UFC Weight Classes Explained: Every Division, Limit and Champion

Image: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brittany Primavera (public domain)

The UFC runs 11 divisions: eight for men and three for women, and each one has its own championship belt. The men's classes run from flyweight at 125 lb up to heavyweight at 265 lb, while the women fight at strawweight, flyweight and bantamweight.

As of 30 September 2026 the official UFC rankings page names a champion in every one of those 11 divisions. That makes 11 title holders, and all 11 names are different.

Heavyweight is the only one with a recent wrinkle. Tom Aspinall vacated the title on 14 September because eye complications stopped him getting medical clearance. Ciryl Gane had been interim champion since beating Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Dana White first said Gane would not be promoted, then admitted he had got that wrong and confirmed Gane is the undisputed champion. Gane defends against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on 14 November.

Every UFC limit is a maximum, not a range a fighter must sit inside. A lightweight can weigh 140 lb and still fight in the division, but nobody can come in above 155 lb for a title fight. The men's limits, with the kilogram equivalents from the Unified Rules weight class table, are:

• Flyweight: 125 lb (56.7 kg)
• Bantamweight: 135 lb (61.2 kg)
• Featherweight: 145 lb (65.8 kg)
• Lightweight: 155 lb (70.3 kg)
• Welterweight: 170 lb (77.1 kg)
• Middleweight: 185 lb (83.9 kg)
• Light heavyweight: 205 lb (93.0 kg)
• Heavyweight: 265 lb (120.2 kg)

Notice how the gaps widen. There are ten pounds between each of the first four classes, then fifteen to welterweight, fifteen to middleweight, twenty to light heavyweight and a full sixty to heavyweight. A fighter above 205 lb belongs at heavyweight, and 265 lb is the ceiling. The Unified Rules do list a super heavyweight class for anyone over that, but the UFC does not run one.

The UFC has three women's divisions, and they share their limits with the men's classes of the same name. Strawweight is 115 lb (52.2 kg), flyweight is 125 lb (56.7 kg) and bantamweight is 135 lb (61.2 kg). Nothing heavier is contested at the moment.

Women's MMA reached the UFC on 16 November 2012, when the promotion signed Ronda Rousey, who went on to become its first women's champion. Bantamweight was the first women's division.

Note that strawweight is the only weight that exists solely on the women's side. The UFC's men's roster starts at flyweight, so a man who walks around under 125 lb has no UFC division to fight in.

These are the champions listed on the UFC rankings page on 30 September 2026. The men first:

• Flyweight: Joshua Van
• Bantamweight: Petr Yan
• Featherweight: Alexander Volkanovski
• Lightweight: Justin Gaethje
• Welterweight: Islam Makhachev
• Middleweight: Sean Strickland
• Light heavyweight: Carlos Ulberg
• Heavyweight: Ciryl Gane

And the women: Mackenzie Dern at strawweight, Valentina Shevchenko at flyweight and Kayla Harrison at bantamweight.

You will also see a "pound-for-pound" list on the same page. That is a ranking of the best fighters regardless of size, not a weight class, and it has no belt attached. Islam Makhachev tops the men's version and Shevchenko the women's. For how the fights inside these divisions are judged, see our guide to how UFC fights are scored.

Official weigh-ins happen in the morning, and UFC's own explainer says athletes step on the scale between 9 am and 11 am local time. A fighter who misses the first attempt can be given up to one further hour to make the number.

Title fights are strict: the champion and challenger must weigh in at or below the exact division limit. A non-title fight gets a one-pound allowance, so a lightweight can weigh 156 lb rather than 155 lb.

If a fighter misses weight, three things can happen, according to UFC's explainer. The fighter forfeits a percentage of their purse to the opponent, the two sides can agree to fight at a catchweight, or the bout can be cancelled. A fighter who misses the championship limit also loses title eligibility, and the explainer uses Charles Oliveira as its example.

Do not confuse the official weigh-in with the ceremonial one. Before UFC Freedom 250 the fighters posed on a stage at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. on 13 June 2026, the day before the card at the White House, and the photo at the top of this page comes from that ceremony. It is a show for fans, and the official scale reading is taken earlier.

The Unified Rules of MMA list more weights than the UFC uses. In July 2017 the Association of Boxing Commissions approved four extra classes: super lightweight at 165 lb, super welterweight at 175 lb, super middleweight at 195 lb and cruiserweight at 225 lb. That took the recognised total to 13.

The UFC is under no obligation to adopt them, and CBS Sports reported pushback from UFC representatives at the time. Andy Foster, the California commission executive who proposed the changes, made the point that if a large group of fighters sits at 170 lb, removing welterweight would be a poor business decision. Nine years on, the UFC still has no 165, 175, 195 or 225 division.

The reason the extra classes were proposed is worth keeping in mind: the aim was to reduce extreme weight cutting. Smaller steps mean a fighter has less to drain to reach the limit. The UFC has chosen to keep its familiar structure instead.

A fighter changes division by booking a bout at the new weight and making that limit. Recent champions have tended to vacate their belt before moving, rather than hold a title at a weight they have left.

Islam Makhachev is the clearest recent case. After giving up the lightweight title he moved up to welterweight and, at UFC 322 in November 2025, beat Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden (50-45 on all three cards) to win a second title. ESPN reported that he said the lack of a weight cut made the night easier.

Ilia Topuria also moved up. He vacated the featherweight title in April 2025, knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June 2025 to take the lightweight belt, then lost it to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 in June 2026. His UFC profile now lists him as the number one lightweight contender.

Alex Pereira has moved furthest. His UFC profile credits him with titles at middleweight and light heavyweight, and he went up to heavyweight in 2026, losing his debut there to Gane in a stoppage in the second round. Because a fighter can be ranked in more than one division at a time, the UFC rankings page still lists Pereira in the light heavyweight top 15 and, on the newer Meta list, at heavyweight.

Each division on the UFC rankings page shows the champion and then 15 ranked contenders. On the media-panel list updated on 29 September, the number one contenders are Alexandre Pantoja at flyweight, Merab Dvalishvili at bantamweight, Movsar Evloev at featherweight, Ilia Topuria at lightweight, Ian Machado Garry at welterweight, Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight, Magomed Ankalaev at light heavyweight and Tom Aspinall at heavyweight.

In the women's classes the top contenders are Zhang Weili at strawweight, Natalia Silva at flyweight and Julianna Peña at bantamweight. A number one spot is a guide rather than a guarantee, and the UFC has just shown as much at heavyweight. Aspinall is still listed first there, but the title fight booked for UFC 334 is Gane against Hokit, who sits fourth on that list.

UFC 334 also carries a women's title fight: Kayla Harrison makes the first defence of her bantamweight belt against Amanda Nunes as the co-main event. So the night in New York on 14 November features two of the 11 championships.

A catchweight bout is one agreed at a weight that does not match a standard division. UFC's explainer names it as one outcome when a fighter misses weight: the opponent can agree to fight at the heavier number instead of the bout being cancelled.

Heavyweight is the clearest example of why a class name only tells you the ceiling. Its band runs from just above 205 lb to 265 lb, so two heavyweights can be a stone or more apart on the scale and still meet for the belt. When you read a fight announcement, the class tells you the most a fighter can weigh at the weigh-in, not how big the two men will look on the night.

For a quick check on any division, the UFC rankings page shows the champion at the top and the top 15 contenders underneath. It is the fastest way to see who currently holds each belt and who is closest to a shot.

• UFC: Rankings (champions and divisions)
• UFC: Understanding UFC weight classes and weigh-ins
• Wikipedia: Mixed martial arts weight classes
• CBS Sports: New weight classes are coming to MMA
• ESPN: Makhachev dominates to become a two-weight champion at UFC 322
• UFC: Ilia Topuria athlete profile
• Cageside Press: Tom Aspinall vacates UFC heavyweight title
• Wikipedia: UFC 334

How many weight classes does the UFC have?

The UFC has 11 weight classes. Eight are for men (flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight) and three are for women (strawweight, flyweight and bantamweight). Each division has its own champion and a top 15 of ranked contenders.

What are the UFC weight limits in pounds and kilograms?

Strawweight is 115 lb (52.2 kg), flyweight 125 lb (56.7 kg), bantamweight 135 lb (61.2 kg), featherweight 145 lb (65.8 kg), lightweight 155 lb (70.3 kg), welterweight 170 lb (77.1 kg), middleweight 185 lb (83.9 kg), light heavyweight 205 lb (93.0 kg) and heavyweight 265 lb (120.2 kg).

How many champions does the UFC have?

The UFC has 11 champions, one for each division. On 30 September 2026 they are Joshua Van, Petr Yan, Alexander Volkanovski, Justin Gaethje, Islam Makhachev, Sean Strickland, Carlos Ulberg and Ciryl Gane for the men, plus Mackenzie Dern, Valentina Shevchenko and Kayla Harrison for the women.

Can a UFC fighter weigh in over the limit?

Only in a non-title fight, and only by one pound. A lightweight can weigh 156 lb in a non-title bout, but a championship fight requires the exact limit or less. A fighter who misses can forfeit part of their purse, agree a catchweight or see the fight cancelled.

Do UFC champions give up their belt when they move up a weight class?

In recent cases, yes. Ilia Topuria vacated featherweight before moving to lightweight, Islam Makhachev gave up lightweight before winning the welterweight title, and Alex Pereira vacated light heavyweight to go to heavyweight. The UFC decides each case, but vacating first has been the usual pattern.