THE REF by Glass Jaw

Bellator Heavyweight World Championship

🇺🇸Bellator MMA. Started in 2009 on season-long tournaments and spent years as the clear number two in America. Never owned by the UFC: Viacom bought it in 2011 and the PFL in 2023.

EST. OCT 14, 2010 · 4 REIGNS · 9 TITLE FIGHTS · 4 CHAMPIONS

Bellator crowned its first heavyweight champion through a tournament in 2010. Tournament winners earned the early title shots.

Scott Coker dropped the tournament format in 2015. A heavyweight grand prix in 2018 and 2019 filled the vacant belt.

The PFL never put this belt on the line. It went dormant when Ryan Bader left in March 2025.

BELT RETIRED MAR 26, 2025LAST CHAMPION🇺🇸Ryan BaderBought by the PFL on November 20, 2023.
MOST DEFENSES3Ryan BaderNO. 4
MOST REIGNS1Nobody has won it twice
LONGEST REIGN6 YRS 2 MOSRyan BaderNO. 4SHORTEST REIGN11 MOSAlexander VolkovNO. 2

EVERY REIGN, BY DEFENSES

4 REIGNS · 9 TITLE FIGHTS · SINCE OCT 14, 2010
NO. 1 · Cole Konrad · OCT 14, 2010NO. 4 · Ryan Bader · JAN 26, 2019

ROLL OF CHAMPIONS

Newest first. Open a reign for its defenses.

PROMOTION CLOSED · MAR 26, 2025PFL folded the Bellator brand in January 2025. Bader still held the belt when he and the PFL parted ways on March 26, 2025, and nobody fought for it again.
NO.NO. 4CHAMPION🇺🇸Ryan Bader"Darth"WONJAN 26, 2019TOOK IT FROMFedor Emelianenko (VACANT BELT)HOWTKO R1 0:35DEFENSES3HELD6 YRS 2 MOSENDEDPROMOTION CLOSED

HOW IT STARTED · JAN 26, 2019

WON THE VACANT BELT OVER Fedor EmelianenkoBellator 214: Fedor vs. BaderBELLATORJAN 26, 2019TKO (punches) · R1 0:35

Inglewood, California, USA

Final of the Heavyweight World Grand Prix, for the vacant belt.

THE DEFENSES

DATERESULTOPPONENTHOWEVENTPROMOTION
JAN 29, 2022W🇷🇺Valentin MoldavskyDEC (unanimous)Bellator 273: Bader vs. MoldavskyUnification bout.BELLATOR
MAY 6, 2022W🇫🇷Cheick KongoDEC (unanimous)Bellator 280: Bader vs. Kongo 2BELLATOR
FEB 4, 2023W🇷🇺Fedor EmelianenkoTKO (punches) · R1 2:30Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2Fedor's retirement fight.BELLATOR

HOW IT ENDED · MAR 26, 2025

PROMOTION CLOSED.

  • Beat Fedor in 35 seconds to win the vacant belt, and beat him again in Fedor's last fight.
  • His first title fight, against Cheick Kongo at Bellator 226 in San Jose on September 7, 2019, ended in a no contest at 3:52 of round one after an accidental eye poke. Not a defense.
  • Held the Bellator light heavyweight belt at the same time until August 2020.
  • Lost to PFL champion Renan Ferreira in 21 seconds in February 2024. That champion versus champion bout was not for the Bellator belt.

SOURCES: en.wikipedia.org, sherdog.com

BELT VACANT · MAY 14, 2016Bellator stripped Minakov after more than two years without a defense, during a contract dispute. He was still unbeaten.
NO.NO. 3CHAMPION🇷🇺Vitaly MinakovWONNOV 15, 2013TOOK IT FROMAlexander VolkovHOWTKO R1 2:57DEFENSES1HELD2 YRS 5 MOSENDEDSTRIPPED

HOW IT STARTED · NOV 15, 2013

TOOK IT FROM Alexander VolkovBellator 108BELLATORNOV 15, 2013TKO (punches) · R1 2:57

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

THE DEFENSES

DATERESULTOPPONENTHOWEVENTPROMOTION
APR 4, 2014W🇫🇷Cheick KongoDEC (unanimous)Bellator 115BELLATOR

HOW IT ENDED · MAY 14, 2016

STRIPPED.

SOURCES: en.wikipedia.org, sherdog.com

NO.NO. 2CHAMPION🇷🇺Alexander Volkov"Drago"WONDEC 14, 2012TOOK IT FROMRich Hale (VACANT BELT)HOWDEC (unanimous)DEFENSES0HELD11 MOSENDEDLOST TO Vitaly Minakov

HOW IT STARTED · DEC 14, 2012

WON THE VACANT BELT OVER Rich HaleBellator 84BELLATORDEC 14, 2012DEC (unanimous)

Hammond, Indiana, USA

Final of the Season Seven heavyweight tournament, for the vacant belt.

HOW IT ENDED · NOV 15, 2013

LOST TO Vitaly MinakovBellator 108BELLATORNOV 15, 2013TKO (punches) · R1 2:57

  • Later a top UFC contender.

SOURCES: en.wikipedia.org, sherdog.com

BELT VACANT · SEP 12, 2012Konrad retired unbeaten at 28 to work as a commodities broker.
NO.NO. 1CHAMPION🇺🇸Cole KonradWONOCT 14, 2010TOOK IT FROMNeil Grove (NEW BELT)HOWSUB R1 4:45DEFENSES1HELD1 YR 10 MOSENDEDRETIRED

HOW IT STARTED · OCT 14, 2010

WON THE NEW BELT OVER Neil GroveBellator 32BELLATOROCT 14, 2010SUB (americana) · R1 4:45

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Final of the Season Three heavyweight tournament, for the inaugural belt.

THE DEFENSES

DATERESULTOPPONENTHOWEVENTPROMOTION
MAY 25, 2012W🇺🇸Eric PrindleSUB (kimura) · R1 1:00Bellator 70BELLATOR

HOW IT ENDED · SEP 12, 2012

RETIRED.

SOURCES: en.wikipedia.org, sherdog.com

INTERIM BELTS

Stand-in belts, kept apart from the numbered reigns.

INTERIM CHAMPION🇷🇺Valentin MoldavskyWONJUN 25, 2021BEATTim JohnsonHOWDEC (unanimous)DEFENSES0ENDEDLOST TO Ryan Bader

HOW IT STARTED · JUN 25, 2021

Bellator 261: Johnson vs. MoldavskyBELLATORJUN 25, 2021DEC (unanimous)

HOW IT ENDED · JAN 29, 2022

LOST TO Ryan BaderBellator 273: Bader vs. MoldavskyBELLATORJAN 29, 2022DEC (unanimous)

  • Won it while Bader was competing in the light heavyweight Grand Prix.

SOURCES: en.wikipedia.org, sherdog.com

WHERE THE BELT WENT

The PFL never put the belt up after buying Bellator. Ryan Bader still held it when he and the PFL parted ways on March 26, 2025, two months after the Bellator brand folded. The PFL now crowns one world champion per division.

The PFL bought Bellator on November 20, 2023. The last Bellator show was Bellator Champions Series 5 in London on September 14, 2024, and the PFL folded the brand into its own in January 2025.

Follow the belt through the line ▶

SOURCES

SHOW ALL 27 SOURCES
  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bellator_MMA_champions
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellator_MMA
  3. https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/43424803/pfl-changes-tournament-format-eliminates-bellator-promotion
  4. https://cagesidepress.com/2025/03/27/pfl-parts-ways-with-former-bellator-double-champ-ryan-bader
  5. https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Renan-Ferreira-Blasts-Ryan-Bader-in-PFL-vs-Bellator-Champs-Headliner-192724
  6. https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/11/20/23969234/pfl-officially-acquires-bellator-mma-reveals-plans-for-champs-vs-champs-card-in-2024
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellator_Champions_Series_5
  8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_in_Bellator_MMA#Bellator_32
  9. https://www.sherdog.com/events/BFC-Bellator-Fighting-Championships-32-14499
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_in_Bellator_MMA#Bellator_70
  11. https://www.sherdog.com/events/BFC-Bellator-Fighting-Championships-70-21571
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_in_Bellator_MMA#Bellator_84
  13. https://www.sherdog.com/events/BFC-Bellator-Fighting-Championships-84-25655
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_in_Bellator_MMA#Bellator_108
  15. https://www.sherdog.com/events/Bellator-MMA-Bellator-108-31531
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_in_Bellator_MMA#Bellator_115
  17. https://www.sherdog.com/events/Bellator-MMA-Bellator-115-35203
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_in_Bellator_MMA#Bellator_214
  19. https://www.sherdog.com/events/Bellator-214-Fedor-vs-Bader-71585
  20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellator_273
  21. https://www.sherdog.com/events/Bellator-273-Bader-vs-Moldavsky-91488
  22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellator_280
  23. https://www.sherdog.com/events/Bellator-280-Bader-vs-Kongo-2-91959
  24. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellator_290
  25. https://www.sherdog.com/events/Bellator-290-Bader-vs-Fedor-2-95557
  26. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellator_261
  27. https://www.sherdog.com/events/Bellator-261-Johnson-vs-Moldavsky-89324

EVERY BELT IN THE DIVISION