The UFC Men's Bantamweight Title: A Visual History

As he prepares to compete yet again in the division he once ruled, a look at Dominick Cruz’s case to be called the greatest bantamweight of all time.

The “Dominator,” who faces rising contender Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC on ESPN 41 on Saturday in San Diego, has clearly slipped somewhat from his peak form as a former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting thanks to a litany of injuries acquired across a decade and a half of competing at the highest level. That is not to say the 36-year-old is washed up by any stretch, as evidenced his back-to-back wins over Pedro Munhoz and Casey Kenney that have kept him in the rankings coming into this weekend, but it seems fair to begin putting his accomplishments in historical perspective, regardless of whether he manages to add to his impressive résumé with a win over Vera.

It is impossible to look at the history of the UFC men’s bantamweight title without an understanding and appreciation of Cruz’s history of injuries; for the first six years of the division’s existence, Cruz was a recurring apparition, alternating between dominance and disappearance but always looming over the proceedings. Yet despite multiple layoffs of a year or more, Cruz remains tied with T.J. Dillashaw for the most successful title defenses in the history of the division.

With the possible exception of Cain Velasquez, no champion missed more of the prime of his career with injuries than Cruz, and with all due respect to Velasquez, Cruz was the more dominant of the two. From his bantamweight debut at WEC 34 until his loss to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207, nobody beat a healthy Cruz for nearly a decade, and frankly, only Dillashaw even came close.

Here is the 11-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 Renan Barao, since he was promoted from interim to undisputed champ without a title unification bout. The picture tells the story of one of the biggest what-if champions in MMA history, whose accomplishments may still be unparalleled despite all of the adversity.

Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration