List of Professional Fighters League champions

Professional Fighters League ("PFL"; formerly the World Series of Fighting, or "WSOF") is an American mixed martial arts promotion company, and the following is a history of its superfight champions in each weight class. This list also includes championship histories for their international partners PFL Europe, WSOF: Canada and WSOF Global.

Men's Super Fights Championship History

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Super Fights Heavyweight Championship

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206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Francis Ngannou
def. Renan Ferreira
PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Oct 19, 2024 34 days
(incumbent)

Women's Super Fights Championship History

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Super Fights Women's Featherweight Championship

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135 to 145 lbs (61 to 66 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Cris Cyborg
def. Larissa Pacheco
PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Oct 19, 2024 34 days
(incumbent)

Tournament winners

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Event Date Division Winner Runner-up
PFL 11 (2018) Dec 31, 2018 Heavyweight   Philipe Lins   Josh Copeland
Light Heavyweight   Sean O'Connell   Vinny Magalhães
Middleweight   Louis Taylor   Abus Magomedov
Welterweight   Magomed Magomedkerimov   Ray Cooper III
Lightweight   Natan Schulte   Rashid Magomedov
Featherweight   Lance Palmer   Steven Siler
PFL 10 (2019) Dec 31, 2019 Heavyweight   Ali Isaev   Jared Rosholt
Light Heavyweight   Emiliano Sordi   Jordan Johnson
Welterweight   Ray Cooper III   David Michaud
Lightweight   Natan Schulte (2)   Loik Radzhabov
Featherweight   Lance Palmer (2)   Alex Gilpin
Women's Lightweight   Kayla Harrison   Larissa Pacheco
PFL 10 (2021) Oct 27, 2021 Heavyweight   Bruno Cappelozza   Ante Delija
Light Heavyweight   Antônio Carlos Júnior   Marthin Hamlet
Welterweight   Ray Cooper III (2)   Magomed Magomedkerimov
Lightweight   Raush Manfio   Loik Radzhabov
Featherweight   Movlid Khaybulaev   Chris Wade
Women's Lightweight   Kayla Harrison (2)   Taylor Guardado
PFL 10 (2022) Nov 25, 2022 Heavyweight   Ante Delija   Matheus Scheffel
Light Heavyweight   Rob Wilkinson   Omari Akhmedov
Welterweight   Sadibou Sy   Dilano Taylor
Lightweight   Olivier Aubin-Mercier   Stevie Ray
Featherweight   Brendan Loughnane   Bubba Jenkins
Women's Lightweight   Larissa Pacheco   Kayla Harrison
PFL 10 (2023) Nov 24, 2023 Heavyweight   Renan Ferreira   Denis Goltsov
Light Heavyweight   Impa Kasanganay   Josh Silveira
Welterweight   Magomed Magomedkerimov (2)   Sadibou Sy
Lightweight   Olivier Aubin-Mercier (2)   Clay Collard
Featherweight   Jesus Pinedo   Gabriel Alves Braga
Women's Featherweight   Larissa Pacheco (2)   Marina Mokhnatkina
PFL 10 (2024) November 29, 2024 Heavyweight    
Light Heavyweight    
Welterweight    
Lightweight    
Featherweight    
Women's Flyweight    

Europe Tournament winners

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Event Date Division Winner Runner-up
PFL Europe 4 (2023) Dec 8, 2023 Light Heavyweight   Jakob Nedoh   Simeón Powell
Lightweight   Jakub Kaszuba   John Mitchell
Bantamweight   Khurshed Kakhorov   Frans Mlambo
Women's Flyweight   Dakota Ditcheva   Valentina Scatizzi
PFL Europe 4 (2024) Dec 14, 2024 Welterweight    
Lightweight    
Bantamweight    
Women's Flyweight    

MENA Tournament winners

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Event Date Division Winner Runner-up
PFL 10 (2024) November 29, 2024 Welterweight    
Lightweight    
Featherweight    
Bantamweight    

WSOF

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Men's Championship History (defunct)

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All WSOF Championships were retired and vacated on June 7, 2018, when the PFL league format began at PFL 1. The PFL crowns seasonal champions as an alternative to recognizing a single lineal champion.

Heavyweight Championship

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206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Smealinho Rama
def. Derrick Mehmen
WSOF 14
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Oct 11, 2014 237 days
2   Blagoy Ivanov WSOF 21
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Jun 5, 2015 3458 days

1. def. Derrick Mehmen at WSOF 24 on Oct 17, 2015
2. def. Josh Copeland at WSOF 31 on Jun 17, 2016
3. def. Shawn Jordan at WSOF 35 on Mar 18, 2017
4. def. Caio Alencar at PFL Fight Night on Nov 2, 2017

Ivanov vacated title on April 25, 2018, after becoming free agent and signing with the UFC.

Light Heavyweight Championship

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186 to 205 lbs (84 to 93 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   David Branch
def. Teddy Holder
WSOF 23
Phoenix, AZ, U.S.
Sep 18, 2015 507 days

1. def. Vinny Magalhães at WSOF 33 on Oct 7, 2016

Branch vacated title on February 6, 2017, after becoming free agent and signing with the UFC.

Middleweight Championship

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171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   David Branch
def. Jesse Taylor
WSOF 10
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.
June 21, 2014 961 days

1. def. Yushin Okami at WSOF 15 on Nov 15, 2014
2. def. Clifford Starks at WSOF 30 on Apr 2, 2016
3. def. Louis Taylor at WSOF 34 on Dec 31, 2016

Branch vacated title on February 6, 2017, after becoming free agent and signing with the UFC.

Welterweight Championship

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156 to 170 lbs (70 to 77 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Steve Carl
def. Josh Burkman
WSOF 6
Coral Gables, FL, U.S.
Oct 26, 2013 154 days
2   Rousimar Palhares WSOF 9
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.
Mar 29, 2014 492 days

1. def. Jon Fitch at WSOF 16 on Dec 13, 2014
2. def. Jake Shields at WSOF 22 on Aug 1, 2015

Palhares was stripped of the title on August 3, 2015.
3   Jon Fitch
def. João Zeferino
WSOF 30
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.
Apr 2, 2016 698 days

1. def. Jake Shields at WSOF 34 on Dec 31, 2016
2. def. Brian Foster at PFL Daytona on Jun 30, 2017

Fitch vacated title on March 1, 2018, after signing with Bellator.

Lightweight Championship

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146 to 155 lbs (66 to 70 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Justin Gaethje
def. Richard Patishnock
WSOF 8
Hollywood, FL, U.S.
Jan 18, 2014 1196 days

1. def. Nick Newell at WSOF 11 on July 5, 2014
2. def. Luis Palomino at WSOF 19 on Mar 28, 2015
3. def. Luis Palomino at WSOF 23 on Sep 18, 2015
4. def. Brian Foster at WSOF 29 on Mar 12, 2016
5. def. Luiz Firmino at WSOF 34 on Dec 31, 2016

Gaethje vacated title on April 27, 2017, after signing with the UFC.

Featherweight Championship

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136 to 145 lbs (61 to 66 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Georgi Karakhanyan
def. Lance Palmer
WSOF 7
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Dec 7, 2013 196 days
2   Ricky Glenn WSOF 10
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.
Jun 21, 2014 176 days
3   Lance Palmer WSOF 16
Sacramento, CA, U.S.
Dec 13, 2014 371 days

1. def. Chris Horodecki at WSOF 21 on June 5, 2015

4   Alexandre Almeida WSOF 26
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.
Dec 18, 2015 226 days
5   Lance Palmer (2) WSOF 32
Everett, WA, U.S.
Jul 30, 2016 231 days
(602 days)
6   Andre Harrison WSOF 35
Verona, NY, U.S.
Mar 18, 2017 446 days

1. def. Steven Rodriguez at PFL Everett on Jul 29, 2017

The WSOF Featherweight championship was retired on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1.[1][2]

Bantamweight Championship

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126 to 135 lbs (57 to 61 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Marlon Moraes
def. Josh Rettinghouse
WSOF 9
Las Vegas, NV, USA
March 29, 2014 1,011 days

1. def. Josh Hill at WSOF 18 on Feb 12, 2015
2. def. Sheymon Moraes at WSOF 22 on Aug 1, 2015
3. def. Joseph Barajas at WSOF 28 on Feb 20, 2016
4. def. Josh Hill at WSOF 32 on Jul 30, 2016
5. def. Josenaldo Silva at WSOF 34 on Dec 31, 2016

Moraes vacated title on January 3, 2017, after becoming a free agent and signing with the UFC.
2   Bekbulat Magomedov
def. Donavon Frelow
WSOF 35
Verona, NY, USA
March 18, 2017 446 days
The WSOF Bantamweight championship was retired on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1.[1][2]

Flyweight Championship

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116 to 125 lbs (53 to 57 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Magomed Bibulatov
def. Donavon Frelow
WSOF 24
Mashantucket, CT, USA
October 17, 2015 446 days
Bibulatov vacated title on January 5, 2017, after joining the UFC.

Women's Championship History (defunct)

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All WSOF Championships were retired and vacated on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1. The PFL crowns seasonal champions as an alternative to recognizing a single lineal champion.

Women's Strawweight Championship

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106 to 115 lb (48 to 52 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Jessica Aguilar
def. Alida Gray
WSOF 8
Hollywood, FL, USA
January 18, 2014 484 days

1. def. Emi Fujino at WSOF 10 on June 21, 2014
2. def. Kalindra Faria at WSOF 15 on Nov 15, 2014

Aguilar vacated title on May 18, 2015, after joining the UFC.

International Championship History (defunct)

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All WSOF International Championships were retired and vacated on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1. The PFL crowns seasonal champions as an alternative to recognizing a single lineal champion.

Canadian Welterweight Championship

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156 to 170 lbs (70 to 77 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Ryan Ford
def. Joel Powell
WSOF Canada 1
Edmonton, AB, Canada
February 21, 2014 472 days
Ford vacated title on June 8, 2015, after retiring from the sport of MMA.

Global Heavyweight Championship

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206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Evgeny Erokhin
def. Brandon Cash
WSOF Global Championship 2: Japan
Tokyo, Japan
February 7, 2016 851 days 1. def. Richard Odoms at WSOF Global Championship 3: Philippines
All WSOF International championships were retired and vacated on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1.[1][2]

Global Flyweight Championship

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125 lbs (57 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1   Yusaku Nakamura
def. Lawrence Diguilio
Deep Cage Impact 2016: DEEP vs. WSOF-GC
Tokyo, Japan
December 17, 2016 537 days
All WSOF International championships were retired and vacated on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1.[1][2]

Tournament winners

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Event(s) Division Champion Runner-up Final
WSOF 5, WSOF 7 e WSOF 10 Middleweight   David Branch   Jesse Taylor June 21, 2014
WSOF 20 e WSOF 23 Light Heavyweight   David Branch   Teddy Holder September 18, 2015
WSOF 25 Lightweight   Brian Foster   João Zeferino November 20, 2015

Records

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Most wins in title bouts

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The following includes all fighters with three or more championship and/or interim championship title fights. Fighters with the same number of title wins are arranged in order of most title bouts. Tournament championships are not included.

Title wins

Champion

Weight class

W D NC L
6   Justin Gaethje Lightweight 6 0 0 0
  Marlon Moraes Bantamweight 6 0 0 0
  David Branch Light Heavyweight
Middleweight
2
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
5   Blagoy Ivanov Heavyweight 5 0 0 0
3   Lance Palmer Featherweight 3 0 0 3
  Jessica Aguilar Women's Strawweight 3 0 0 0
  Rousimar Palhares Welterweight 3 0 0 0

Most consecutive title defenses

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The following includes all WSOF champions who were able to consecutively defend their title two times or more. Fighters with the same number of title defenses are listed chronologically.

Defenses Champion Weight class Span
5   Justin Gaethje Lightweight January 18, 2014 - April 27, 2017
  Marlon Moraes Bantamweight March 29, 2014 - January 3, 2017
4   Blagoy Ivanov Heavyweight June 5, 2015 - April 25, 2018
3   David Branch Middleweight June 21, 2014 - February 6, 2017
2   Jessica Aguilar Women's Strawweight January 18, 2014 - May 18, 2015
  Rousimar Palhares Welterweight March 29, 2014 - August 4, 2015

Multi-division champions

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Interim title

Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes.[3] Tournament champions are not included.

No. Champion Division Won Lost Defenses Reign Total Reign
1   David Branch Light Heavyweight September 18, 2015
(WSOF 23)
February 6, 2017
(Vacated)
1 507 days 1468 days
Middleweight June 21, 2014
(WSOF 10)
February 6, 2017
(Vacated)
3 961 days

Simultaneous two division champions

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This table, different from the previous one, only counts the periods in which the fighter loaded the titles simultaneously and the defenses in that period of time.

No. Champion Division Span Defenses Simultaneous Reign
1   David Branch Light Heavyweight September 18, 2015 – February 6, 2017 1 507 days
Middleweight 2

Champions by nationality

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Fighters with multiple title reigns in a specific division will be counted once in the Division champions. Interim champions who have never become linear champions will be listed as interim champions.

Country Tournament
champions
Division
champions
International
champions
Total
  United States 8 8 - 16
  Brazil 6 3 - 9
  Russia 3 3 1 7
  Canada 1 - 1 1
  Argentina 1 - - 1
  Bulgaria - 1 - 1
  Greece - 1 - 1
  Mexico - 1 - 1
  Japan - - 1 1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Staff (2018-08-31). "Playoff matchups set for PFL's first season of $1 million winners". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  2. ^ a b c d "Fight Card - PFL 11". PFL.
  3. ^ "MMA All-time Record Holders". sportsillustrated. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012.