In the context of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), interim titles are awarded when a reigning champion is unable to defend their title due to various reasons, such as injury or inactivity.

The interim champion is then expected to fight for the undisputed title once the original champion is able to return

However, this raises an interesting question: have any fighters successfully defended an interim title?

Historical Context of Interim Titles  The concept of interim titles has been part of the UFC since 2003, with Randy Couture being the first fighter to win an interim championship at UFC 43

Over the years, several fighters have held interim titles, but historically, defending these titles has not been common.

Notable Defenses of Interim Titles  Renan Barao: He is notable for being one of the few fighters who successfully defended an interim title multiple times before being promoted to undisputed champion.

Barao won the interim bantamweight championship against Urijah Faber at UFC 149 and defended it against Michael McDonald and Eddie Wineland before becoming the undisputed champion when Dominick Cruz was stripped due to injury

Tom Aspinall: More recently, Tom Aspinall became an interim heavyweight champion by defeating Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. As of March 2025, he is set to defend his interim title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304

This will mark a significant moment in UFC history as it would be one of the few instances where an interim title is defended.

Historical records show UFC interim title defenses, with Renan Barao being a notable example, and potentially Tom Aspinall, highlighting the occasional need for interim titleholders to defend their belts.