An interim champion is a temporary title awarded by the sanctioning bodies of professional combat sports such as boxing, kickboxing, professional wrestling, and mixed martial arts. It is awarded when the champion of a particular weight division is temporarily unable to defend their championship due to medical, legal, or other reasons beyond their control. In this case, two highly ranked contenders may fight for an interim championship of the same weight division, leading to two champions existing in the same weight division simultaneously. Once the original champion can return, they must defend their title against the interim champion, who will relinquish their interim title to fight for the full world title. If the original champion cannot return, refuses to defend their title, or transfers to a different weight division, the interim champion is promoted to full championship status. In the case of the UFC, an interim champion is essentially a temporary champion who holds a belt that looks identical to the UFC Championship. Each weight class can have an interim champion if the defending champion is unable to compete.