Double champions in MMA

Double belt, double champion (or simultaneous champion in cases where the belts are won without abandoning or losing the other) is an achievement made by MMA fighters in several categories.

Controversies

Some sports experts argue that a double championship could be detrimental to the divisions that the champion competes in. The progression of the divisions may be blocked, which can be considered unfair to other challengers. This can be due to the fact that MMA athletes cannot compete in short periods of time (except for rare circumstances, such as fights that end quickly and/or without injury) and must have adequate time for recovery and training camp. Furthermore, athletes need time to adjust their weight, which can further delay title fights. [1]

Historical double-champions of the main associations
Nº Name Division Title Defenses Organization Simultaneous
1 Randy Couture Heavyweight 1997 0 UFC No
2002 2
2007 1
Light heavyweight 2003 0
2003 0
2004 0
2 Dan Henderson Welterweight 2007 0 PRIDE Yes
Middleweight 2005 0
3 B.J. Penn Welterweight 2004 0 UFC No
Lightweight 2008 3
4 Joe Warren Featherweight 2010 0 Bellator No
Bantamweight 2014 0
2014 0
5 David Branch Light heavyweight 2015 1 WSOF Yes
Middleweight 2014 2
6 Conor McGregor Lightweight 2016 0 UFC Yes
Featherweight 2015 0
2015 0
7 Georges St-Pierre Middleweight 2017 0 UFC No
Welterweight 2006 0
2007 0
2008 9
8 Martin Nguyen Lightweight 2017 0 ONE Yes
Featherweight 2017 3
9 Aung La Nsang Light heavyweight 2018 1 ONE Yes
Middleweight 2017 3
10 Daniel Cormier Heavyweight 2018 1 UFC Yes
Light heavyweight 2015 3
11 Amanda Nunes Featherweight 2018 2 UFC Yes
Bantamweight 2016 5
12 Ryan Bader Heavyweight 2019 0 Bellator Yes
Light heavyweight 2017 1
13 Henry Cejudo Bantamweight 2019 1 UFC Yes
Flyweight 2018 1
14 Patricio Freire Lightweight 2019 0 Bellator Yes
Featherweight 2014 2
2017 5
15 Amanda Nunes Featherweight 2018 2 UFC Yes
Bantamweight 2022 0
16 Reinier de Ridder Middleweight 2020 2 ONE Yes
Light Heavyweight 2021 0
17 Christian Lee Lightweight 2022 0 ONE Yes
Welterweight 2022 0
18 Jon Jones Light Heavyweight 2020 8 UFC No
Heavyweight 2023 0
19 Anatoly Malykhin Light Heavyweight 2022 0 ONE Yes
Heavyweight 2023 0

List of double champions by country and organization

Sources
  1. Will Adesanya become champions? The four fighters who became twice UFC

2. Reinier De Ridder, "The Dutch Knight"

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