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With his UFC 317 win over Charles Oliveira, Ilia Topuria became just the 10th UFC fighter ever to hold championship belts in two different weight classes.
The former Featherweight Champion is now the champion in the lightweight division. Along the way of compiling a perfect 17-0 record, Topuria has bested some of the greatest fighters in UFC history, including Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. So, where does Topuria rank among the best two-division champions ever? Check out the gallery to find out.
10. B.J. Penn
B.J. Penn was only 5-foot-9 and probably best at 155 pounds, but he had no problem fighting opponents in other weight divisions, even if they had significant size advantages over him. Penn fought at featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, heavyweight, and openweight at various points in his career with various MMA promotions. Weight discrepancies didn't really matter for “The Prodigy,” which is why he won belts in the UFC at both 155 and 170 pounds.
Penn was one of the first great non-Brazilian masters of jiu-jitsu, and he eventually became the first 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 career strongly. Instead of retiring while he was near the top, 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 just a 16-14-2 record overall for Penn.
9. Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo was nicknamed “Triple C” because he actually won three different championships. In addition to UFC titles at flyweight and bantamweight, Cejudo was also an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling. When it comes to his UFC career, though, Cejudo was the only fighter to ever beat flyweight GOAT, Demetrius Johnson, at 125 pounds.
After one title defense, Cejudo moved up to bantamweight and became 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 due to a temporary retirement. He is also currently in the midst of a three-fight losing streak, too. Cejudo was the fourth and most recent simultaneous two-division champion, but Dana White has made accomplishing that feat much harder since Cejudo's prime. Topuria is the current pound-for-pound number one fighter, and Islam Makhachev has won 15 straight fights, yet both of them were forced to vacate their titles before recently moving up a weight division.
8. Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira was arguably the biggest star in the UFC until his recent loss to Magomed Ankalaev, which allowed Topuria to surpass him when it comes to 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 the most of his career by staying active and collecting highlight knockout after highlight knockout during his time at the top, though.
Pereira's first UFC championship came in a victory against longtime rival Israel Adesanya at middleweight. Pereira was massive for the division, but he eventually lost the rematch. Pereira moved up to light heavyweight and collected championship victories over Jiri Prochazka twice, Jamaal Hill, and Khalil Rountree, all of which came in memorable KO fashion. It is unclear what is next for Pereira after losing to Ankalaev, but another divisional move up to heavyweight and the chance to become the first ever three-division champion has been rumored as a possibility. Pereira's calf kicks and left hook both pack the punch of a heavyweight.
7. Randy Couture
Randy Couture was the first ever two-division champion in the UFC and in MMA as a whole, regardless of promotion. Despite being more of a light heavyweight, all of Couture's title defenses came at heavyweight during his three separate title reigns in that division. Couture, an excellent wrestler, also had three separate Light Heavyweight Championship reigns, one of which was just an interim reign.
The 19-11 fighter doesn't have the best record in the world, but he had more main 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 one of the sport's most influential figures.
6. Ilia Topuria
There is a big jump up in talent in the top six, and Topuria, who is the most recent champ-champ, has the potential to skyrocket up this list over the coming years. He is currently perfect with a 17-0 record. That includes eight straight finishes inside of the UFC umbrella. “El Matador” can truly do it all. He will mix in grappling when need be, but his striking is unmatched, especially when it comes to knockout power.
The Georgian fighting out of Spain became the Featherweight Champion when he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski, arguably the greatest 145er ever. He followed that up by out striking the greatest boxer in UFC history: Max Holloway. Most recently, he took down yet another legend when he bested Oliveira. That fight was for the vacant Lightweight Championship. It came as a shock that Topuria vacated his Featherweight Championship to move up, but the decision has proven well worth it. Topuria is often compared to the next fighter on this list, but he isn't far off from surpassing him.
5. Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is the most important figure in UFC history, and the sport wouldn't be where it is today if it weren't for the “Irishman.” McGregor has a lot of memorable moments, whether they came in the octagon, outside of it, or with a microphone in his hands. He always backed up his talk, though, often by calling his shots.
As a fighter, McGregor is perhaps 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 as the undisputed belt holder. After two non-title bouts with Nate Diaz, McGregor then went up to 155 pounds and beat Eddie Alvarez. Unfortunately, McGregor never defended either belt, as he became bigger than the sport of MMA and pursued other ventures. His returns to the UFC haven't always been great either, but at the end 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 less likely. McGregor's prime was unmatched, though, and when fans think of champ-champs, “The Notorious One” is who usually comes to mind.
4. Amanda Nunes
The only woman's UFC fighter to ever claim belts in two divisions is Amanda Nunes. The greatest female fighter ever won the title at both bantamweight and featherweight. Nunes won 11 out of 12 title fights in total. She is now retired, and with her retirement came the end of the women's featherweight division. Kayla Harrison called Nunes out after becoming the Bantamweight Champion, though, so a return to the sport is a possibility.
3. Daniel Cormier
With a 22-3 record, Daniel Cormier only ever lost to Jon Jones, the greatest UFC fighter ever, and Stipe Miocic, the best heavyweight of all time. He was unstoppable despite not starting an MMA career 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 up to become the Heavyweight Champion at the same time. Had it not been for back-to-back losses against Miocic to end his career, Cormier could have ranked even higher on this list.
2. Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre is more known as a welterweight than a two-division champion, but he won the Middleweight Championship against Michael Bisping at UFC 217, nonetheless. Unfortunately, this came after a four-year hiatus, and St-Pierre would re-retire after proving that he still had it.
His welterweight career was the stuff of legend, though. The fighter, nicknamed “Rush,” won 12 of his 13 title fights at 170 pounds. It is just too bad that St-Pierre didn't move up to middleweight earlier to contend against Anderson Silva.
1. Jon Jones
While Topuria is shooting up this list ranking every two-division champion, Jones will no longer be improving his resume, although his placement as not only the best champ-champ is secure, as is his position as the greatest UFC fighter overall. Jones just recently retired, meaning fans won't get to see a dream matchup against Tom Aspinall. Even so, no fighter accomplished close to as much as Jones did during his career. Jones started out as a light heavyweight and would win 20 straight fights, although his second win against Cormier was later ruled a no-contest.
The majority of those victories came 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 become the Heavyweight Champion over Ciryl Gane and defend his title against Miocic. Jones can stand up and bang or take a fight to the ground.
Some fans will look at substance abuse issues and out-of-the-octagon problems to discredit his career, but nobody has a better MMA resume than Jones does. He is 28-1 (1 NC), with that only loss coming via disqualification because of 12-6 elbows in a fight that he was dominating.
