Together with his UFC 317 win over Charles Oliveira, Ilia Topuria became just the tenth UFC fighter ever to carry championship belts in two different weight classes.
The previous Featherweight Champion is now the champion within the lightweight division. Along the way in which of compiling an ideal 17-0 record, Topuria has bested a number of the biggest fighters in UFC history, including Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. So, where does Topuria rank amongst the very best two-division champions ever? Take a look at the gallery to seek out out.
10. B.J. Penn
B.J. Penn was only 5-foot-9 and doubtless best at 155 kilos, but he had no problem fighting opponents in other weight divisions, even in the event that they had significant size benefits over him. Penn fought at featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, heavyweight, and openweight at various points in his profession with various MMA promotions. Weight discrepancies didn’t really matter for “The Prodigy,” which is why he won belts within the UFC at each 155 and 170 kilos.
Penn was considered one of the primary great non-Brazilian masters of jiu-jitsu, and he eventually became the primary member of the modern-era wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, he ranks last on this list because he didn’t finish out his profession strongly. As an alternative of retiring while he was near the highest, Penn fought well past his prime, and he ended up losing or drawing in nine of his last 10 fights, which included a then-record seven-loss skid before retirement. The late-career struggles resulted in only a 16-14-2 record overall for Penn.
Henry Cejudo was nicknamed “Triple C” because he actually won three different championships. Along with UFC titles at flyweight and bantamweight, Cejudo was also an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling. In the case of his UFC profession, though, Cejudo was the one fighter to ever beat flyweight GOAT, Demetrius Johnson, at 125 kilos.
After one title defense, Cejudo moved as much as bantamweight and have become the champion with a victory over Marlon Moraes. The wrestler-turned-MMA striker only successfully defended the Bantamweight Championship as well, and he missed some prime years attributable to a short lived retirement. He can be currently within the midst of a three-fight losing streak, too. Cejudo was the fourth and most up-to-date simultaneous two-division champion, but Dana White has made accomplishing that feat much harder since Cejudo’s prime. Topuria is the present pound-for-pound primary fighter, and Islam Makhachev has won 15 straight fights, yet each of them were forced to vacate their titles before recently moving up a weight division.
Alex Pereira was arguably the most important star within the UFC until his recent loss to Magomed Ankalaev, which allowed Topuria to surpass him on the subject of star power. Before that, though, Pereira was on a run for the ages. Poatan hasn’t been fighting MMA for long, evidenced by his 12-3 record at age 37. He has made essentially the most of his profession by staying energetic and collecting highlight knockout after highlight knockout during his time at the highest, though.
Pereira’s first UFC championship got here in a victory against longtime rival Israel Adesanya at middleweight. Pereira was massive for the division, but he eventually lost the rematch. Pereira moved as much as light heavyweight and picked up championship victories over Jiri Prochazka twice, Jamaal Hill, and Khalil Rountree, all of which got here in memorable KO fashion. It’s unclear what’s next for Pereira after losing to Ankalaev, but one other divisional move as much as heavyweight and the prospect to grow to be the primary ever three-division champion has been rumored as a possibility. Pereira’s calf kicks and left hook each pack the punch of a heavyweight.
7. Randy Couture
Randy Couture was the primary ever two-division champion within the UFC and in MMA as a complete, no matter promotion. Despite being more of a lightweight heavyweight, all of Couture’s title defenses got here at heavyweight during his three separate title reigns in that division. Couture, a superb wrestler, also had three separate Light Heavyweight Championship reigns, considered one of which was just an interim reign.
The 19-11 fighter doesn’t have the very best record on the earth, but he had more fundamental events than anybody in history (18) and won a championship at an older age than anybody else (43). The Natural was a pure fighter and considered one of the game’s most influential figures.
6. Ilia Topuria
There’s a giant jump up in talent in the highest six, and Topuria, who’s essentially the most recent champ-champ, has the potential to skyrocket up this list over the approaching years. He’s currently perfect with a 17-0 record. That features eight straight finishes inside the UFC umbrella. “El Matador” can truly do all of it. He’ll mix in grappling when need be, but his striking is unmatched, especially on the subject of knockout power.
The Georgian fighting out of Spain became the Featherweight Champion when he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski, arguably the best 145er ever. He followed that up by out striking the best boxer in UFC history: Max Holloway. Most recently, he took down yet one more legend when he bested Oliveira. That fight was for the vacant Lightweight Championship. It got here as a shock that Topuria vacated his Featherweight Championship to maneuver up, but the choice has proven well price it. Topuria is commonly in comparison with the following fighter on this list, but he is not far off from surpassing him.
Conor McGregor is crucial figure in UFC history, and the game would not be where it’s today if it weren’t for the “Irishman.” McGregor has a whole lot of memorable moments, whether or not they got here within the octagon, outside of it, or with a microphone in his hands. He at all times backed up his talk, though, often by calling his shots.
As a fighter, McGregor is maybe most known for becoming the first-ever simultaneous UFC champion. He became the Interim Featherweight Champion after beating Chad Mendes, and it only took 13 seconds before he took Jose Aldo’s spot because the undisputed belt holder. After two non-title bouts with Nate Diaz, McGregor then went as much as 155 kilos and beat Eddie Alvarez. Unfortunately, McGregor never defended either belt, as he became larger than the game of MMA and pursued other ventures. His returns to the UFC have not at all times been great either, but at the tip of the day, the double champ does “what the f**k he wants.”
McGregor now has a 22-6 record, and a final return to the UFC is becoming less and fewer likely. McGregor’s prime was unmatched, though, and when fans consider champ-champs, “The Notorious One” is who normally involves mind.
The one woman’s UFC fighter to ever claim belts in two divisions is Amanda Nunes. The best female fighter ever won the title at each bantamweight and featherweight. Nunes won 11 out of 12 title fights in total. She is now retired, and along with her retirement got here the tip of the ladies’s featherweight division. Kayla Harrison called Nunes out after becoming the Bantamweight Champion, though, so a return to the game is a possibility.
With a 22-3 record, Daniel Cormier only ever lost to Jon Jones, the best UFC fighter ever, and Stipe Miocic, the very best heavyweight of all time. He was unstoppable despite not starting an MMA profession until his 30s. Cormier was particularly effective out of the clinch. He won the Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 187 over Anthony Johnson and defended his belt five times before moving as much as grow to be the Heavyweight Champion at the identical time. Had it not been for back-to-back losses against Miocic to finish his profession, Cormier could have ranked even higher on this list.
2. Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre is more often known as a welterweight than a two-division champion, but he won the Middleweight Championship against Michael Bisping at UFC 217, nonetheless. Unfortunately, this got here after a four-year hiatus, and St-Pierre would re-retire after proving that he still had it.
His welterweight profession was the stuff of legend, though. The fighter, nicknamed “Rush,” won 12 of his 13 title fights at 170 kilos. It’s just too bad that St-Pierre didn’t move as much as middleweight earlier to contend against Anderson Silva.
1. Jon Jones
While Topuria is doping up this list rating every two-division champion, Jones will now not be improving his resume, although his placement as not only the very best champ-champ is secure, as is his position as the best UFC fighter overall. Jones only recently retired, meaning fans won’t get to see a dream matchup against Tom Aspinall. Even so, no fighter completed near as much as Jones did during his profession. Jones started off as a lightweight heavyweight and would win 20 straight fights, although his second win against Cormier was later ruled a no-contest.
The vast majority of those victories got here against legends, as Bones has never lost any of the 17 title fights he has participated in. After a three-year hiatus taken to properly get to heavyweight, Jones would grow to be the Heavyweight Champion over Ciryl Gane and defend his title against Miocic. Jones can arise and bang or take a fight to the bottom.
Some fans will have a look at substance abuse issues and out-of-the-octagon problems to discredit his profession, but no person has a greater MMA resume than Jones does. He’s 28-1 (1 NC), with that only loss coming via disqualification due to 12-6 elbows in a fight that he was dominating.