UFC Weight Classes: Men & Women Divisions In The MMA Club

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How many weight classes does the UFC have? The UFC uses nine weight limits, from strawweight (115 pounds) to heavyweight (265 pounds).

Men compete in eight divisions, from flyweight to heavyweight. Women currently compete in three: strawweight, flyweight, and bantamweight. The UFC also had a women's featherweight division, but it no longer appears in the UFC rankings.

UFC Weight Classes In Order

The UFC had no weight classes when it started in 1993. They arrived in 1997, at first with just two: heavyweight (over 200 pounds) and lightweight (under 200 pounds).

In non-title fights, fighters get a one-pound allowance over the limit. Title fights must make the exact limit.

Here is a list of the current divisions:

Men's Heavyweight Class: 206 - 265 Pounds (93.4 - 120.2 Kg)

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Randy Couture

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Francis Ngannou

Weight classes debuted at UFC 12 in 1997. That night, a young Vitor Belfort made his UFC debut and won the heavyweight tournament, beating Tra Telligman and Scott Ferrozzo.

The main event was a title fight between Mark Coleman and Dan Severn, which Coleman won with a submission from a side headlock position. He became the first UFC heavyweight champion.

Other famous heavyweights include Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Frank Mir, Junior dos Santos, Stipe Miocic, and Francis Ngannou.

Light Heavyweight Division: 186 - 205 Pounds (84.4 - 93 Kg)

The UFC called this division middleweight until it renamed its classes in 2001.

Frank Shamrock was its first champion in 1997. Later champions include Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, and Quinton Jackson, who unified the UFC title with the Pride middleweight title in 2007. Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Jan Blachowicz, and Alex Pereira came later.

Middleweight Division: 171 - 185 Pounds (77.6 - 83.9 Kg)

The 185-pound title was first contested in 2001. Early champions included Murilo Bustamante and Rich Franklin.

Anderson Silva took the title from Franklin in 2006 and held it until 2013, with a then-record 10 title defenses.

Later champions include Chris Weidman, Michael Bisping, Robert Whittaker, and Israel Adesanya.

Men's Welterweight Class: 156 - 170 Pounds (70.8 - 77.1 Kg)

This is where Georges St-Pierre dominated for years as champion. Other notable welterweights include Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Tyron Woodley, and Colby Covington, who won the interim title in 2018 and was later stripped of it.

Kamaru Usman held the title from 2019 to 2022, with defenses that included two wins each over Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal.

UFC Lightweight Class: 146 - 155 Pounds (66.2 - 70.3 Kg)

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Charles Oliveira

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Khabib Nurmagomedov

This is another star-studded division, home to fighters like Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Islam Makhachev. Khabib Nurmagomedov retired undefeated as champion after three title defenses.

Several fighters have lost the lightweight title outside the cage. McGregor was stripped for inactivity, and Sean Sherk was stripped after testing positive for anabolic steroids. Charles Oliveira lost the title on the scale after missing weight at UFC 274.

Men's Featherweight Division: 136 - 145 Pounds (61.7 - 65.8 Kg)

Jose Aldo became the first UFC featherweight champion in 2010 because he held the WEC title when the WEC merged into the UFC. He went on to defend the UFC title seven times.

McGregor took the title from Aldo in 2015. Later champions include Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.

Bantamweight Division: 126 - 135 Pounds (57.2 - 61.2 Kg)

Fighters you might know in this division include Dominick Cruz, T.J. Dillashaw, Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling, and Sean O'Malley. Cruz was the first UFC bantamweight champion and won the title twice.

Men's UFC Flyweight Division: 116 - 125 Pounds (52.6 - 56.7 Kg)

This division is known for fast, technical fighters like Demetrious Johnson, Henry Cejudo, and Joseph Benavidez. Johnson was its first champion and set the UFC record with 11 straight title defenses.

While at the UFC, his opponents included John Dodson, Ray Borg, and John Moraga.

Knock-Out Point: How do fighters make weight for these divisions? Read our post: How Do UFC Fighters Cut Weight.

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UFC Weight Divisions For Women

The UFC has had four women's divisions. Three are active today; the featherweight division has been dormant.

Women's Featherweight: 136 - 145 Pounds (61.7 - 65.8 Kg)

The UFC added this division in February 2017, when Germaine de Randamie beat Holly Holm for the first title.

De Randamie was stripped a few months later after declining to fight Cris Cyborg. Cyborg then won the vacant title against Tonya Evinger and defended it twice.

Amanda Nunes beat Cyborg in 2018 and held the belt until she retired in 2023. The division has had no rankings since then.

Women's Bantamweight: 126 - 135 Pounds (57.2 - 61.2 Kg)

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Ronda Rousey

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Holly Holm

Ronda Rousey was named the first UFC women's bantamweight champion in 2012 without a title fight, because she held the Strikeforce title when the UFC brought in women's MMA. She defended it six times.

Holly Holm knocked her out with a head kick at UFC 193 in 2015 to take the title.

Later champions include Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, Julianna Pena, and Kayla Harrison.

Women's Flyweight: 116 - 125 Pounds (52.6 - 56.7 Kg)

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Nicco Montano

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Valentina Shevchenko

The first title fight, in 2017, was Nicco Montano vs. Roxanne Modafferi. Montano won but was stripped in 2018 after being hospitalized during her weight cut before a defense against Valentina Shevchenko.

Shevchenko then won the vacant title against Joanna Jędrzejczyk in December 2018 and dominated the division for years. Alexa Grasso and Natalia Silva have also held the belt.

Strawweight: Upper Weight Limit Of 115 Pounds (52 Kg)

The first women's strawweight title fight was in December 2014, when Carla Esparza submitted Rose Namajunas with a rear-naked choke.

Joanna Jędrzejczyk took the title from Esparza by TKO three months later and defended it five times.

Namajunas ended her reign in 2017. Later champions include Weili Zhang and Esparza again.

Knock-Out Point: Want to fight in one of these divisions someday? Read our post: How To Become A UFC Fighter.

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Frequently Asked Questions

In what weight class is Conor McGregor?

McGregor has fought mostly at lightweight (155 pounds) in recent years. He entered the UFC as a featherweight in 2013, fought at welterweight in 2016 (both Nate Diaz fights) and 2020, and returned to lightweight.

He became the first UFC fighter to hold titles in two divisions at once when he won the lightweight title in November 2016 while still featherweight champion.

How much do UFC light heavyweights weigh?

Light heavyweights must weigh in at no more than 205 pounds (93 kg), or 206 pounds for a non-title fight. Fighters above 185 pounds usually compete here. Most cut weight, so they are heavier on fight night.

Who has held two belts in the UFC?

Conor McGregor was the first to hold two belts at the same time.

Others who have held two UFC belts at once are Daniel Cormier (light heavyweight and heavyweight), Amanda Nunes (bantamweight and featherweight), and Henry Cejudo (flyweight and bantamweight).

Georges St-Pierre also won titles in two divisions (welterweight and middleweight), but not at the same time.

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Conclusion

Weight classes keep fights fair. That is why missing weight can cost a fighter part of their purse, the fight itself, or a chance at the title.

The UFC uses nine weight limits. Men compete in eight divisions; women currently compete in three. Men have no strawweight division, so the eight men's limits plus the women's 115-pound strawweight limit make nine.

Sources

• Understanding UFC Weight Classes and Weigh-Ins, UFC
• UFC Rankings, UFC