The Hit List: Bellator MMA Champions
Based in Santa Monica, California, Bellator MMA was founded by former chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney in 2008 and has since grown into the second largest mixed martial arts promotion in the world.
Rebney gave birth to “the toughest tournament in sports” -- a single-elimination competition that crowned champions in various weight classes and awarded subsequent winners an opportunity to challenge for those titles. The tournament format was discontinued when Scott Coker replaced Rebney in 2014, as the promotion followed a more traditional format under Viacom’s ownership. However, it has returned to its roots in 2018, with a heavyweight grand prix featuring Frank Mir, Fedor Emelianenko, Ryan Bader, Muhammed Lawal and others.
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Cole Konrad
Division(s): HeavyweightReign(s): 699 days
Title Defenses: 1
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Alexander Volkov
Division(s): HeavyweightReign(s): 337 days
Title Defenses: 0
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Vitaly Minakov
Division(s): HeavyweightReign(s): 911 days
Title Defenses: 1
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Christian M’Pumbu
Division(s): Light HeavyweightReign(s): 650 days
Title Defenses: 0
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Attila Vegh
Division(s): Light HeavyweightReign(s): 387 days
Title Defenses: 0
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Emanuel Newton
Division(s): Light HeavyweightReign(s): 343 days
Title Defenses: 2
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Liam McGeary
Division(s): Light HeavyweightReign(s): 617 days
Title Defenses: 1
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Phil Davis
Division(s): Light HeavyweightReign(s): 232 days
Title Defenses: 0
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Ryan Bader
Division(s): Light HeavyweightReign(s): Current
Title Defenses: 1
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Hector Lombard
Division(s): MiddleweightReign(s): 1,040 days
Title Defenses: 1
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Alexander Shlemenko
Division(s): MiddleweightReign(s): 597 days
Title Defenses: 3
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Brandon Halsey
Division(s): MiddleweightReign(s): 230 days
Title Defenses: 0
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Rafael Carvalho
Division(s): MiddleweightReign(s): Current
Title Defenses: 3
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Lyman Good
Division(s): WelterweightReign(s): 485 days
Title Defenses: 0
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Ben Askren
Division(s): WelterweightReign(s): 1,120 days
Title Defenses: 4
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Douglas Lima
Division(s): WelterweightReign(s): 455 days
Title Defenses: 0
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Rory MacDonald
Division(s): WelterweightReign(s): Current
Title Defenses: 0
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Eddie Alvarez
Division(s): LightweightReign(s): 1,173 days
Title Defenses: 1
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Michael Chandler
Division(s): LightweightReign(s): 1,080 days
Title Defenses: 3
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Will Brooks
Division(s): LightweightReign(s): 546 days
Title Defenses: 2
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Brent Primus
Division(s): LightweightReign(s): Current
Title Defenses: 0
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Joe Soto
Division(s): LightweightReign(s): 454 days
Title Defenses: 0
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Joe Warren
Division(s): Featherweight / BantamweightReign(s): 554 days / 169 days
Title Defenses: 0 / 0
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Pat Curran
Division(s): FeatherweightReign(s): 780 days
Title Defenses: 2
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Daniel Straus
Division(s): Featherweight (2)Reign(s): 133 days / 861 days
Title Defenses: 0 / 0
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Patricio Freire
Division(s): Featherweight (2)Reign(s): 428 days / Current
Title Defenses: 2 / 0
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Zach Makovsky
Division(s): BantamweightReign(s): 547 days
Title Defenses: 0
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Eduardo Dantas
Division(s): Bantamweight (2)Reign(s): 911 days / 477 days
Title Defenses: 2 / 1
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Marcos Galvao
Division(s): BantamweightReign(s): 448 days
Title Defenses: 0
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Darrion Caldwell
Division(s): BantamweightReign(s): Current
Title Defenses: 1
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Julia Budd
Division(s): Women’s FeatherweightReign(s): Current
Title Defenses: 1
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Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
Division(s): Women’s FlyweightReign(s): Current
Title Defenses: 0
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Zoila Frausto
Division(s): Women’s StrawweightReign(s): 831 days
Title Defenses: 0
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