UFC Champions Who Lost Their Debuts

All UFC Champions Who Lost Their Debuts

Interestingly, a significant number of UFC champions lost their first professional fight or their UFC debut, proving that perseverance matters more than an undefeated record.

This article lists all UFC champions who lost their debuts.

1. Magomed Ankalaev – UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

• Debut Loss: Lost to Paul Craig via triangle choke submission at 4:59 of Round 3 (March 17, 2018, UFC Fight Night 127).
• Road to Gold: He rebounded with a dominant winning streak, finally capturing UFC gold at UFC 313 by defeating Alex Pereira for the vacant light heavyweight championship.

2. Belal Muhammad – UFC Welterweight Champion

• Debut Loss: Lost to Alan Jouban via unanimous decision (July 7, 2016, UFC Fight Night 90).
• Road to Gold: After bouncing back from the loss, Muhammad built one of the longest active win streaks in the UFC and defeated Leon Edwards at UFC 304 to claim the welterweight title.

3. Merab Dvalishvili – UFC Bantamweight Champion

• Debut Loss: Lost his first MMA fight to Darren Mima (January 10, 2014, Ring of Combat 47).
• Also Lost His First Two UFC Fights
  • vs. Frankie Saenz (UFC Fight Night 123) – split decision loss.
  • vs. Ricky Simón (UFC Fight Night 128) – controversial submission loss at 4:59 of the last round.
• Road to Gold: Merab became one of the most relentless wrestlers in UFC history and won the bantamweight title at UFC 306, beating Sean O’Malley.

4. Zhang Weili – UFC Strawweight Champion

• Debut Loss: Lost to Meng Bo via unanimous decision (November 9, 2013).
• Road to Gold: Zhang rebounded with a 21-fight win streak and became China’s first UFC champion by defeating Jéssica Andrade.

5. Jan Błachowicz (Former UFC Champion, Still Active)

• Debut Loss: Lost to Marcin Krysztofiak via TKO (corner stoppage) (February 25, 2007).
• Road to Gold: He later won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, defeating Dominick Reyes at UFC 253.

6. Max Holloway (Former UFC Champion, Still Active)

• Debut Loss: Lost to Dustin Poirier via first-round submission (February 4, 2012, UFC 143).
• Road to Gold: Holloway became one of the greatest featherweights ever, winning the UFC Featherweight Championship by finishing José Aldo.

7. Amanda Nunes (Former Bantamweight & Featherweight Champion)

• Debut Loss: Lost to Ana Maria via armbar submission (March 8, 2008).
• Road to Gold: Became a two-division UFC champion and is considered one of the greatest female fighters in history.

8. Demetrious Johnson (First-Ever Flyweight Champion)

• Debut Losses:
  • Lost WEC debut to Brad Pickett (April 24, 2010).
  • Lost UFC debut to Dominick Cruz (October 1, 2011).
• Legacy: Widely considered the GOAT of flyweight MMA, with a record 11 title defenses.

9. T.J. Dillashaw (Former Bantamweight Champion)

• Debut Loss: Lost to John Dodson via first-round TKO (TUF 14 Finale).
• Road to Gold: Won the UFC Bantamweight Championship twice.

10. Dominick Cruz (Former Bantamweight Champion)

• Debut Loss: Lost WEC debut (title fight) to Urijah Faber via guillotine choke.
• Road to Gold: Became the first-ever UFC Bantamweight Champion.

11. Renan Barão (Former Bantamweight Champion)

• Debut Loss: Lost to João Paulo Rodrigues via unanimous decision (April 14, 2005).
• Road to Gold: After that loss, Barão went on a 34-fight unbeaten streak before capturing UFC gold.

12. Eddie Alvarez (Former Lightweight Champion)

• Debut Loss: Lost his UFC debut to Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision.
• Road to Gold: Became UFC Lightweight Champion by beating Rafael dos Anjos.

13. Brock Lesnar (Former Heavyweight Champion)

• Debut Loss: Lost to Frank Mir via kneebar submission (UFC 81).
• Road to Gold: Became UFC Heavyweight Champion by beating Randy Couture.

14. Glover Teixeira (Former Light Heavyweight Champion)

• Debut Loss: Lost to Eric Schwartz via guillotine choke submission.
• Road to Gold: Won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at age 42.

15. Andrei Arlovski (Former Heavyweight Champion)

• Debut Loss: Lost his MMA debut by brutal KO to a fighter who later went to prison.
• Road to Gold: Became UFC Heavyweight Champion and is still fighting in the UFC at 45+.

Final Count & Percentage of Champions Who Lost Their Debuts

• Total UFC champions in history: 120
• Champions on this list: 15
• Percentage of UFC champions who lost their debut: ≈12.5%

That means 1 out of every 8 UFC champions lost their first fight!

This proves that a loss early in your career does not define you—what matters is the ability to learn, adapt, and keep improving.

Visit homeoffight.com or any of our social media accounts for more articles, fighter interviews, and plenty of more coverage. Enjoy the fights, let us know how you’ll be watching!