In the sport of MMA, no prize is more coveted than the UFC's in every category. For many of the fighters who shed blood, sweat, and tears in pursuit of gold inside the octagon, no prize can be placed on winning a major title in the world's premier mixed martial arts organization.
However, most things in life come at a price, including a UFC title. However, the true value of the championship belts is not something the UFC has officially confirmed. With that, a former starter previously shared a conversation with general manager Dana White that gives an indication of their value.
One of the problems in identifying the true value of a UFC championship belt comes from the fact that the company changed the design of their titles in 2019, leading to confusion as to which version of the gold the different ratings belong to.
Between 2001 and January 2019, fighters competed for the UFC "Classic" championship belt, famously held by the likes of Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Georges St. Pierre, and Anderson Silva. After that point, the top contenders traded blows over the UFC "Legacy" championship.
According to Sportskeeda, the UFC modern championship title is worth $330,000. Measuring 127 centimeters and weighing 2.5 kilograms, the newest gold incarnation contains two kilograms of precious metals (including a UFC logo made of polished gold) and is held together by 16 bronze straps.
However, the UFC's 'classic' titles were worth a little less, at least according to Dana White. Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping revealed that detail during a 2019 episode of his 'Believe You Me' podcast.
The Count, who was the 85-pound champion between June 2016 and November 2017, recalled a conversation between himself and former heavyweight champion Rashad Evans in which the value of the original UFC championship belts was discussed.
Rashad Evans, the former champion, has a belt at home. He was talking to Dana White and Dana told him that the old belts, the ones we have, are worth $300,000 each.
Bisping owns two 'classic' championship belts. He gained possession of one after initially winning the middleweight title from Luke Rockhold, and the other was awarded to him by the UFC following his successful title defense in October 2016 against Dan Henderson - when the promotion awarded a new championship for each title defense.
However, as the old saying goes, something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it - as was proven when the Canadian Museum of History purchased the lightweight championship belt that Georges St. Pierre was awarded for his victory over BJ Penn at UFC 94. The 'classic' title fetched just $55,527, barely over a sixth of the $300,000 Bisping had announced. /Telegrafi/
