UFC champions history: Women's bantamweight
Ronda Rousey at UFC 175, left, and Amanda Nunes at UFC 289. Credit: Getty Images
Dana White once said women would never fight in the UFC. Ronda Rousey changed all that. In November 2012, Rousey signed with the UFC. In December 2012, she was announced as the UFC women’s bantamweight champion as the promotion officially added the new division to its roster. Here’s the path of that championship.
Ronda Rousey
Successful title defenses: 5
Rousey fought Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 on Feb. 23, 2013, in the first women's MMA fight in the UFC. She won via first-round submission (arm bar, of course) and then successfully defended the belt five more times. Along the way, Rousey became one of the biggest stars in the sport.
Holly Holm
Successful title defenses: 0
At UFC 193 in Australia on Nov. 14, 2015, Holm did the unimaginable: She destroyed Ronda Rousey and took the title from her.
Miesha Tate
Successful title defenses: 0
Holly Holm made her first title defense at UFC 196 on March 5 against Miesha Tate. It would be her only fight as champion, as Tate submitted Holm with a rear-naked choke in the fifth round.
Amanda Nunes
Successful title defenses: 5
In the main event of UFC 200 on July 9, 2016, Amanda Nunes put an end to Tate's reign as champion. Nunes beat Tate via first-round submission (rear-naked choke) to become the new champion. She defended the belt five times before losing it to Julianna Pena at UFC 269, and along the way beat featherweight champion Cris Cyborg to become a double champ and defended that belt twice.
Julianna Pena
Successful title defenses: 0
Julianna Pena managed to escape a submission attempt in the first round, only to then submit Amanda Nunes in the second round at UFC 269 on Dec. 11, 2021, to become the champion. Pena would then lose the rematch at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022, in decisive fashion as the judges scored it 50-45, 50-45, 50-43 for Nunes.
Amanda Nunes
Successful title defenses: 1
Nunes' second title run began when she defeated Pena in their rematch. The "Lioness" didn't return for nearly a year, and when she did, she gave fans one more classic Nunes display followed by an epic retirement celebration in the cage. Nunes won a unanimous decision over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 on June 10, 2023, then retired as the first and only female two-division champion in UFC history.
Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.
