Black History Month
Celebrate Black History Month
UFC is proud to celebrate Black History Month by acknowledging the achievements of African American and Black UFC athletes throughout our history.
During February, UFC will highlight the personal stories of these athletes, past and present, while celebrating their significance in promoting and growing UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts.

First African American Color Commentator for a UFC event
First African American Color Commentator for a UFC event
Jim Brown serves as the first African American color commentator (pre-Zuffa era) at UFC 1: The Beginning

First African American athletes compete in UFC
First African American athletes compete in UFC
Zane Frazier, Art Jimmerson, Patrick Smith and Trent Jenkins compete at UFC 1: The Beginning

Oldest Competitor to Ever Fight in the UFC
Oldest Competitor to Ever Fight in the UFC
Ron Van Clief fights at UFC 4 to become the oldest competitor to fight in the UFC, aged 51

First African American to Win a UFC Tournament
First African American to Win a UFC Tournament
Kevin Jackson defeated Tom Butler by first-round knockout to become the first African American to win a UFC tournament at UFC 14

First African American UFC Champion
First African American UFC Champion
Maurice Smith defeated Mark Coleman at UFC 14 to become the UFC heavyweight champion, and the first African American to headline a non-tournament event.

Kevin Randleman Wins UFC Heavyweight Title
Kevin Randleman Wins UFC Heavyweight Title
UFC Hall-of-Famer Kevin Randleman defeated Pete Williams by decision to win the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 23

Carlos Newton Wins UFC Welterweight Title
Carlos Newton Wins UFC Welterweight Title
Carlos Newton, born in Anguilla and representing Canada, defeated Pat Miletich with a third-round submission to win the welterweight title at UFC 31

First Black Athlete Born in the United Kingdom Competes in UFC
First Black Athlete Born in the United Kingdom Competes in UFC
Mark Weir, born in Gloucester, England, makes his UFC debut at UFC 38 with a 10-second knockout victory over Eugene Jackson

First Black Canadian-Born Athlete Competes in UFC
First Black Canadian-Born Athlete Competes in UFC
David Loiseau, born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, makes his UFC debut at UFC 42 with a first-round knockout victory over Mark Weir.

First African American Athletes Compete on The Ultimate Fighter
First African American Athletes Compete on The Ultimate Fighter
Josh Koscheck and Bobby Southworth compete in the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter

First African American to Win The Ultimate Fighter
First African American to Win The Ultimate Fighter
Rashad Evans defeated Brad Imes in the heavyweight division finale of the second season of The Ultimate Fighter

Anderson Silva wins UFC Middleweight Title
Anderson Silva wins UFC Middleweight Title
Anderson Silva defeats Rich Franklin by first-round knockout at UFC 64 to win the UFC middleweight title on October 14, 2006.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson wins UFC light heavyweight title
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson wins UFC light heavyweight title
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson defeats Chuck Liddell by first-round knockout, winning UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 71

First African American Coach on The Ultimate Fighter
First African American Coach on The Ultimate Fighter
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson makes his coaching debut on season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter. His team: C.B. Dollaway, Matthew Riddle, Paul Bradley, Dan Cramer, Gerald Harris, Mike Dolce, Jeremy May and Brandon Sene

Rashad Evans Wins UFC Light Heavyweight Title
Rashad Evans Wins UFC Light Heavyweight Title
Rashad Evans defeats Forrest Griffin with a third-round knockout at UFC 92 to win the UFC light heavyweight title

Youngest Champion in UFC History - UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Youngest Champion in UFC History - UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Jon Jones defeats Mauricio "Shogun" Rua by third-round knockout at UFC 128 to become the youngest champion in UFC history at 23 years old

Benson Henderson Wins UFC Lightweight Title
Benson Henderson Wins UFC Lightweight Title
Benson Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar by decision at UFC 144 to win the UFC lightweight title

Demetrious Johnson Wins UFC Flyweight Title
Demetrious Johnson Wins UFC Flyweight Title
Demetrious Johnson defeated Joseph Benavidez by decision at UFC 152 to become the UFC flyweight champion, the start of a six-year reign

Record Set for Most Consecutive UFC Victories
Record Set for Most Consecutive UFC Victories
Anderson "Spider" Silva defeats Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153 to set the UFC record for most consecutive UFC victories (16).

Record Set for Longest UFC Title Reign
Record Set for Longest UFC Title Reign

First Black Female Athlete Competes in UFC
First Black Female Athlete Competes in UFC
Germaine de Randamie makes her victorious debut at UFC on FOX 8 against Julie Kedzie

First African American Female on The Ultimate Fighter
First African American Female on The Ultimate Fighter
Angela Hill becomes the first female African American athlete to compete on The Ultimate Fighter, Season 20, as a member of Team Melendez

First African American Female to Compete in UFC
First African American Female to Compete in UFC
Angela Hill became the first African American female to compete in the UFC during the season finale of Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter against fellow strawweight Emily Kagan

Daniel Cormier Wins UFC Light Heavyweight Title
Daniel Cormier Wins UFC Light Heavyweight Title
Daniel Cormier defeated Anthony Johnson for the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship at UFC 187

Tyron Woodley Wins UFC Welterweight Title
Tyron Woodley Wins UFC Welterweight Title
Tyron Woodley defeats Robbie Lawler by first-round knockout to become the UFC welterweight champion at UFC 201

First African American Color Commentator for a UFC Event
First African American Color Commentator for a UFC Event
Daniel Cormier serves as the first color commentator for a UFC event (Zuffa era) at UFC Fight Night 96: Lineker vs Dodson

First Black Female UFC Champion
First Black Female UFC Champion
Germaine de Randamie defeats Holly Holm at UFC 208 to become the first Black Female UFC Champion

First Black Female Athlete to Headline a UFC Event
First Black Female Athlete to Headline a UFC Event
Germaine de Randamie becomes the first Black female to headline a UFC event at UFC 208, where she defeated Holly Holm for the UFC featherweight championship title

First African American Inducted Into UFC Hall of Fame
First African American Inducted Into UFC Hall of Fame
Maurice Smith is inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, Pioneer Wing ('17), becoming the first African American athlete to be inducted

First African American Athletes Awarded UFC Contract on DWCS
First African American Athletes Awarded UFC Contract on DWCS
Geoff Neal (right) and Karl Roberson (left) are awarded contracts on Season 1, Episode 3 of DWCS

Record Set for Most Consecutive UFC Title Defenses
Record Set for Most Consecutive UFC Title Defenses
Demetrious Johnson defeats Ray Borg with a fifth-round submission to set the record for the most successful UFC title defenses (11) at UFC 216

First African American Athlete to Hold UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously
First African American Athlete to Hold UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously
Daniel Cormier defeats Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 to become the UFC heavyweight champion, while also the UFC light heavyweight champion

First African-Born UFC Champion
First African-Born UFC Champion
Kamaru Usman, born in Nigeria, defeats Tyron Woodley to become the UFC welterweight champion at UFC 235

Rashad Evans Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
Rashad Evans Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
Rashad Evans inducted into the Pioneer Wing ('19) of the UFC Hall of Fame

Israel Adesanya Wins Undisputed UFC middleweight title
Israel Adesanya Wins Undisputed UFC middleweight title
Israel Adesanya defeats Robert Whittaker with a second-round knockout to be crowned the undisputed UFC middleweight champion at UFC 243

Jon Jones Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
Jon Jones Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
Jon Jones is inducted into the Fight Wing ('20) of the UFC Hall of Fame for his UFC 165 battle against Alexander Gustafsson

Kevin Randleman Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
Kevin Randleman Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
Kevin Randleman inducted into the Pioneer Wing ('20) of the UFC Hall of Fame

First African American Female to Headline A UFC Event
First African American Female to Headline A UFC Event
Angela Hill becomes the first African American female to headline a UFC event in her main event bout against Michelle Waterson at UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs Hill

Daniel Cormier's Biggest Accomplishment

Yves Edwards Was Raised To Believe In People

How Rashad Evans' Career Helped Pave The Way

Walt Harris | Black History Month

Germaine de Randamie & Angela Hill Make History |…
