Cuba Alexis Vila , , Bellator 59 , , November 26, 2011

{{cnote, 1, Following a no contest in the finals at Bellator 59, a rematch between Prindle and Santos was cancelled at Bellator 61, and again at Bellator 62 when Santos was unable to make weight. Prindle was awarded the tournament victory.
{{cnote, 2, Shlemenko next faced Season Six tournament winner Maiquel Falcão for the List of Bellator champions#Middleweight World Championship, vacant middleweight title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Six

''(March 9, 2012 - May 25, 2012)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Middleweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Maiquel Falcão , , align=left, {{flagicon, Sweden Andreas Spång , , Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Six#Bellator LXIX, Bellator 69 , , May 18, 2012
, -
, Welterweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, France Karl Amoussou , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Bryan Baker , , Bellator Fighting Championships: 2012 Summer Series#Bellator LXXII, Bellator 72 , , July 20, 2012
, -
, Lightweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Rick Hawn , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Brent Weedman , , Bellator 70 , , May 25, 2012
, -
, Featherweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Daniel Straus , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Marlon Sandro , , Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Six#Bellator LXVIII, Bellator 68 , , May 11, 2012
, -
, Bantamweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Marcos Galvão , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Luis Nogueira , , Bellator Fighting Championships: 2012 Summer Series#Bellator LXXIII, Bellator 73 , , August 24, 2012

{{cnote, 1, Falcão next faced Season Five tournament winner Alexander Shlemenko for the List of Bellator champions#Middleweight World Championship, vacant middleweight title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2012 Summer Series

''(June 22, 2012 - July 24, 2012)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Light Heavyweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Slovakia Attila Vegh (fighter), Attila Vegh , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Travis Wiuff , , Bellator Fighting Championships: 2012 Summer Series#Bellator LXXIII, Bellator 73 , , August 24, 2012

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Seven

''(September 28, 2012 - December 14, 2012)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Heavyweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Alexander Volkov, , align=left, {{flagicon, USA Richard Hale (fighter), Richard Hale , , Bellator 84 , , December 14, 2012
, -
, Welterweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Andrey Koreshkov , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Lyman Good , , Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Seven#Bellator LXXXII, Bellator 82 , , November 30, 2012
, -
, Lightweight{{cref, 2 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Dave Jansen , , align=left, {{flagicon, Poland Marcin Held , , Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight#Bellator XCIII, Bellator 93 , , March 21, 2013
, -
, Featherweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Shahbulat Shamhalaev , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Rad Martinez , , Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight#Bellator XC, Bellator 90 , , February 21, 2013

{{cnote, 1, Tournament determined the new List of Bellator champions#Heavyweight World Championship, Bellator Heavyweight champion.
{{cnote, 2, After an extended layoff due to injury, Jansen would choose to forfeit his title shot for the opportunity to take an immediate fight upon his return.{{cite web, url=http://mmajunkie.com/2014/09/sidelined-18-months-tourney-champ-dave-jansen-returns-at-bellator-130-vs-rick-hawn, title=Sidelined 18 months, tourney champ Dave Jansen returns at Bellator 130 vs. Rick Hawn, publisher=MMAJunkie.com, access-date=September 16, 2014, last=Marrocco, first=Steven, date=15 September 2014

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight

''(January 17, 2013 - April 4, 2013)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Light Heavyweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Emanuel Newton , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Mikhail Zayats , , Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight#Bellator XCIV, Bellator 94 , , March 28, 2013
, -
, Middleweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Doug Marshall , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Brett Cooper , , Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight#Bellator XCV, Bellator 95 , , April 4, 2013
, -
, Welterweight{{cref, 3 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Douglas Lima (2), , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Ben Saunders (fighter), Ben Saunders , , Bellator MMA: Season Nine#Bellator C, Bellator 100 , , September 20, 2013
, -
, Lightweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States David Rickels , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Saad Awad , , Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight#Bellator XCIV, Bellator 94 , , March 28, 2013
, -
, Featherweight{{cref, 2 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Magomedrasul Khasbulaev , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Mike Richman
, , Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight#Bellator XCV, Bellator 95 , , April 4, 2013
, -

{{cnote, 1, Newton next faced 2013 Summer Series tournament winner Muhammed Lawal for the List of Bellator champions#Light Heavyweight World Championship, Interim Light Heavyweight title.
{{cnote, 2, After repeated visa issues prevented Khasbulaev from returning to the USA to claim his title shot, the fighter was granted his release from the promotion in December 2014.
{{cnote, 3, Lima next faced Season Nine tournament winner Rick Hawn for the List of Bellator champions#Welterweight World Championship, vacant welterweight title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2013 Summer Series

''(June 19, 2013 - July 31, 2013)''

All three tournaments were shortened, four-man tournaments instead of the standard eight.
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Heavyweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Vitaly Minakov , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Ryan Martinez , , , Bellator 97 , , July 31, 2013
, -
, Light Heavyweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Muhammed Lawal, , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Jacob Noe , , , Bellator 97 , , July 31, 2013
, -
, Bantamweight{{cref, 2 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Rafael Silva, , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Anthony Leone, , Bellator MMA: Season Nine#Bellator CII, Bellator 102 , , October 4, 2013

{{cnote, 1, Lawal next faced Season Eight tournament winner Emanuel Newton for the List of Bellator champions#Light Heavyweight World Championship, Interim Light Heavyweight title.
{{cnote, 2, Silva next faced Season Nine tournament winner Joe Warren for the List of Bellator champions#Bantamweight World Championship, Interim Bantamweight title.

Bellator MMA: Season Nine

''(September 7, 2013 - November 22, 2013)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Heavyweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, France Cheick Kongo, , align=left, {{flagicon, Australia Peter Graham (fighter), Peter Graham , , , Bellator 107 , , November 8, 2013
, -
, Middleweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Brennan Ward, , align=left, {{flagicon, Denmark Mikkel Parlo , , , Bellator 107 , , November 8, 2013
, -
, Welterweight{{cref, 2 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Rick Hawn (2), , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Ron Keslar , , , Bellator 109 , , November 22, 2013
, -
, Lightweight{{cref, 3 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Will Brooks, , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Alexander Sarnavskiy , , , Bellator 109 , , November 22, 2013
, -
, Featherweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Patrício Pitbull (2), , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Justin Wilcox (martial arts), Justin Wilcox , , , Bellator 108 , , November 15, 2013
, -
, Bantamweight{{cref, 1{{cref, 4 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Joe Warren (2), , align=left, {{flagicon, USA Travis Marx , , , Bellator 107 , , November 8, 2013

{{cnote, 1, Tournament was a shortened, four-man tournament instead of the standard eight.
{{cnote, 2, Hawn next faced Season Eight tournament winner Douglas Lima for the List of Bellator champions#Welterweight World Championship, vacant welterweight title.
{{cnote, 3, Brooks next faced former champion Michael Chandler for the List of Bellator champions#Lightweight World Championship, Interim Lightweight Championship at Bellator 120. Chandler was originally scheduled for an immediate rematch with champion Eddie Alvarez at the event.
{{cnote, 4, Warren next faced 2013 Summer Series tournament winner Rafael Silva for the List of Bellator champions#Bantamweight World Championship, Interim Bantamweight title.

Bellator MMA: Season Ten

''(February 28, 2014 – May 17, 2014)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Heavyweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Alexander Volkov (2), , align=left, {{flagicon, Bulgaria Blagoy Ivanov , , , Bellator MMA: Season Ten#Bellator 120, Bellator 120 , , May 17, 2014
, -
, Light Heavyweight{{cref, 2{{cref, 3 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Quinton Jackson, , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Muhammed Lawal , , , Bellator MMA: Season Ten#Bellator 120, Bellator 120 , , May 17, 2014
, -
, Middleweight{{cref, 2 , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Brandon Halsey, , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Brett Cooper , , , Bellator 122 , , July 25, 2014
, -
, Welterweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Andrey Koreshkov (2), , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Adam McDonough, , , Bellator 122 , , July 25, 2014
, -
, Lightweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Poland Marcin Held, , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Patricky Pitbull, , , Bellator MMA: Season Eleven#Bellator 126, Bellator 126 , , September 26, 2014
, -
, Featherweight{{cref, 1 , , align=left, {{flagicon, Germany Daniel Weichel, , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Desmond Green , , , Bellator 119 , , May 9, 2014

{{cnote, 1, Despite initial assurances to the contrary, Bellator's new management would not honor the title shots Volkov, Weichel and Held earned while under the tournament format.
{{cnote, 2, Tournament was a shortened, four-man tournament instead of the standard eight.
{{cnote, 3, Jackson would end up leaving Bellator MMA for the UFC and never claim his title shot.

Bellator MMA: 2014 Summer Series

''(June 6, 2014 – July 25, 2014)''
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Light Heavyweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, England Liam McGeary , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Kelly Anundson , , Bellator MMA: Season Eleven#Bellator 124, Bellator 124 , , September 14, 2014
, -

Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1, Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1

''(September 19, 2015)''

A one night, four-man light heavyweight tournament.
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Light Heavyweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Phil Davis , , align=left, {{flagicon, France Francis Carmont , , Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 , , September 19, 2015
, -

Bellator MMA in 2018#Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament, Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament

''(January 20, 2018 - January 26, 2019)''

Year long, eight-man heavyweight tournament to crown a new heavyweight champion.
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Heavyweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Ryan Bader , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Fedor Emelianenko , , Bellator MMA in 2019#Bellator 214, Bellator 214: Fedor vs. Bader , , January 26, 2019
, -

Bellator MMA in 2018#Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Tournament, Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Tournament

''(September 29, 2018 - October 26, 2019)''

Year long, eight-man welterweight tournament. Current welterweight champion, Rory MacDonald, is a participant and will defend the title until the end of the tournament. If he loses, the winner will be declared the new linear champion.
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Welterweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Douglas Lima (3), , align=left, {{flagicon, CAN Rory MacDonald , , Bellator 232 , , October 26, 2019
, -

Bellator MMA in 2019#Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix Tournament, Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix Tournament

''(September 28, 2019 - July 31, 2021)''

Year long, sixteen-man featherweight tournament. Current featherweight champion, Patrício Freire, is a participant and will defend the title until the end of the tournament. If he loses, the winner will be declared the new linear champion.
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Featherweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States A. J. McKee , , align=left, {{flagicon, Brazil Patrício Pitbull , , Bellator 263 , , July 31, 2021
, -

Bellator MMA in 2021#Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament, Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament

''(April 9, 2021 - November 18, 2022)''

Year long, eight-man Light Heavyweight tournament. Current Light Heavyweight champion, Vadim Nemkov, is a participant and will defend the title until the end of the tournament. If he loses, the winner will be declared the new linear champion.
{, class="wikitable" width="99%" style="text-align:center;"
!width="18%", Weight Division
!width="23%", Champion
!width="23%", Runner-up
!width="20%", Event
!width="15%", Date
, -
, Light Heavyweight , , align=left, {{flagicon, Russia Vadim Nemkov , , align=left, {{flagicon, United States Corey Anderson , , Bellator 288 , , November 18, 2022
, -

Champions by nationality

The division champions includes only linear champions. Interim champions who have never become linear champions will be listed as interim champions. Fighters with multiple title reigns in a specific division will also be counted once. Tournaments runners-up are not included.
{, class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="font-size:95%;" style="text-align: center;"
! Country
! Division champions
! Interim champions
! Tournament champions
! Total
, -
! style="text-align:left", {{flagicon, United States United States
, 25
, 2
, 29
, 54
, -
! style="text-align:left", {{flagicon, Brazil Brazil
, 9
, —
, 9
, 18
, -
! style="text-align:left", {{flagicon, Russia Russia
, 5
, 1
, 9
, 15
, -
! style="text-align:left", {{flagicon, Canada Canada
, 2
, —
, —
, 2
, -
! style="text-align:left" , {{flagicon, Cuba Cuba
, 1
, —
, 1
, 2
, -
! style="text-align:left" , {{flagicon, Democratic Republic of the Congo D.R. Congo
, 1
, —
, 1
, 2
, -
! style="text-align:left" , {{flagicon, England England
, 1
, —
, 1
, 2
, -
! style="text-align:left" , {{flagicon, Slovakia Slovakia
, 1
, —
, 1
, 2
, -
! style="text-align:left", {{flagicon, Japan Japan
, 1
, —
, —
, 1
, -
! style="text-align:left", {{flagicon, Netherlands Netherlands
, 1
, —
, —
, 1
, -
! style="text-align:left" , {{flagicon, Ukraine Ukraine
, 1
, —
, —
, 1
, -
! style="text-align:left", {{flagicon, France France
, —
, —
, 2
, 2
, -
! style="text-align:left", {{flagicon, Germany Germany
, —
, —
, 1
, 1
, -
! style="text-align:left", {{flagicon, Poland Poland
, —
, —
, 1
, 1

Records

Most wins in title bouts

The following includes all fighters with three or more championship and/or interim championship title wins. Fighters with the same number of title wins are arranged in order of less title bouts losses. Tournament championships are not included.

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
, -
! Title wins
! Champion
! Weight class
! V
! D
! NC
! L
, -
! 11
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Patrício Pitbull
, Lightweight
Featherweight
, 1
10 , , 0
0 , , 0
0 , , 0
3
, -
! 6
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Michael Chandler
, Lightweight
, 6 , , 0 , , 0 , , 5
, -
! rowspan=4, 5
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Eduardo Dantas
, Bantamweight
, 5 , , 0 , , 0 , , 2
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
, Women's Flyweight
, 5 , , 0 , , 0 , , 1
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, NED Gegard Mousasi
, Middleweight
, 5 , , 0 , , 0 , , 1
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Ben Askren
, Welterweight
, 5 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0
, -
! rowspan=9, 4
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Ryan Bader
, Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight
, 2
2 , , 0
0 , , 1
0 , , 0
1
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Douglas Lima
, Middleweight
Welterweight
, 0
4 , , 0
0 , , 0
0 , , 1
4
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Pat Curran
, Lightweight
Featherweight
, 0
4 , , 0
0 , , 0
0 , , 1
2
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, RUS Alexander Shlemenko
, Middleweight
, 4 , , 0 , , 0 , , 2
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, Canada Julia Budd
, Women's Featherweight
, 4 , , 0 , , 0 , , 1
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Emanuel Newton
, Light Heavyweight
, 4 , , 0 , , 0 , , 1
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Rafael Carvalho
, Middleweight
, 4 , , 0 , , 0 , , 1
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, USA Will Brooks
, Lightweight
, 4 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0
, -
, align=left, {{flagicon, BRA Cris Cyborg
, Women's Featherweight
, 4 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0

Most consecutive title defenses

The following includes all Bellator champions who were able to consecutively defend their title two times or more. Fighters with the same number of title defenses are listed chronologically.

{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Defenses
! Champion
! Weight class
! Span
! Days
, -
! rowspan=1, 5
, {{flagicon, BRA Patrício Freire
, align=center, Featherweight
, align=center, April 21, 2017 – July 31, 2021
, align=center, 1562
, -
! rowspan=3, 4
, {{flagicon, USA Ben Askren
, align=center, Welterweight
, align=center, October 21, 2010 – July 31, 2013
, align=center, 1014
, -
, {{flagicon, USA Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
, align=center, Women's Flyweight
, align=center, November 3, 2017 – December 10, 2020
, align=center, 1133
, -
, {{flagicon, BRA Cris Cyborg
, align=center, Women's Featherweight
, align=center, January 25, 2020 – ''present''
, align=center, ''{{age in days, 2020, 01, 25''
, -
! rowspan=4, 3
, {{flagicon, RUS Alexander Shlemenko
, align=center, Middleweight
, align=center, February 7, 2013 – September 26, 2014
, align=center, 596
, -
, {{flagicon, BRA Rafael Carvalho
, align=center, Middleweight
, align=center, October 23, 2015 – May 25, 2018
, align=center, 945
, -
, {{flagicon, CAN Julia Budd
, align=center, Women's Featherweight
, align=center, March 3, 2017 – January 25, 2020
, align=center, 1058
, -
, {{flagicon, RUS Vadim Nemkov
, align=center, Light Heavyweight
, align=center, August 21, 2020 - Present
, align=center, 832

{{Notelist

Multi-division champions

Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes.{{cite web, url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1205/mma-through-the-years/content.13.html , title=MMA All-time Record Holders , work=sportsillustrated Tournament champions are not included.

{, class="wikitable"
, -
, style="background-color:#C0C0C0",
, Interim title

{, class="wikitable"
, -
! No.
! Champion
! Division
! Won
! Lost
! Defenses
! Reign
! Total Reign
, -
! rowspan=3 , 1
, align=left rowspan=3, {{flagicon, USA Joe Warren
, align=center rowspan=1, Featherweight
, align=center, September 2, 2010
(Bellator 27)
, align=center, March 9, 2012
(Bellator 60)
, align=center, 0
, align=center, 554 days
, align=center rowspan=3, {{#expr: 554 + 169 days
, -
, align=center rowspan=2, Bantamweight
, align=center bgcolor=#C0C0C0, May 2, 2014
( Bellator 118)
, align=center bgcolor=#C0C0C0, October 10, 2014
(Bellator 128)
, align=center bgcolor=#C0C0C0, 0
, align=center bgcolor=#C0C0C0, –
, -
, align=center, October 10, 2014
(Bellator 128)
, align=center, March 27, 2015
(Bellator 135)
, align=center, 0
, align=center, 169 days
, -
! rowspan=2 , 2
, align=left rowspan=2, {{flagicon, USA Ryan Bader
, align=center rowspan=1, Heavyweight
, align=center, January 26, 2019
( Bellator 214)
, align=center, ''Present''
, align=center, 1
, align=center, {{age in days, 2019, 1, 26 days

, align=center rowspan=2, {{#expr: {{age in days, 2019, 1, 26 + 1154 days
, -
, align=center rowspan=1, Light Heavyweight
, align=center, June 24, 2017
(Bellator MMA in 2017#Bellator NYC/Bellator 180, Bellator 180)
, align=center, August 21, 2020
( Bellator 244)
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1154 days
, -
! rowspan=4 , 3
, align=left rowspan=4, {{flagicon, BRA Patrício Pitbull
, align=center rowspan=1, Lightweight
, align=center, May 11, 2019
( Bellator 221)
, align=center, October 6, 2021
(Vacated)
, align=center, 0
, align=center, 879 days
, align=center rowspan=4, {{#expr: 879 + 428 + 1562+ {{age in days, 2022, 04, 15 days
, -
, align=center rowspan=3, Featherweight
, align=center, September 5, 2014
(Bellator MMA: Season Eleven#Bellator 123, Bellator 123)
, align=center, November 6, 2015
( Bellator 145)
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 428 days
, -
, align=center, April 21, 2017
( Bellator 178)
, align=center, July 31, 2021
(Bellator MMA in 2021#Bellator 263, Bellator 263)
, align=center, 5
, align=center, 1562 days
, -
, align=center, April 15, 2022
(Bellator MMA in 2017#Bellator 277, Bellator 277)
, align=center, ''Present''
, align=center, 0
, align=center, {{age in days, 2022, 04, 15 days

Simultaneous two division champions

{{small , This table, different from the previous one, only counts the periods in which the fighter loaded the titles simultaneously and the defenses in that period of time.

{, class="wikitable"
, -
! No. !! Champion !! Division !! Span !! Defenses !! Simultaneous Reign
, -
! rowspan=2 , 1
, align=left rowspan=2, {{flagicon, USA Ryan Bader
, align=center rowspan=1, Heavyweight
, align=center rowspan=2, January 26, 2019 – August 21, 2020
, align=center, 0
, align=center rowspan=2, {{formatnum:{{age in days, 2019, 1, 26, show unit=, 2020, 8, 21 days
, -
, align=center rowspan=1, Light Heavyweight
, align=center, 1
, -
! rowspan=2 , 2
, align=left rowspan=2, {{flagicon, BRA Patrício Pitbull
, align=center rowspan=1, Lightweight
, align=center rowspan=2, May 11, 2019 – July 31, 2021
, align=center, 0
, align=center rowspan=2, {{formatnum:{{age in days, 2019, 05, 11, show unit=, 2021, 07, 31 days
, -
, align=center rowspan=2, Featherweight
, align=center, 3

{{notelist

See also

* List of current Bellator fighters
* List of Bellator MMA alumni
* List of Bellator MMA events
* Bellator Kickboxing, List of Bellator Kickboxing champions
* List of current mixed martial arts champions
* Elite Xtreme Combat, List of EliteXC champions
* Invicta Fighting Championships, List of Invicta FC champions
* List of ONE Championship champions
* List of Pride champions
* List of Professional Fighters League champions, List of PFL champions
* List of Strikeforce champions
* List of UFC champions
* List of WEC champions
* Mixed martial arts weight classes

References

{{reflist

{{Bellator Championships
{{Bellator Heavyweight Championship
{{Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship
{{Bellator Middleweight Championship
{{Bellator Welterweight Championship
{{Bellator Lightweight Championship
{{Bellator Featherweight Championship
{{Bellator Bantamweight Championship
{{Bellator Women's Featherweight Championship
{{Bellator Women's Flyweight Championship
{{Mixed martial arts champions

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Bellator Champions
Bellator MMA champions, *
Lists of mixed martial artists, Bellator Champions, List Of