Ultimate Fighting Champions (UFC) has witnessed some crazy and exciting fights that heated the combat sports rivalries. Some of these fights were for Championships, which registered their names in the record books. Like these fights, the winners of these fights booked their place as the all-time youngest Champions of UFC after winning titles at a very young age.
These fighters inspired many young fighters to dream of building successful careers in UFC. Check out the list of the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions.
Tito Ortiz (25 Years 2 Months 9213 Days)
Famous American MMA Fighter Tito Ortiz started his UFC career in 1997 with a Knockout win over Wes Albritton. After two years, he got an opportunity to fight for the UFC Lightweight Championship.
Unfortunately, Ortiz lost that fight and ended his dream of winning this title. Next year, in 2000, Tito Ortiz successfully won the UFC Lightweight title after winning against the famous Brazilian MMA Fighter Wanderlei Silva.
His professional record is 21-12-1, 10KO. After becoming lightweight champion at 25, Tito Ortiz registered his name in the list of the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions.
- Tito Ortiz showcased his talent in acting after doing cameos in some of the famous Hollywood movies.
- Ortiz has a successful career in politics, and he took part in the election to become mayor of Huntington Beach.
Jens Pulver (25 Years 2 Months 9211 Days)
Jens Pulver is another American who registered his name in the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions list. Jens Pulver is an American retired MMA fighter who started his career in 1999. After two years of debut, in 2001, Jens Pulver won his first-ever UFC title.
He won the inaugural UFC Lightweight championship against the famous Japanese UFC Fighter Caol Uno. Unfortunately, this was Jens Pulver’s first and last UFC title.
After an excellent record of 27-19-1, 14KO, Jens Pulver announced Retirement in 2013. After winning his first-ever title at 25, Jens Pulver became among the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions.
- He is the youngest lightweight champion in the history of the UFC.
- Jens Pulver has also had a significant record in Kickboxing and professional boxing, which shows his commendable combat approach.
BJ Penn (25 Years 1 Month 9180 Days)
BJ Penn is another excellent UFC fighter who made it in the Top 10 youngest UFC Champions list. He started his professional UFC career in 2001 against Joey Gilbert. His MMA record is 16-14-2, 7KO. In 2001, BJ Penn had an opportunity to win the UFC’s first title.
But he lost the chance after losing against Japanese MMA fighter Caol Uno. In 2004, BJ Penn won his first-ever UFC title, the UFC Welterweight title, against his countryman, Matt Hughes.
After making his name in the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions list and achieving many excellent successes, BJ Penn announced his retirement in 2019.
- BJ Penn won the gold medal in the World Championship in Rio de Janeiro in 2000.
- BJ Penn has been engaged in many controversies from 2019 to 2021, which has damaged its reputation significantly.
Ricco Rodriguez (25 Years 1 Months 9170 Days)
Famous American UFC fighter Ricco Rodriguez started his MMA career in 1999 against Scott Adams. After two years of his MMA debut, Ricco Rodriguez made his UFC debut in 2001 against American fighter Andrei Arlovski. After one year, in 2002, Ricco Rodriguez won the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Ricco Rodriguez was 25 years old at the time of his victory, making him among the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions. His professional record in MMA was 54-27-1, 17KO. His excellent record and winning the UFC title at a very young age make Ricco Rodriguez one of the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions.
- Ricco Rodriguez won 8 medals in his entire MMA career, including 3 Gold medals.
- Ricco Rodriguez has won various titles in different MMA associations, showing his skillful combat sports career.
Frank Mir (25 Years 9158 Days)
Frank Mir is an American MMA fighter who started his career in 2001 against Jerome Smith. In July 2004, He became one of the top 10 youngest UFC champions after winning the UFC heavyweight championship at 25.
Unfortunately, Frank Mir was stripped of the title due to injury, making him among the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions. After achieving an excellent career as a UFC fighter, Frank Mir has not retired from the UFC. Therefore, he has more chances to become one of its biggest stars. His significant record in MMA is 19-13-1, 5KO.
- Frank Mir was the first-ever UFC fighter to knock out famous Brazilian fighter Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.
- Frank Mir won the gold medal in the Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championships in California in 2001.
Frank Shamrock (25 Years 9144 Days)
Frank Shamrock is a former American MMA fighter who started his mixed martial arts journey in 1994 with an impressive win over his countryman Bas Rutten. Frank Shamrock won the inaugural UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in his first-ever UFC fight.
This record shows why he is among the top 10 Youngest UFC Champions. Frank Shamrock finished his UFC record unbeaten, which shows his possessiveness over his opposition. His overall professional MMA record is 23-10-2, 4KO.
After achieving so much success and registering his name in the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions, Frank Shamrock announced his Retirement from his MMA career in 2009.
- Despite winning UFC championships, Frank Mir won 2 more MMA championships in different Mixed Martial Arts associations.
- Frank Shamrock has been named the Fighter of the Year three times by the magazine Full Contact Fighter”.
Carlos Newton (24 Years 8 Months 9026 Days)
Carlos Newton is a famous Canadian MMA fighter. His MMA Journey started very unfortunate, as he lost his first fight against his countryman, Jean Rivière. After that loss, Carlos Newton made an excellent comeback, winning his next three fights and entering the UFC in 1998.
After three years of his debut in the UFC, Carlos Newton won his first-ever UFC title. He beat American UFC fighter Pat Miletich to win the UFC welterweight title. One of the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions, Carlos Newton, announced his retirement from all types of MMA fights in 2010 with a decent MMA record of 16-14, 2KO.
- Carlos Newton’s UFC welterweight title win was voted one of the top 20 most outstanding submissions in the UFC’s history.
- Carlos Newton was the first Canadian UFC boxer to beat Pat Miletich.
Josh Barnett (24 Years 4 Months 8898 Days)
Josh Barnett is an American mixed martial artist who started his MMA journey in 1997. With a professional boxing record of 35-8-1, 10KO, Josh Barnett has shown everyone how excellent he is as a UFC fighter.
Josh Barnett started his UFC career in 2000 with a win over American MMA fighter Gan McGee. After two years of his debut in the UFC, Josh Barnett won his first UFC title. He defeated former MMA fighter Randy Couture to win the UFC heavyweight title. Unfortunately, Josh Barnett lost this title after failing a drug test.
Josh Barnett successfully registered his name in the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions after winning the UFC title under 25 years of age. He has not announced Retirement from the UFC, so he has an excellent chance to add more glory to his UFC career.
- Josh Barnett has won 2 gold medals in his MMA career in 2009 and 2018.
- Josh Barnett won the Pancrase Openweight Championship in 2003, which added more success to his incredible MMA career.
Jose Aldo (24 Years 2 Months 8838 Days)
Jose Aldo is the only Brazilian MMA fighter to register his name in the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions list. In 2004, Jose Aldo started his MMA career with an excellent win over Mario Bigola. In 2010, Josh Aldo became the second youngest UFC fighter to become UFC Champion.
Jose Aldo defended this title for five straight years. In 2015, Jose Aldo lost his title against the famous Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor. Jose Aldo’s excellent and successful career is still strong, with an incredible record in MMA of 31-8, 17KO.
- Jose Aldo was named Fighter of the Year in 2009 by Sherdog.
- In 2017, Jose Aldo was named “The greatest featherweight in MMA history.”
Jon Jones (23 Years 3 Months 8644 Days)
Famous American MMA fighter Jon Jones started his mixed martial arts journey with an excellent win over Brad Bernard. After winning six fights, Jon Jones debuted in the UFC in 2008. After three years, in 2011, Jon Jones won his first-ever major title in the UFC.
After defeating Brazilian MMA fighter Maurício Rua, Jon Jones won the UFC Light Heavyweight title in 2011, which was the first step in his journey to becoming one of the top five heavyweight UFC champions. Jon Jones is also the current champion of the Light Heavyweight title after defending this title for 13 years.
Jon Jones’s incredible record in the UFC of 27-1-1, 10KO shows how feared and commendable a performer he is as a UFC fighter. Jon Jones has achieved many extraordinary records and achievements, such as being among the Top 10 Youngest UFC Champions. Without any doubt, Jon Jones can add more Glory to his magnificent MMA career.
- Jon Jones is ranked #2 in the UFC pound-per-pound ranking.
- In 2015, Jon Jones failed the drug test. Therefore, he got fined $25,000.
