The first women's title to be introduced into the UFC, the women's bantamweight championship was awarded to Ronda Rousey in December 2012.
The Olympic judo medallist had become a sensation in the now-defunct MMA promotion Strikeforce, and was awarded the UFC's 135lbs title after signing with the UFC. From there she recorded six title defences, before dropping the belt to Holly Holm in spectacular fashion in November 2015.
Since then a number of significant figures in women's MMA have held the title, arguably none more so than Amanda Nunes, who held the title on two occasions and remains the only woman ever to have won UFC gold in multiple weight classes.
Current UFC women's bantamweight champion
Kayla Harrison is the current UFC women's bantamweight title, having claimed the belt with a second-round submission of Julianna Pena in June 2025.
A decorated judoka, Harrison transitioned into mixed martial arts after claiming her second Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016. The Ohio native signed with the Professional Fighters League and promptly became one of the promotion's biggest stars.
Harrison won the 2019 PFL women's lightweight tournament, and followed that up by repeating the feat in 2021 whilst racking up an undefeated record across 15 professional fights.
After suffering her first defeat Harrison moved over to the UFC in 2024 and has embarked on an impressive run of dominance inside the Octagon.
A first title defence was set for UFC 324 against a returning Amanda Nunes but Harrison suffered an injury less than two weeks before fight night and the bout was cancelled.
Title Won | Defeated Julianna Pena (SUB) - June 2025 |
Title Defences | 0 |
Previous UFC women's bantamweight champions
Ronda Rousey (December 2012 - November 2015; six defences)
Holly Holm (November 2015 - March 2016)
Miesha Tate (March 2016 - July 2016)
Amanda Nunes (July 2016 - December 2021; five defences)
Julianna Pena (December 2021 - July 2022)
Amanda Nunes (July 2022 - June 2023; one defence, vacated)
Raquel Pennington (January 2024 - October 2024)
Julianna Pena (October 2024 - June 2025)
