Zhang Weili and 4 other UFC champions who have never headlined a pay-per-view

Achieving a UFC championship is the ultimate goal for many aspiring MMA fighters. It fulfills their desire to showcase their skills and dominate their fellow competitors. Nevertheless, becoming a UFC titleholder encompasses more than just being recognized as the top fighter in the world.

Additionally, a substantial increase in a fighter’s salary accompanies their participation in pay-per-view events. This can be amplified by pay-per-view points, prompting many champions to seek opportunities to compete on these highly anticipated broadcasts. Whether they are headlining the event or appearing in the co-main event alongside popular fighters like Conor McGregor, most champions aspire to be featured on pay-per-view cards.

Despite the fact that champions are typically the main event, with very few exceptions, there have been instances where champions have never headlined a pay-per-view. This trend seems to be particularly prevalent among female fighters, making the situation even more concerning.

#5 Dave Menne: From UFC Middleweight Champion to MMA Legend

Dave Menne may not be a household name outside of the devoted group of hardcore fans, but he holds an important place in UFC history. Before Anderson Silva became a dominant force in the middleweight division, Menne was the organization’s first 185-pound champion. However, it should be noted that his first fight with the UFC was actually in the welterweight division.

After defeating Fabiano Iha via unanimous decision, he departed from the promotion. A year later, he reclaimed his spot in the UFC and claimed the first ever middleweight title in the third-to-last fight of UFC 33 against Gil Castillo. Unfortunately, he was unable to retain his title in the following bout, losing to Murilo Bustamante.

Similar to his previous fight, their match was the third-to-last of the event, solidifying Menne’s status as one of the rare champions in the promotion to never headline a pay-per-view.

#4 Petr Yan, Rising Star and Former UFC Bantamweight Champion

Despite capturing the vacant bantamweight title with a TKO victory over the legendary José Aldo, Petr Yan’s reign as champion was short-lived. This was evident in his first title defense against Aljamain Sterling, which, like his initial win, was the third-last bout on the main card at UFC 251.

Despite completely controlling the fight, including scoring a knockdown and easily outwrestling Sterling, Yan made a catastrophic decision during the match. He illegally kneed Sterling in the head while Sterling was on the ground, resulting in a quick disqualification and ultimately losing the belt.

Despite defeating Cory Sandhagen, Yan was only given a co-main event slot for his title rematch against ‘Funk Master.’ In a controversial split-decision loss, Yan has since struggled to regain his position as a top contender.

#3 Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Polish MMA superstar and former UFC women’s strawweight champion

Despite her two-year reign as the UFC’s women’s strawweight champion, Joanna Jędrzejczyk has never headlined a pay-per-view. Her recent induction into the UFC Hall of Fame solidifies her status as the greatest women’s strawweight of all time, with five consecutive title defenses under her belt. Although she eventually lost her 115-pound strap to Rose Namajunas, Jędrzejczyk’s dominance in the division is indisputable.

Jędrzejczyk’s first title fight against Carla Esparza was not the main event, and out of her five title defenses, two were not part of a pay-per-view event. One served as the main event for a Fight Night, while the other took place at ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ finale. As a champion, she participated in three pay-per-view events, with two of them being co-main events.

In her next fight, she was one-half of the third-to-last bout of the evening. However, she never headlined a pay-per-view event after that and eventually retired from the sport without ever being featured as the main event.

#2 Valentina Shevchenko, current UFC women’s flyweight champion

Alexa Grasso is currently the sole Mexican titleholder in the promotion, holding the title for women’s flyweight. She has been with the promotion since 2016, primarily fighting on Fight Night cards. However, she has yet to headline a pay-per-view event.

At UFC 285, she challenged the current women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko. In a monumental upset in women’s MMA history, she secured a submission victory over Shevchenko to claim the championship belt. Unfortunately, their highly anticipated fight was overshadowed by Jon Jones’ victorious heavyweight title bout against Ciryl Gane, which served as the main event of the night.

After successfully defending her title in a controversial split-draw at a Fight Night main event, Grasso has been chosen to be a coach on ‘The Ultimate Fighter 32’ opposite Shevchenko. Despite her accomplishments, she has yet to be given the opportunity to headline a pay-per-view event.

#1 Zhang Weili: Reigning UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion

Before her title fight at a Fight Night event in her home country, Zhang Weili was relatively unknown in the UFC. Despite not having headlined any previous cards in the promotion, she seized the opportunity and became China’s first-ever UFC champion by defeating women’s strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade.

‘Magnum’ successfully defended her newly acquired title against former champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk with a dominant first-round TKO. This came after her initial victory over Andrade in the co-main event of a pay-per-view, a position she also held for her next two events, solidifying her dominance in the division.

Despite losing her title to Rose Namajunas and failing to regain it in an immediate rematch, she was able to secure a title shot against Carla Esparza by defeating Jędrzejczyk in a rematch, which took place as the third-last bout of a pay-per-view event. In the co-main event, ‘Magnum’ reclaimed her title and went on to successfully defend it in another co-main event.