A lineal championship recently changed hands.

The term “lineal championship” has traditionally been linked to boxing moreso than MMA, but in case you didn’t know, we track our own lineal championship histories.

In short, it’s “the man, who beat the man, who beat the man, etc.”  Some judgment calls are required to fill in gaps that champions create when moving divisions, retiring, and taking extended absences — not to mention, when the lineage actually starts.  It’s really more interesting than it is legit, especially considering the fighters haven’t known the titles were on the line and the matches weren’t impacted in any way (extended length).

When Eddie Alvarez recently beat Shinya Aoki, he claimed our Lineal Lightweight Championship.  This win came after his loss to Chandler, so he’s rated below Chandler but still holds the lineal title.

Currently, five of the UFC champions hold lineal designations.  Ian McCall’s will likely be consumed or merged with the UFC Flyweight championship, with Overeem’s and Alvarez’s claims staying dislocated from the Zuffa juggernaut’s champions.