The UFC continue to hint at a redesign of their championship belts as they move into the ESPN era
In recent days, the UFC’s social media accounts have been filtering out cryptic messages which suggest a revamp of the belts, which have been the same for over 14 years, will take place before the year is out.
While giving few details away, the organisation appeared to reveal that the new straps will be on the line in the promotion’s final card of 2018.
Jon Jones will return to fight for the light heavyweight title against former rival Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232, while Cris ‘Cyborg’ will defend her featherweight title against reigning bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes.
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Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping recently revealed on his Believe You Me! podcast that he’d heard the UFC were planning a change to their championship belts.
“A while ago, a little birdy told me this from the UFC that shall be unnamed,” Bisping started.
“I know they were talking about bringing out new belts, a new designed belt. And they’re going to have, for every country that has won a belt, their flag would be on the belt, represented.”
Look closely here. It’s obviously a belt, but it looks much different than the current belt. Appears as though they are rebranding the belts (WWE does this every so often) ahead of the new era next year. https://t.co/QLtlhKliSV
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 13, 2018
Bisping, who would not expand on what he’d heard, remains the only Brit to have won a UFC title so the Union Jack will be displayed while Conor McGregor’s historic capture of the featherweight and lightweight championships will ensure that the Irish tricolour will feature.
The United States and Brazil have produced the vast majority of champions over the years but the flags of Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Poland will also be included on the redesigned belt, if Bisping’s sources are correct.
