The UFC Men's Bantamweight Title: A Visual History UFC292 via benjaminduffy
for the most successful defenses in the division’s history. Sterling already owns the record for consecutive title defenses, as Dillashaw and Cruz each divided their achievements between multiple reigns.
None of those caveats are Sterling’s fault—he is responsible neither for Yan’s blatant foul nor Dillashaw’s decision to fight while severely compromised—but for observers who are already disposed to minimize his accomplishments, they paint a picture of a lucky champ who has reigned by serendipity rather than superiority.
Sterling has a chance to change that narrative this weekend, and for that reason he stands to gain just as much as his challenger. By silencing the brash but undeniably skilled “Suga Show,” hopefully without any ifs, ands or buts, the champ has a chance to move on from the strangeness of his early title reign and draw attention for the right reason—for his increasingly compelling case to be considered the greatest bantamweight of all time.
Here is the 12-year history of the UFC men’s bantamweight title and the times it was won, lost or defended. Interim title fights are omitted with the exception of those involving, since he was promoted from interim to undisputed champ without a title unification bout. The picture tells the story of a couple of the biggest what-if champions in MMA history, but only one of whom is still in a position to answer the what-ifs.
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