UFC fighters who win the championship are generally at their peak. They are much closer to being young than old. But it is still difficult for many fighters to reach this great level early in their careers. Being young is beneficial for the fighter, but being too young is directly related to having less experience. The skills of the fighter need to reach a level that coincides with their athletic peak. It is not usually seen, but when it is, legends are fabricated. In this article, we will have a look at the youngest UFC champions, who defied their age and won the championship, proving that age is no limiting factor.
#6 Frank Mir
Frank Mir has won the UFC Heavyweight Championship two times. He also holds the record for most finishes and submission wins in the UFC heavyweight division. Mir has a record of 19 wins and 13 losses. Frank won the state championship during his senior year at Bonanza High School. He is the first fighter in UFC history to KO and submit Antonio Noguera.
Mir won the UFC Championship at the age of 25 after defeating his opponent, Tim Sylvia, at UFC 48 within just one minute into the match. He broke his opponent’s hand, because of which the referee stopped the fight at 50 seconds. However, Frank did not enjoy his victory for a longer time as he was stripped of his championship due to inactivity because he got into a motorcycle accident.
#5 Frank Shamrock
It is not often seen that a sibling duo achieves a high level of success in MMA. Many times it is like this: one sibling rises to great heights while the other sibling hides in darkness. Such is the case with former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and his younger brother, Francisco. However, Frank Shamrock was an exception. As the younger brother of MMA icon Ken Shamrock, he carried the weight of a famous family name on his shoulders, and luckily, he earned the spot in MMA history by beating Olympic medalist Kevin Jackson.
At UFC Japan, when Frank was only 25 years old, he defeated Jackson in the first round by knockout in 16 seconds. This was also Jackson’s first professional knockout. The younger Shamrock not only broke his opponent’s streak, but he also captured the promotion’s inaugural light heavyweight title.
#4 Carlos Newton
Carlos was the precursor to fellow Canadian Georges St-Pierre in terms of welterweight titleholders. He was an amazing fighter at his peak. While many fans view grappling with disdain, Newton earned the admiration of audiences around the world with his submission game. “The Ronin” proved vital with his skills at UFC 31, when he faced Pat Miletich for the welterweight championship. In the third round, a scuffle broke out against the fence. As both fighters were battling for the title, Carlos secured an airtight bulldog choke. Within a few seconds, it was clear this opponent had no hope of escaping the lock. Pat tapped out, and Carlos Newton was declared the new champion. “The Ronin” was just 24 years old at that time.
#3 Josh Barnett
The MMA legend Josh Barnett has fought almost everywhere. The former heavyweight champion was a skilled fighter, and his grappling techniques were a force of nature that enabled him to sustain only one loss in the first seven years of his career. In that impressive era, “The Warmaster” defeated several veteran opponents. These challengers also included the greatest heavyweight kickboxer of all time, Semmy Schilt, and MMA icon Dan Severn. The most famous opponent he defeated in his early career was Randy Couture. When Josh was a 24-year-old newcomer, he shocked the MMA world by defeating Couture via technical knockout in just two rounds.
Unfortunately, a positive PED test following his win marred his performance. Although the result of the fight was ruled a no contest, “The Warmaster” was ultimately stripped of his champion status. He then left the UFC and returned 11 years later with mixed success.
#2 José Aldo
Jose Aldo has never lost a fight since 2005. He won 18 consecutive fights until 2015. In 2009, “Scarface” was also named Sherdog’s Fighter of the Year. Unfortunately, his first reign as UFC featherweight champion came to an early end. Within 13 seconds, he was knocked unconscious by an increasing blow from Conor McGregor. However, long before he first fell to the divisional throne, Jose was unbeatable. At the time, the Brazilian was on a 10-fight win streak, with great wins over players such as Urijah Faber and Cub Swanson. Aldo won the featherweight title at just 24 years old.
#1 Jon Jones
It is hard to imagine that any fighter could ever break Jon Jones’ record as the youngest UFC champion in history. According to many sports statistics, “Bones” ranks supreme in MMA as the greatest fighter of all time. With the exception of a disqualification defeat against Matt Hamill, his record has been unblemished. Despite the effortless dominance of all his victories at the time, very few people would have predicted the brutality of his victory against Mauricio Rua. At the time, “Shogun” had just defeated Lyoto Machida for the first time to capture the light heavyweight title.
Unfortunately, he could not make a successful title defense. His next opponent, Jon Jones, beat him brutally, leaving Rua so swollen and battered that he began to tap during the strikes. In the five-round match, “Shogun” submitted in three, and Jon Jones became the new 205-pound champion at just the age of 23.
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