Becoming a UFC Double Champ is one of the most prestigious accomplishments in combat sports. It is only an elite few who have been able to reach this feat. This is all of the double champions in UFC history. Overall, there have been 10 UFC double champions. Here is a list of the UFC double champs.
A History of UFC Double Champs
Randy Couture
Randy Couture became the first fighter in UFC history to hold championships in two separate weight divisions. Between 1997 and 2004, “The Natural” won three heavyweight titles and two light heavyweight titles, establishing himself as one of the most accomplished fighters of the early UFC era. His transition between divisions came after he moved down from heavyweight, eventually defeating Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision for the light heavyweight championship, which made him the organization’s first-ever simultaneous double champion.
BJ Penn
BJ Penn competed across three weight divisions during his UFC career, earning championship belts in two of them. Penn won the welterweight title in 2004 by defeating five-time champion Matt Hughes via rear-naked choke, then moved to lightweight where he won the interim title in January 2008 against Joe Stevenson.
Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor made history by becoming the first fighter to hold two UFC belts at the same time. After knocking out Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds at UFC 194 in December 2015 to win the featherweight title, McGregor moved up to challenge lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in November 2016. He finished Alvarez in under two minutes with his quick combinations, cementing his status as the UFC’s inaugural simultaneous champion holding belts in both the featherweight and lightweight divisions. However, McGregor never defended either title and was eventually stripped of both belts.
Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre became the second fighter to earn titles in two different divisions. The Canadian legend won the welterweight championship in 2006 and successfully defended it nine times over years of dominance. After a four-year retirement, St-Pierre returned in 2017 to challenge middleweight champion Michael Bisping in what many considered a comeback attempt. He submitted Bisping in the third round at UFC 217 to become a two-division champion.
Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier became the second fighter to achieve simultaneous double-champion status. The wrestler first captured the light heavyweight championship after defeating Alexander Gustafsson, successfully defending it multiple times. In July 2018 at UFC 226, Cormier shocked the MMA world by knocking out Stipe Miocic in the opening round to win the heavyweight title, making him a champion in two divisions. Unlike McGregor, Cormier successfully defended both titles, three times at light heavyweight and once at heavyweight, before eventually losing both belts in subsequent fights.
Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes became the first female fighter to hold simultaneous championships in two weight classes and the fourth fighter overall to achieve the status. After winning the bantamweight championship from Miesha Tate in 2016, Nunes moved up to featherweight and knocked out Cris Cyborg in just 51 seconds at UFC 232 on December 29, 2018. Remarkably, Nunes accomplished what many others could not; she successfully defended both titles multiple times across her weight classes, establishing herself as the dominant force in women’s MMA and the greatest female fighter in UFC history.
Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo earned the nickname “Triple C” and lived up to two-thirds of it by becoming a UFC double-champion. The Olympic gold medalist won the flyweight championship in 2018 and made a successful title defense against TJ Dillashaw before moving up to bantamweight. At UFC 238 in June 2019, Cejudo defeated Marlon Moraes via TKO in the third round to capture the vacant bantamweight title and join the exclusive double-champion club.
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari – Zuffa LLC
Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira achieved double-champion status in record time within the UFC. The former two-division kickboxing champion signed with the UFC in 2021 and received a middleweight title shot in his fourth fight, defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in November 2023. Pereira then moved to light heavyweight and defeated Jiří Procházka at UFC 295 to win the vacant 205-pound belt just months later.
Jon Jones
Jon Jones holds the light heavyweight record for most successful title defenses and is regarded as one of the most dominant champions the sport has seen. After years of dominance at 205 pounds, Jones moved to heavyweight in 2023 to challenge Ciryl Gane for the vacant title at UFC 285. Jones submitted Gane just past the two-minute mark of the first round, becoming a two-division champion.
Ilia Topuria
After defeating Alexander Volkanovski to win the featherweight championship, Topuria knocked out Max Holloway in his first defense of the belt. The Georgian-Spaniard then relinquished his featherweight title to move up to lightweight, where he delivered a devastating first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June 2025 to capture the 155-pound championship. Topuria accomplished the feat in just nine UFC fights while remaining undefeated in his professional MMA career.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 28: Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts to his win over Charles Oliveira of Brazil in the UFC lightweight championship bout during the UFC 317 event at T-Mobile Arena on June 28, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Early UFC Tournament Champions
The origins of the UFC featured tournament-style championships where fighters competed multiple times in a single night to determine the ultimate champion. These competitions showcased the organization’s pioneering format before evolving into the standard championship system.
Royce Gracie won three UFC tournaments (UFC 1, UFC 2, and UFC 4), establishing himself as the sport’s first dominant figure and introducing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to a global audience. At UFC 1 in November 1993, Gracie submitted Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock, and Gerard Gordeau in succession to earn the first “Ultimate Fighting Champion” title.
Steve Jennum claimed the UFC 3 tournament championship in 1994 while working as a police officer from Nebraska. Serving as an alternate, Jennum defeated Harold Howard in the finals, winning with just a single fight while other competitors fought multiple matches, a situation that led the UFC to implement new alternate rules going forward.
Dan Severn won the UFC 5 tournament and later competed in the Ultimate Ultimate 1995 tournament, cementing his status as one of the early UFC’s most accomplished fighters. His tournament victories set the stage for his later championship opportunities and made him part of the organization’s early foundation.
Mark Coleman stands as one of the most influential figures in early UFC history, though his status differs from the traditional simultaneous double-champion category. Coleman won the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament championships in July and September 1996 respectively, then defeated Dan Severn to capture the first official UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 12 in February 1997. He also made history holding titles in both PRIDE FC and the UFC.
Maurício “Shogun” Rua became only the second fighter in MMA history to win major titles in two different organizations. Rua dominated the PRIDE Fighting Championships and won the prestigious 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament on August 28, 2005. At UFC 113 on May 8, 2010, when he knocked out Machida with a devastating right hand just 3:35 into the first round to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Rua held the distinction of being only the second fighter to have won both PRIDE and UFC gold.
UFC 322
Islam Makhachev stands on the cusp of joining the elite double-champion club when he challenges welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 on November 15, 2025, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Makhachev, the former lightweight champion, would become the 11th fighter in UFC history to hold simultaneous championships in two weight classes, and potentially cement his legacy among the sport’s greatest pound-for-pound competitors
