Winning the UFC belt is the ultimate dream of every MMA fighter. It also represents their entire journey and all the ups, downs, sweat, tears and sacrifices they made to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
What most of them don’t realize, however, is that the UFC belt is made out of real gold. It also includes many small features that increase its value, making it much more than just a physical representation of fighters’ careers.
In this article, you will learn all about the UFC belts, how they make them, and many other information.
Is The UFC Belt Made Out of Real Gold?
Yes, according to the official reports, the UFC belt weighs around 10.5 lbs, out of which 2.5 pounds is gold. The rest of the weight is the leather, mainly used for the part that goes around the waist, and other light materials.
Many fans and even fighters find this surprising. Most of them know the UFC uses real gold plates to make the belt special and worthy. However, not many people know that there is actually 2.5 pounds of solid gold which is a lot.
On top of that, the belt includes 25 white cubit Zirconia stones and created ruby. They added this feature to highlight the 25 years of the UFC, and of course, further increase the worth.
But this is not the end. There are also eight additional belts on both sides. Each time a champ defends the title, the UFC replaces one of the white buttons with a red one.
You may wonder, what is the worth of the UFC belt?
How Expensive is The UFC Belt?
The estimated value of each UFC belt is around $330.000. The most expensive feature is, of course, 2.5 pounds of real gold that goes into each belt, and various zirconic stones.
Moreover, each UFC legacy belt is customized and unique. Unlike the old belt, it has the engraved name of the fighter and stones for each defense. As you would expect, this further increases the value of each one.
For example, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s belt is probably worth far more than Brendon Morenos’s.
To put it a better perspective, the belt is worth more than most fighters earn in a fight. For instance, upper-tier athletes earn anywhere between $150.000 and $300.000 on the higher end. Also, title challengers often earn slightly more. For instance, Alex Pereira got $400.000 for his light heavyweight title bout against Jiri Prochazka. He was probably really happy to learn that his new belt almost doubled his income.
The same stands for all other fighters on the roster. According to the stats, the average UFC fighter made around $150,000 in 2020. This is half of how much the UFC belt is worth, and that’s crazy.
What is The Size of The UFC Belt?
The UFC Legacy belt is 50 inches in length and 12 inches in height. The main center plate is 11.5 in height and 9.5 inches wide while the side plates are 4.25 inches x 4.25 inches. The total weight of the belt is 10.45 pounds out of which 2.5 pounds is solid gold.
The women belt is slightly smaller in size. It is the same as men’s in terms of design, all the features and production materials. However, it is a bit smaller to fit better around their waist.
Do UFC Fighters Get A New Belt For Each Title Defense?
No, UFC Champions get only one UFC legacy belt, including zirconic stones stamped into the belt for each successful defence. Each belt has an eight-stone border plate that marks title defences. Each time the champ defends the belt, the company would replace one golden stone with a red one.
They only get a new belt when they win the title in another division. For example, Alex Pereira has two belts because he won both middleweight and light heavyweight titles.
The old belt used up until 2019 didn’t have this feature and fighters used to get the new one for each defense. However, the company decided to cut the costs and go with a much cheaper option where champions “upgrade” the existing belt.
Considering how expensive these belts are, you can say a couple of title defenses can pay your mortgage loan. The price of one old belt was around $330.000, so a couple of title defenses could easily make you a millionaire.
The champion who collected the most belts is Demetrious Johnson. He has 10 belts in his collection worth around $3.3 million.
Medals and the first UFC belt
Initial UFC events that took place in the early 90s are often seen as barbaric street fighting venues that were somehow legal. They didn’t include time limits, weight classes, or even gloves so it’s reasonable to understand they never thought much about the belts either.
Instead of giving belts, the UFC was awarding the winners of their early tournaments with medals, and the most famous owner of these UFC medals was, of course, the legendary Royce Gracie who went on to win UFC 1, 2, and 4 tournaments.
The very first UFC belt was introduced at UFC 5 in 1995 with Dan Severn being the first fighter to wear it around the waist.
UFC Legacy Belt Explained
Each UFC belt is unique and includes the champions’ name, country, defences and weight class. Their name is engraved and there is also a unique serial number to confirm the belt is legit.
Center Plate
What many fans find confusing are the eight-country icons placed in the centre plate of the belt. This represents the first eight countries that were home to UFC champions.
- USA – Mark Coleman
- Canada – Carlos Newton
- Brazil – Murilo Bustamante
- Netherlands – Bas Rutten
- Poland – Joanna Jedrzejczyk
- Belarus – Andre Arlovski
- UK – Michael Bisping
- Ireland – Conor Mcgregor
The logo is quite interesting. It has 25 lines which represent 25 years of the UFC and the square has eight lines to form an octagon shape.
Left Plate
On the left plate, there is a custom-made plate in the centre that includes the name of the fighter, their flag and weight class. The plate has eight stones and for each title defence, one stone gets replaced with the red stone. The date and location of the title are also engraved on this stone.
Right Plate
The right plate includes a golden UFC logo in the middle. It also has eight stones like the left plate.
In the case they defend it more than eight times, then the UFC would start replacing the stones on the right side plate.
Can You Buy a UFC Belt?
Buying an original belt is a challenge because not many fighters are willing to sell it. Instead, the UFC sells high-quality replicas, including the ones signed by champions that are not cheap. For instance, the price can go from $700 all the way up to $4,000 depending on the belt. Their collection includes:
- Classic Belt
- UFC Legacy Belt
- PRIDE Fighting Championship belt
- BMF belt
Do UFC Champions Get To Keep Their Belts When They lose?
Yes, UFC champions keep the belt in their possession even when they lose a title fight to a challenger. They no longer enjoy the championship status and all the benefits that come with it. But they get to keep the physical belt like a trophy.
Do All The UFC Belts Look The Same?
The general design and structure of UFC championship belts are similar across all weight classes. These come in the same size and are made out of the same materials. The only difference is the customization because each belt includes an authentic fighter signature and a different number of red stones that represent a number of title defenses.
