The Ultimate Fighting Championship Middleweight Championship follows the weight guidelines set forth in the Uniform Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (maximum 185 lbs.).
The belt was first awarded to Dave Menne at UFC 33 Victory in Vegas after defeating Gil Castillo by unanimous decision. Menne dropped the strap in his first title defense losing to Murilo Bustamante at UFC 35 Throwdown.
Bustamante was stripped of the title in October 2002 after signing with PRIDE Fighting Championships. The title remained vacant for over two years, until the late Evan Tanner defeated David Terrell for the vacant title at UFC 51 Super Saturday in February 2005.
Tanner dropped the strap in his first title defense losing to Rich Franklin at UFC 53 Heavy Hitters. Franklin defending his title twice before losing to Anderson Silva at UFC 64 Unstoppable.
Silva has held the title since October 2006, defending the belt on a record eight straight occasions.
In March 2008, Silva unified the Middleweight Championship with the PRIDE Welterweight (183 lbs.) Championship by defeating Dan Henderson at UFC 82 Pride of a Champion.
After defending his belt in two of the most controversial bouts of 2010, Silva started off 2011 with a bang due to a first round knockout victory over Vitor Belfort.
==UFC Middleweight Title History==
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