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Conor McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to achieve champ-champ status when he defeated Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. He knocked out Alvarez, making him both the featherweight and lightweight champion simultaneously.
Since then, three other fighters have managed to achieve this monumental feat. Daniel Cormier became the second when he knocked out Stipe Miocic to hold both the light heavyweight and heavyweight belts.
Next, Amanda Nunes became the first woman to achieve the feat. Nunes knocked out Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 to become both the bantamweight and featherweight champion and has gone a step further by being the only fighter to hold and defend both belts since capturing them.
Most recently, Henry Cejudo achieved the feat at UFC 238 when he knocked out Marlon Moraes. This made him both the flyweight and bantamweight champion, he has since stepped away from the sport.
Here are five fighters who could soon become the fifth fighter in UFC history to achieve champ-champ status:
#5. UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling
While this choice may seem surprising at first, there are a number of reasons why it may just make sense. The first, of course, being that Aljamain Sterling is already halfway there as he currently holds the bantamweight championship.
While Sterling is likely to face a tremendously tough title unification bout when he faces Petr Yan, should he be able to pick up a win in that one, the road to 'champ-champ' status does begin to clear.
Sterling has even stated recently that he would be willing to step up to featherweight if his teammate Merab Dvalishvili became the top contender. Comparing his situation to Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns' friendship, which turned sour after the two fought earlier this year, Sterling said that he would move up if the UFC wanted him to fight Dvalishvili.
If that happens, and Sterling is able to claim featherweight gold, Sterling could achieve 'champ-champ' status.
#4. UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski has looked sensational as of late. His most recent win over Brian Ortega at UFC 266 in July was a Fight of the Year contender, which saw Volkanovski come out on top. While he would be very undersized at lightweight height-wise, he has expressed a desire to test those waters. It also helps that he's fought as high as welterweight and found success.
Following Volkanovski's UFC 266 win, he stated that he was keen for a speedy return to the octagon. Given the lack of available challengers at featherweight, 'The Great' suggested that he would be open to a fight at lightweight.
If that were to happen one day and Volkanovski looked good at 155 lbs, perhaps he would begin to consider making a run for the lightweight gold. Given that that weightclass is just 10lbs up, perhaps this one is not too unrealistic. Especially considering his willingness to fight high above 145lbs.
#3. UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman
It might surprise some that Kamaru Usman is not ranked higher in this list given he is one of the most dominant champions in the UFC today. Additionally, size would not be too much of an issue right now as Usman measures up comparably to current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
However, Adesanya is also the reason Usman is not ranked higher as he has stated previously that he would not fight 'The Last Stylebender' given their shared Nigerian heritage.
Should that change, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' would likely be a top contender to earn champ-champ status given he is one of the most complete fighters on the UFC roster today. It's worth noting that Adesanya's next challenger is the extremely game Robert Whittaker.
It's possible that Whittaker could defeat Adesanya to take the title, and Usman could fight the Aussie next, instead of his Nigerian counterpart.
#2. UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya has already made one bid to achieve champ-champ status after fighting Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. While he was unsuccessful on that occasion, he made it clear at the time that he may very well try again.
On top of that, Blachowicz has since lost the belt to 42-year-old Glover Teixeira who, while he is clearly still operating at a world-class level, will surely slow down at some point in the not-so-distant future. While Teixeira is next lined up to face Jiri Prochazka next, if the Brazilian can get past him, an Adesanya matchup could be next.
While some will feel Adesanya deserves to hold the number one spot on this list, he faces a tough test first in the form of a very game Robert Whittaker. Should he be able to earn a second victory over Whittaker, we can begin to take his chances of becoming a double champ more seriously.
#1. UFC Women's Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko
Valentina Shevchenko has already proved she is far and away the best women's flyweight on the planet. She has successfully defended that belt six times and has since shown interest in a third shot at Amanda Nunes.
While Shevchenko's record shows she has two losses to Nunes, Shevchenko turned in very competitive performances and many people believe she won the second bout between the pair.
Additionally, Shevchenko looks better every time she enters the octagon and has racked up eight wins since the controversial split decision loss to Nunes. Many fans thought she had won the 25-minute striking contest, with Shevchenko thinking she had done enough as well. In the end, she was one scorecard away from dethroning 'The Lioness'.
With no obvious contenders at flyweight, now seems like a great time for Shevchenko to go up a division and try and achieve champ-champ status.
