UFC News · Jan 3
UFC In 2025 | The Year In Champions
Nine of the 11 UFC weight classes will kick off 2026 with a different undisputed champion to the one that started 2025. It showed that, while it’s incredibly difficult to win a UFC belt, it’s arguably even harder to hold on to one.
To set the table for another huge year of fights, let’s take a look at the journey each championship belt took during the last 12 months.
Women’s Strawweight
Champion on Jan 1, 2025: Zhang Weili
Champion on Jan 1, 2026: Mackenzie Dern
The lightest weight class in UFC saw a changing of the guard in 2025, with one champion departing the division and another capturing the vacant title to take her place.