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Becoming a UFC champion is the epitome of success in mixed martial arts. There have been over 100 different champions in the promotion since its inception in 1993. However, there have only been seven two-division champions throughout the history of the UFC.
Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo are the only fighters to have won titles in two different weight classes.
Fighters like T.J. Dillashaw, Max Holloway and Israel Adesanya have tried and failed at becoming two-division champions, highlighting just how hard the feat is.
That said, we thought we'd look at five UFC fighters who could become double champions in 2023.
#5. Zhang Weili – UFC women's strawweight champion
Zhang Weili continues to grow from strength to strength with every passing fight. After a forgettable run of results in 2021, comprising back-to-back losses to Rose Namajunas, the Chinese phenom returned with a bang in 2021.
Weili returned to winning ways with a stunning knockout victory in her rematch against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk to earn a title shot. In the penultimate pay-per-view of the year, 'Magnum' made light work of Carla Esparza to re-claim her strawweight title.
In her last two performances, Zhang Weili has showcased new wrinkles to her game. She is clearly physically stronger than she used to be and has learned to use her newfound strength effectively. Her grappling game has improved tenfold, evident in her effortless outing against Carla Esparza, who is widely regarded as the best wrestler in the division.
In the aftermath of her win over Esparza, Weili called for a fight against flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko. It's certainly an intriguing matchup, considering her obvious improvements over the last year.
Shevchenko is running out of challengers for her flyweight crown, having already beaten most top-ranked contenders at 125 pounds. Weili might have to close out her rivalry with Rose Namajunas before moving up, but if she manages to do so, a blockbuster matchup opposite Shevchenko would be a very interesting fight.
#4. Valentina Shevchenko – UFC women's flyweight champion
While Zhang Weili has aspirations of moving up and claiming another title, Valentina Shevchenko is no different. With every passing defense of her flyweight title, fans continue to clamor for a bantamweight title shot for 'Bullet'.
Shevchenko notably competed at 135 pounds before the UFC introduced a flyweight division. Despite being undersized, she established herself as one of the best in the division with wins over the likes of Holly Holm and Julianna Pena. However, two narrow losses to Amanda Nunes prompted the move down to flyweight, where she has since racked up seven title defenses.
As mentioned in the previous entry, Valentina Shevchenko has already beaten most top-ranked flyweights. While the likes of Zhang Weili, Manon Fiorot, Taila Santos and Erin Blanchfield are all chasing flyweight gold, Shevchenko seemingly has her sights set on the 135-pound strap.
She has called for a trilogy fight against Amanda Nunes on numerous occasions, and if she upholds her dominance atop the 125-pound division, a bantamweight title shot is undeniable.
Nunes still holds a significant size advantage over Shevchenko, but it's been over half a decade since their last fight. 'Bullet' has come a long way over the last five years and has developed into a well-rounded fighter, making a potential trilogy fight against Nunes all the more enticing.
#3. Alexander Volkanovski – UFC featherweight champion
Alexander Volkanovski's shot at champ-champ status has already been confirmed. The Australian featherweight kingpin will square off against reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, next month.
Volkanovski undoubtedly has a tall order in front of him, as Makhachev will enter the bout as the betting favorite, and rightfully so.
After closing out his rivalry with Max Holloway in emphatic fashion, Alexander Volkanovski set his sights on the lightweight title. 'The Great' even weighed in as a back-up fighter for the Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev headliner at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi last year.
Volkanovski will be at a size disadvantage against Makhachev, but will likely hold a speed advantage. He has never tasted defeat in the UFC and is unbeaten in his last 22 professional fights. The pound-for-pound king will have to produce the best performance of his career if he is to emerge victorious.
Volkanovski has vowed to keep both the featherweight and lightweight divisions busy after claiming the lightweight title. He can truly cement his place among the greatest to ever grace the octagon with a win next month.
#2. Alex Pereira – UFC middleweight champion
Alex Pereira's rise to stardom has been a sight to behold. After a scintillating kickboxing career wherein he compiled an incredible highlight reel of knockouts, Pereira committed to MMA full-time and is now reaping the benefits of his transition.
Just over a year after making his UFC debut, 'Poatan' claimed the middleweight title with a fifth-round TKO victory against then-middleweight king Israel Adesanya.
This marked Pereira's third win over Adesanya across combat sports. They are likely set to run it back later this year. 'Poatan' is arguably the toughest matchup for Adesanya, who doesn't have a developed offensive wrestling game to neutralize his Brazilian foe's devastating power.
Pereira notably cuts a ton of weight to make the middleweight championship limit of 185 pounds. He appears to be better suited to the light heavyweight division, but won't target the 205-pound strap as long as friend and mentor Glover Teixeira is in the title mix.
Teixeira, at 43, is in the final chapter of his career. Whether he wins the title next week in Brazil against Jamahal Hill, or loses and retires, it opens the door for Pereira to move up. The light heavyweight division has a ton of strikers as well, which further favors 'Poatan', who will be even more powerful in a higher weight class.
Pereira was a two-division champion in Glory Kickboxing prior to signing with the UFC. If things fall in place for the Brazilian this year, he could enter 2024 as a double champion in the world's leading MMA promotion.
#1. Jon Jones – Former UFC light heavyweight champion
Arguably the greatest fighter in UFC history, Jon Jones, will finally return to the octagon in 2023. The former light heavyweight champion is undoubtedly one of the best pound-for-pound fighters to ever compete inside the octagon.
Following his final title defense at 205 pounds against Dominick Reyes in 2020, Jones opted to vacate the belt and subsequently set his sights on the heavyweight crown. Ever since then, 'Bones' has been packing on quite a bit of size and muscle as he prepares to make the move up.
A fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou was heavily rumored heading into 2023, but it appears as though the promotion is heading down a different route. Jones is now set to take on former interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March.
Gane is the most dynamic striker in the heavyweight division but doesn't possess the fight-ending power of Ngannou. Jones will have his work cut out for him against the elusive and cerebral 'Bon Gamin', but will still favor this stylistic matchup.
It remains to be seen how Jones' three-year hiatus and physical transformation will translate into the heavyweight division. If he comes out on top, it'll be hard to argue against his standing as the greatest fighter ever.
