UFC champions have kept the belt in about two title defenses in three
Since 2001, reigning UFC champions won 211 of 308 decisive undisputed title defenses (69%).
68.5%Decisive undisputed title defenses won by the reigning champion
211 of 308 · UFC bouts since 2001
Wilson 95%: 63.1% to 73.4%
How this was measured
Title defenses come from a title lineage rebuilt from every UFC title fight, including interim champions promoted to undisputed and unification bouts. Draws and no contests (the champion keeps the belt) are left out.
Included
- Undisputed UFC title fights since 2001 involving the reigning champion
- A winner
Left out
- Draws and no contests (the champion kept the belt)
- Vacant and interim title fights
Caveats
- The lineage is reconstructed: four documented overrides (inherited belts and one weigh-in vacancy).
- There is no 'first-defense curse': first defenses were won about as often as later ones (research: first_defense_risk).
How it was checked
- Champion identity agrees with the official rankings board on all 238 checkable bouts (2013+), allowing for double champions.
- Reproduced exactly by an independent re-implementation written from the definition alone (28 Oct 2026).
- Research catalog entry `champion_retention_rate` (validated).
Sources and updates
- Greco1899/scrape_ufc_stats @5d6622f · GPL-3.0 (code); data from UFC Stats
- nlbair/ufc-data @a9c6543 · CC BY 4.0 (files)
Data as of 24 Oct 2026. Recalculated after UFC events and reviewed by an editor before any change is shown. A historical description, not a prediction for any fight.
In fight analyses
- Kayla Harrison vs Amanda NunesUFC 334: Gane vs. Hokit · 14 Nov 2026
- Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar EvloevUFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev · 24 Oct 2026
- Petr Yan vs Merab DvalishviliUFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev · 24 Oct 2026