UFC Weight Classes: What Are They in Order KG and Lbs?

UFC, and MMA in general, has distinctive weight classes to establish limits for fighters, but what are the weight classes in the UFC? The company has added several weight classes to its roster over the years, including the unveiling of a women’s division back in 2013. Since then, the promotion has made waves and effectively taken over MMA, breeding some of the UFC's biggest stars with the weight system combined with rankings allowing for the best fights to be made.

There are strict regulations in place to ensure that fighters are able to get to their optimum weight safely, and the implementation of weight classes in the UFC attempts to ensure that everyone competes on an even playing field. There are currently 12 different weight classes/divisions in the UFC, with four of them being dedicated to women’s MMA and the remaining eight being men’s. And here is everything you need to know about the weight classes and what their limits are in both pounds and kilograms.

The category was introduced by the UFC and has been a thriving category with fighters able to compete between 106lb and the upper limit of 115lb. It is a division which has seen brilliant fights since its inaugural title bout in 2014, with Carla Esparza becoming the first champion of the division by beating Rose Namajaunas.

It is a title that has changed hands with regularity but is now held by Phoenix-born MacKenzie Dern, who won the vacant title in October 2025. She has since made one defense of the gold, defeating Gillian Robertson by unanimous decision at UFC 330.

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The newest weight division in the UFC was announced in 2017, with the women's flyweight class ranked with an upper limit of 125lb in parallel with the existing flyweights. The inaugural event was held that year with the winner of the UFC's Ultimate Fighter series crowned the first-ever champion, and it was Nicco Montano who prevailed. Some great fighters have since graced the division including two-time champion Valentina Shevchenko.

'The Bullet' officially vacated the title to allow Natalia Silva and Wang Cong to meet for the vacant title at UFC 332. Shevchenko was supposed to face Silva on the card, but had to withdraw due to a back injury.

Silva defeated Cong by unanimous decision to win her first-ever UFC championship.

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The men's branch of the newest weight class was introduced five years earlier than the female category beginning in 2012 with a fight night featuring Demetrious Johnson, who would go on to prove his dominance, and Joseph Benavidez in separate fights. 'DJ' was one of the most recognised names to grace the division, with the likes of Deiveson Figueredo, Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja holding down the weight class in recent times.

At only 24 years old, current titleholder Joshua Van is the youngest champion in the company today. Van won the belt in just 26 seconds at UFC 323 in December 2025 after Pantoja dislocated his arm. He has since gone on to defend the title twice, with the most recent of those wins being a second victory over Pantoja.

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A division of effective one-fighter dominance, with the best female MMA fighter in history in the shape of Amanda Nunes taking over the weight class. The Brazilian has now retired, leaving an uncertain future after its birth in 2013 which saw the first-ever female UFC fight featuring Ronda Rousey.

The division has a special place in the story of women's MMA. Aside from Rousey and Nunes, Holly Holm and Miesha Tate have enjoyed runs as champion - and more history could be made with two-time Olympic Judo champion Kayla Harrison now calling the division home. She took just three fights inside the Octagon to claim UFC gold, submitting Julianna Pena in the co-main event of UFC 316. She is now set for a blockbuster showdown with the legendary Nunes at UFC 334 in November.

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One of the most entertaining weight classes in the UFC since debuting in 2011, the bantamweight division has produced champions such as Dominick Cruz, TJ Dillashaw, Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili. Fights are regularly made at the highest level in the division, which is why a 135lb title bout is usually must-see viewing.

Two-time champion Petr Yan currently rules the division, having defeated Dvalishvili at UFC 323 last December. The pair are set to square off for the third time in their careers at UFC 333.

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Once one of the glamour divisions of female MMA, the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship is currently vacant after Nunes' retirement in 2023. 'The Lioness' held it from 2018 onwards and claimed it back after briefly losing it, in a rematch with Julianna Pena. Apart from Nunes, there have only been two other champions including inaugural queen Germaine de Randamie and Cris Cyborg.

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The featherweight division is the weight class in which Conor McGregor made his UFC debut - and also where he held his first title in the promotion. The Irish superstar isn't the only big name to have graced the 145lb ranks, though. Jose Aldo, Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski have also played a major role in UFC featherweight history. McGregor's knockout of Aldo at UFC 194 remains one of the most viewed clips in company history.

Ilia Topuria currently holds the championship gold, although he will soon vacate it. The 27-year-old stunned Volkanovski by stopping him at UFC 298, ending the former titleholder's four-year reign. The Spanish hero then followed that win up with a devastating knockout of Max Holloway at UFC 308 to cement himself as one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet.

However, after Topuria decided to move up to lightweight and will challenge for the vacant title in that division. Following Topuria's decision to ditch the belt, the featherweight crown was once again claimed by Volkanovski when he defeated Diego Lopes at UFC 314 in April 2025.

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A stacked division which has gripped the modern era and produced some of the biggest nights in the promotion's history, the weight class has been hugely important to the success of the UFC in the modern day. Some of the most dominant champions have graced the Octagon at 155lb including Khabib Nurmagomedov, BJ Penn, Eddie Alvarez and, of course, a certain Mr McGregor.

The division also produced the highest-selling pay-per-view fight between Nurmagomedov and McGregor who sent the division into the highest profile of any for several years, with the likes of Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje moving up to carry the torch in their absence.

Such is the box office appeal of the division, that a lightweight title fight was selected to headline UFC Freedom 250 as Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje squared off for the undisputed championship at 155 pounds. In a major upset, Gaethje produced a career-best performance to stun the previously unbeaten Topuria at the White House.

Gaethje still reigns as champion, but has frequently hinted that he could walk away from the sport after such a monumental win.

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Another glamour division, 170lb has provided some equally fascinating moments and competitors including the likes of Georges St Pierre, Kamaru Usman, Tyron Woodley and, once again, McGregor. It has also given the UFC some of its most entertaining fighters, including the likes of Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal who became pay-per-view heroes in the modern era.

St Pierre is considered the greatest to ever grace the division, but his claim to that crown may one day be challenged by current champion Islam Makhachev. Having ruled at lightweight, the Khabib Nurmagomedov protégé moved up to lightweight and won the title by defeating Jack Della Maddelena in dominant fashion.

A first successful title defense against Ian Machado Garry followed as Makhachev cemented his place as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history.

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A weight class which has seen arguably one of the greatest to ever do it in Anderson Silva, 185lb has continued to thrive for a number of years since being introduced as part of the original four during the UFC's opening shows. Many champions have come and gone including Michael Bisping, Alex Pereira, Chris Weidman and more, but none more dominant than 'The Spider', who cemented his name in the history books with the longest title reign ever.

Today, Sean Strickland is in the midst of his second reign as champion. The controversial American upset Khamzat Chimaev by decision at UFC 329. The duo have been linked with a rematch, but nothing is official as of yet.

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At light heavyweight, we've seen a sensational level of competition with fighters both agile and able to produce devastating KOs. The division has been embodied by Jon Jones who is considered arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all-time.

It is fair to say the division has brought out some heavy-hitting fight nights in its time, including the likes of Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Quinton Jackson and Daniel Cormier.

For all of its history, the weight class is in something of a rebuilding phrase right now when it comes to its identity. After Alex Pereira made the decision to move up to heavyweight, Carlos Ulberg defeated Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327 to claim the vacant title.

Unfortunately, Ulberg suffered a gruesome knee injury shortly before sensationally knocking out Prochazka to win the gold. As a result, he has never defended the belt.

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What is considered to be the glamour division in combat sports as a whole, the heavyweight division never fails to bring a power-hitting entertainment to the UFC. Despite not carrying the typical pay-per-view power the division does in boxing, the UFC has seen some impressive heavyweights pass through its ranks, including Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez and Francis Ngannou.

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Injuries have blighted the division in recent years, though, to the point that - since March 2023 - there have only been three full UFC Heavyweight Title fights (not including interim belts).

In the most recent of those bouts, the injury curse struck again, as Tom Aspinall's UFC 321 clash with Ciryl Gane ended in a no contest after a gruesome double eye poke.

Aspinall's sight was so badly affected that he hasn't fought since and decided to vacate the championship in September 2026. In an ironic twist of fate, Gane has now been promoted to undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. The Frenchman was already the interim titleholder after he beat Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250.

Gane will make the first defense of his crown when he faces Josh Hokit at UFC 334 in November.

While every other UFC title is governed by weight classes and contenders determined by rankings, the 'BMF' title is a prize established by the promotion to celebrate toughness, fighting spirit and - quite honestly - sheer violence. The promotion credits Nate Diaz for the creation of the title, having taken inspiration from his post-fight interview after defeating Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 in August 2019.

"We’re fighting for the baddest mother****er in the game belt, and that’s mine," Diaz told Joe Rogan in his post-fight Octagon interview. "I would like to defend it against Jorge Masvidal."

With those few short sentences from Diaz, the BMF title was born. He clashed with Masvidal in the main event of UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden with the BMF crown on the line.

The Stockton native endured a tough night as Masvidal stopped him in brutal fashion to become the inaugural champion. The significance of the moment was underlined when Hollywood megastar The Rock took to the centre of the Octagon to present 'Gamebred' with the title belt.

It would be nearly four years until the BMF belt would be contested again. This time, Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier went to war over the prize in the main event of UFC 291. Gaethje won with a vicious headkick, but Max Holloway ended his reign at UFC 300 with a spectacular last-second knockout.

Holloway couldn't land the knockout in his first defence of the belt - but the final seconds of his win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 was still absolute chaos as both men went for the knockout in what was the final career fight for 'The Diamond'.

There was less action in Charles Oliveira's BMF Title victory over Holloway at UFC 326, as 'Do Bronx' grappled his way to the win in a fight that lacked any of the action the belt has become known for.

The Brazilian superstar will defend the belt for the first time when he takes on Diego Lopes at UFC 335.

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