It's been awhile since I've done an update on the lineal title landscape. And, with relevant match ups approaching like Bigfoot vs. Cain and Henderson vs. Melendez, I felt this would be an appropriate time to revisit these lineal titles.

For those who are not as familiar with the term, a lineal title considers a championship belt as something that is not bound by promotion, but rather a title that must be won in a fight. Another way to think about it is "The Guy Who Beat the Guy." For example, when Hector Lombard recently left Bellator to sign with the UFC, he was still considered to be the Bellator Middleweight champion. In the Lineal Title world, he did not lose his belt until Tim Boetsch took it from him at UFC 149. After that, Philippou beat Boetsch. Therefore, Philippou is the Bellator MW champion in Lineal terms.

Below you will see that I have documented all of the Lineal Titles across all major MMA promotions over the years, many of which are now defunct. Please notice the additional notes at the bottom of each column as not every scenario flows as neatly as I would have liked for various reasons.

A quick disclaimer about my own personal lineal title philosophy (which may or may not differ from your own). I personally only like to include bouts within the particular title's weight class. For example, if a fighter holds the MW title, but loses at LHW, he retains the MW title until someone beats him at MW. I tried to note where I have deviated from this way of thinking.

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