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There are certain UFC fighters who are leagues above their peers. Such mixed martial artists generally separate themselves from the rest of the pack by displaying their skills and accomplishments. Some embark on long title reigns, dispatching every challenger with highlight reel finishes.
Others break several records, like the number of knockouts earned in one division or another. However, a select class of the best among the best is capable of capturing a second title in another division. Though at times, it isn't always due to a disparity in their skills and abilities when compared to their colleagues.
Sometimes, a favorable set of circumstances arises. Stylistically easier matchups might be prevalent in other divisions. In other instances, a combination of all these variables enables fighters to follow in the footsteps of Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes, and others. This list identifies five fighters with the potential to do so.
#5. Jon Jones, former UFC light heavyweight champion
In the eyes of many people, Jon Jones is the greatest fighter in MMA history. His well-rounded skill set renders him comfortable in every facet of the sport. Whether he's grappling with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt on the mat or outstriking kickboxers, he's unusually exceptional.
Since vacating his 205-pound title, 'Bones' has set his sights on capturing UFC gold in the heavyweight division. While it could prove a difficult task due to the former UFC champion's overreliance on his height and length, he matches up well against a post-injury Francis Ngannou to be a threat.
In the clinch, Jones' Greco-Roman wrestling background affords him a better skill set at such close range than Ngannou. Furthermore, 'Bones' is a much better in-fighter, often using wrist ties to force his foes to tug their trapped arms downwards and away from their upper body.
Doing so exposes their heads to elbows over the top. Once his opponents begin ducking under his elbows, Jones intercepts them with knees and uppercuts. If they dare use under-hooks to control him in the clinch, he uses his leverage to crank their shoulders.
While Jones' post-and-retreat line of defense could be a liability against a foe as long and tall as Ngannou, the Cameroonian's recent knee injury could also be a liability. The injury came with poor timing and will render 'The Predator's knee an easy target for Jones' oblique kicks.
#4. Alex Pereira, current UFC middleweight champion
Alex Pereira is a force to be reckoned with regardless of which division he fights in. The former two-division Glory kickboxing champion recently captured the UFC middleweight title. In his prior run as a kickboxer, he captured titles at both middleweight and light heavyweight.
As things stand, he is primed to repeat that feat in the UFC as well. 'Poatan' will be difficult for anyone to outstrike. His vulnerability appears to be wrestling. However, the UFC light heavyweight division is devoid of strong wrestlers and grapplers, with the exception of a few fighters.
Besides Glover Teixeira, there is no other strong grappler hovering around the title scene. Even Magomed Ankalaev, who has a background in Greco-Roman wrestling and combat sambo, is not an exceptionally skilled grappler who strikes. Instead, he is a generalist.
The Dagestani fighter will face Jan Błachowicz for the divisional title. If Glover Teixeira is unable to defeat either one for the title next, Alex Pereira has as good a chance as any. Both Ankalaev and Błachowicz are counterpunchers. Unfortunately, this means they match up well with Pereira's striking.
They cede space, which will enable 'Poatan' to stalk them patiently. Furthermore, they might not grasp the mechanics of his left hook. To land a left hook, one must stand close enough to the opponent to be countered by their left hook. To the misfortune of Pereira's foes, his left hook is lethal.
He keeps his shoulders square while opening up his chest. This shortens the arc that his left hook must travel through, allowing him to land his left hook first. Against either Ankalaev or Błachowicz, he'll counter their counter-left hooks, and the punches that fighters don't see coming are the ones that most hurt.
#3. Alexander Volkanovski, UFC men's featherweight champion
Islam Makhachev reigns supreme in the lightweight division. After his dominant win against Charles Oliveira, it is difficult to imagine anyone dethroning Dagestan's latest UFC titleholder. However, reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has as good a chance as anyone at defeating him.
While 'The Great' certainly isn't a better grappler or wrestler than Makhachev, he's good enough that his physical stature compensates for any skill gap. A fighter's physical attributes go a long way in enhancing their skills. For example, no one will ever mistake Alexander Gustafsson to be a better wrestler than Daniel Cormier.
Khabib Nurmagomedov struggled more than usual to take down Al Iaquinta. The American's shorter stature meant that 'The Eagle' needed to use greater level changes to get under his foe. This meant Al Iaquinta had more time to prepare for his takedown shots.
Volkanovski is even shorter and is a better defensive wrestler than Iaquinta, relative to Nurmagomedov. Makhachev might struggle when it comes to wrestling him. If he cannot consistently outwrestle him, he'll be thoroughly outstruck due to his reliance on the jab and Volkanovski's exceptional ability at countering jabs.
'The Great' interrupts his opponent's jab with his own, stepping forward at the same time to stop them from building into combos. Upon interrupting them, he throws an overhand-right over the top of their jab. Alternatively, he uses calf kicks to counter-jabbing opponents every time they expose their lead as they step in.
#2. Khamzat Chimaev, UFC welterweight fighter
Khamzat Chimaev is yet to capture a UFC title. However, as things stand, he is well-equipped to capture the title in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions. The undefeated Chechen-Swede grappler is the largest welterweight by a significant margin.
He is powerful enough to knock anyone out in the top five, least of all due to Colby Covington carrying accumulative damage from his two wars with Kamaru Usman. Additionally, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' himself was recently knocked out and may never be the same again.
He is also too large, too strong, and too good of a wrestler to be outwrestled by a welterweight. At the same time, he is so skilled that he can outwrestle most welterweights. At middleweight, his skill set is well-suited to take advantage of the complete absence of elite wrestlers at 185 lbs.
Alex Pereira was out-grappled by a far inferior wrestler like Israel Adesanya. Furthermore, 'The Last Stylebender' himself has a bad habit of exposing his back every time he tries to stand up from the mat. This would be an open invitation for 'Borz' to back-mount and choke him out.
Few will be able to deny the undefeated Chechen in either division. Within the next year, he might be the reigning champion in both divisions.
#1. Islam Makhachev, UFC lightweight champion
If Alexander Volkanovski cannot dethrone Islam Makhachev, the Dagestani phenom will reign without incident at lightweight for as long as he wants. Stylistically, he is a nightmarish matchup for Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier. 'The Diamond' relies on scaling the fence as an anti-wrestling tool.
Unfortunately for him, Islam Makhachev, like Khabib Nurmagomedov, uses the fence to facilitate his chain wrestling. Meanwhile, 'The Highlight' has no defensive grappling whatsoever and exposes his neck whenever he defends takedowns. He pushes off his hands and feet to stand up, opening himself up to being choked out.
Michael Chandler suffers from the same predicament, and Beneil Dariush relies on forcing scrambles, which will be difficult if his legs are constantly triangled. At welterweight, Makhachev's judo skills will be problematic for all of the wrestlers hovering around the title.
Having trained with Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is well-versed in judo throws, which serve as exceptional counter-wrestling tools. Judo throws rely on the hips. Thus, wrestlers shooting into the hips for takedowns will be thrown over their own heads.
Additionally, Islam Makhachev's offensive wrestling and grappling will prove suffocating against Leon Edwards, who struggled with Kamaru Usman's chain wrestling. Lastly, unlike Usman, Makhachev possesses a submission threat on the mat. If 'Rocky' cannot get back to his feet, spending entire rounds on the bottom will lead to a quick finish.
