The UFC Men's Flyweight Title: A Visual History

It surely wasn’t how he drew it up, but Deiveson Figueiredo smashed the record for the quickest turnaround between title defenses at UFC 256.

In the main event Saturday night, Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno—both fighting on just three weeks’ turnaround from their respective appearances at UFC 255—turned in a late candidate for “Fight of the Year.” Aided by a point deduction in the third round, the back-and-forth war went down in the books as a majority draw, allowing the Brazilian to retain his title. Nothing is set in stone yet, but an immediate rematch seems to be the likely next step.

Whoever the next title challenger is, men’s flyweight is suddenly the fastest of fast-moving waters, a welcome change from the stagnation the division suffered under former champ Henry Cejudo. For a variety of reasons, primarily Cejudo’s flirtation with bantamweight, the Olympian defended the flyweight title just once in 18 months. Meanwhile, in the 10 months since Cejudo vacated the flyweight belt, there have already been four title fights. Here is the history of the UFC men’s flyweight title and the times it was won, lost or defended. It tells the story of a division moving out from the shadow of an all-time great, through some doldrums and into a vibrant new era.

Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration