Starting with Joe Soto and running through Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, several have held the Bellator featherweight title.
Freire is currently a double-champion, as he is the featherweight and lightweight champion in the promotion.
Soto claimed the first title back in 2009, holding it for over a year.
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire
The current Bellator lightweight and featherweight champion, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire rose to the top back at Bellator 178 in 2017.
His reign spans over 1,000 days and included title defenses vs. Daniel Weichel, Emmanuel Sanchez and Juan Archuleta.
Freire has also found time to win the lightweight title.
Daniel Straus
Part of the two-time group of Bellator featherweight champions, Daniel Straus last held the title from 2015-2017.
Straus won it at Bellator 145 in 2015 over Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, losing it to Freire in his first title defense.
His first run came in 2013 with a win over Pat Curran at Bellator 106, who he would later lose the belt to in his first defense, as well.
Pat Curran
Also a two-time champion, Pat Curran held the Bellator featherweight title for over 700 days combined.
Curran won the title for the first time in 2012 at Bellator 60 over Joe Warren. He made two defenses over Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Shahbulat Shamhalaev in 2013, holding it for 604 days.
A second reign would happen in 2014 after besting Daniel Straus, but this one lasted just 176 days before a loss to Freire.
Joe Warren
A double-division champion, Joe Warren won the featherweight title from Joe Soto back at Bellator 27 on September 2, 2010.
Warren held the belt for 554 days without making a defense.
Joe Soto
Before he took a short notice championship match in the UFC, Joe Soto was Bellator featherweight champion.
Soto won the title at Bellator 10 in his home state of California over Yahir Reyes on June 5, 2009. He held it for 454 days before losing to Joe Warren.
Along with Soto and Reyes, the tournament included Ben Greer, Wilson Reis, Henry Martinez, Nick Gonzalez, Estevan Payan and Luis Palomino.