Athletes
Welterweight Champions Of UFC's Modern Era
Take A Look At Every UFC Welterweight Champion Of The UFC's Era
The UFC’s Modern Era formally began on November 17, 2000, when the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were adopted by promotions and jurisdictions worldwide.
Since then, we’ve seen the best of MMA, with new contenders and champions introducing exciting and dynamic elements to the Octagon.
See Everything Happening In The Welterweight Division
In this article we will discuss the Modern Era welterweight champions who excelled under the bright lights and highlight their title reigns, defenses, and the fights that made them UFC legends.
Modern Era Welterweight Champions
Take a closer look at the some of the most notable welterweight champions in UFC's Modern Era as we count down the days until the welterweight title fight between Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman 3.
Pat Miletich (1998-2001)
Defeated Mike Burnett at UFC Brazil (10/16/98) to win the UFC welterweight title, which was then called the lightweight title. Miletich defended the title against Jorge Patino, Andre Pederneiras, John Alessio, and Kenichi Yamamoto.
Carlos Newton (2001)
Defeated Pat Miletich by submission at UFC 31 (5/4/2001) to secure the UFC welterweight title.
Matt Hughes (2001-2004)
Defeated Carlos Newton by knockout at UFC 34 on (11/2/2001) to win the UFC welterweight title. Hughes successfully defended his title against Hayato Sakurai, Carlos Newton, Gil Castillo, Sean Sherk, and Frank Trigg.
BJ Penn (2004)
Defeated Hughes at UFC 46 (1/31/2004). Penn was stripped of the title on (5/17/2004) when he left the UFC for K-1.
Matt Hughes (2004-2006)
Defeated Georges St-Pierre at UFC 50 on (10/22/2004) to win. Hughes defended the title against Frank Trigg and BJ Penn, and defeats Royce Gracie in a non-title bout.
Georges St-Pierre (2006-2007)
Defeated Hughes by TKO on (11/18/2006) to win the UFC welterweight title.
Matt Serra (2007)
On This Day: Serra vs St-Pierre 1 | Free Fight
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On This Day: Serra vs St-Pierre 1 | Free Fight
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Defeated St-Pierre in the first round at UFC 69 on (6/7/2007) to win the UFC welterweight championship.
Georges St-Pierre (2007-2013)
GEORGES ST-PIERRE NAMED TO UFC HALL OF FAME
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GEORGES ST-PIERRE NAMED TO UFC HALL OF FAME
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Defeated Hughes to win interim title at UFC 79 on (12/29/2007). He then regained the undisputed title by stopping Serra in the second round at UFC 83 on (6/19/2008). GSP successfully defended his title against Jon Fitch, BJ Penn, Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz and Johny Hendricks before vacating the title on (12/13/2013).
Johny Hendricks (2014)
Defeated Robbie Lawler at UFC 171 to win the welterweight title (3/15/2014).
Robbie Lawler (2014-2016)
Robbie Lawler | Fighter Timeline
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Robbie Lawler | Fighter Timeline
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Defeated Hendricks at UFC 181 (12/6/2014) to win the title. He successfully defended the belt against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit.
Tyron Woodley (2016-2019)
Defeated Lawler at UFC 201 on (7/30/2016) to win the title. He successfully defended the title against Stephen Thompson (twice), Demian Maia and Darren Till.
Kamaru Usman (2019-2022)
Defeated Woodley at UFC 235 on (3/2/2019) to win the title. He successfully defended his title against Colby Covington (twice), Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal (twice).
Leon Edwards (2022-PRESENT)
Defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 (8/20/2022) via knockout in round five (Watch On UFC Fight Pass)
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Upcoming UFC Welterweight Title Fights
UFC 286: Edwards vs Usman 3
The UFC returns to London as the O2 will once again host an epic PPV event. British UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards headlines the card against No. 1 ranked Kamaru Usman in a trilogy bout at UFC 286: Edwards vs Usman 3.
How To Watch UFC 286: Edwards vs Usman 3 In Your Country
The UK’s second UFC champion, Edwards (20-3, fighting out of Birmingham, England) returns to the Octagon looking to defend his title after a stunning knockout of Kamaru Usman last August. A well-rounded fighter known for his technical striking, he comes into this fight aiming to extend his 11-fight unbeaten streak in front of a home crowd as he takes on the last man to defeat him in the UFC.
Usman (20-2, fighting out of Florida, United States by way of Auchi, Nigeria) will be focused on avenging his sole UFC defeat at the hands of his next opponent. A dominant wrestler with knockout power in both hands, Usman was the pound for pound best fighter in the UFC prior to the defeat and was riding a 19-fight winning streak. Recently starring in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, he’ll be looking forward to making his hands do the talking this time.
UFC 286: Edwards vs Usman 3 took place live from the O2 Arena in London in March 18, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
