5 UFC fighters who could become the first triple champion in different weight classes

Winning one UFC title is an incredible milestone few will ever achieve. Some of the best-ever fighters have gone one better and won gold in two different divisions. However, for the moment, no one has ever managed to become a world champion in three different weight classes.

This is not surprising given just how challenging it would be to pull off. Very few fighters have competed in three different divisions, let alone climbed to the top of each of them. In recent times, however, there have been a few fighters who have indicated their desire to do so.

It is much easier said than done. It requires a specific body type able to compete at various weights, favorable match-ups to do so, and above all else, a ridiculous amount of skill. With this in mind, certain fighters on the roster are in a much better position to attempt this than others.

Here are five current UFC fighters who have the best chance of becoming the first-ever three-division world champion:

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#5. Kamaru Usman - UFC welterweight champion

Usman has exclusively competed at welterweight.

It might be surprising to some that the pound-for-pound king of the UFC only comes in at number five on this list. Kamaru Usman is a dominant champion who constantly seems to improve with every performance in the octagon. However, he might have his work cut out to win the title in three different divisions.

For Usman to pull this off, he'd have to become champion at welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight. He's already done that at 170 lbs. While he does not want to face current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, should someone else take that belt, you would fancy his chances at 185lbs.

The issue here is that a move up to 205lbs would be challenging to pull off. While Usman could beat some light heavyweights on the roster today, he would likely be undersized against the division’s elite. However, as he stands a good chance of becoming a champ-champ, you can't rule out a possible hat-trick.

#4. Charles Oliveira - UFC lightweight champion

Oliveira has competed at featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight.

UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira might be better placed than many to become a three-division titleholder as he would not face a considerable size disadvantage in the divisions. Oliveira has competed at featherweight in the past. He would likely pursue that belt and the welterweight title to pull this off.

Oliveira has indicated that he is interested in pursuing both of these belts, and sitting between the two weight divisions gives him a good chance. While cutting down to featherweight might be difficult, should he do so, he would have a considerable size advantage over current champion Alexander Volkanoski.

A fight at welterweight, however, would likely be a trickier proposition. What hurts Oliveira’s chances is that he will have to beat two of the best champions in the sport, Volkanovski, and Kamaru Usman, to do so. There is also not a ton of demand to see him in these fights, so you wonder if he’ll even get the opportunity to try.

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#3. Israel Adesanya - UFC middleweight champion

Israel Adesanya has competed at middleweight and light heavyweight.

Israel Adesanya has already attempted to become a multi-division champion. While he was unsuccessful in his first attempt to win light heavyweight gold against Jan Blachowicz, he wasn’t too far away and has indicated he would like to try this again.

‘The Last Stylebender’ owns the middleweight gold and may like his chances against current light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira. The issue, then, is that it would be difficult to jump up to the heavyweight division. However, Adesanya does have experience competing in that division in kickboxing.

If Adesanya were able to win the belt at 205lbs, he would then be just one strike away from potentially becoming the first three-division world champion. Given his striking prowess, he might be able to pull that off. To do so, Adesanya would have to focus on bulking up, which he hasn’t committed to in the past.

#2. Conor McGregor - former UFC featherweight & lightweight champion

McGregor has competed at featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight.

While his recent UFC performances may make winning a belt in three different divisions unlikely, Conor McGregor cannot be ranked any lower on this list. He already holds featherweight and lightweight titles, so he only needs to add one more belt to become the first-ever three-division world champion.

‘The Notorious’ has multiple wins at welterweight, so he is comfortable at 170lbs. He is also the biggest star in the sport and could conceivably be inserted immediately into a title fight. That would leave him just one win away from pulling this off.

Admittedly, this is where things get tricky. McGregor would be a substantial underdog against current champion Kamaru Usman. However, the Irish star’s devastating left hand has won him championships in the past, so it doesn’t seem impossible that he could once again become a champion.

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#1. Henry Cejudo - former UFC flyweight & bantamweight champion

Henry Cejudo has competed at both flyweight and bantamweight.

Not long ago, Henry Cejudo retired from MMA. However, he’s recently rejoined the USADA drug-testing pool, indicating his return to action could come to fruition soon. While he may not be in the promotion’s good books, he is a former two-division champion.

Cejudo won flyweight gold from Demetrious Johnson, then moved up and won the bantamweight title, leaving the 125lbs division behind him. Naturally, the third title in his sights would be featherweight, and he has talked at length about his desire to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for that title.

While you might expect Cejudo to be undersized at featherweight, there isn't much difference on that front compared to the current champion. If he can continue to utilize his Olympic gold-medal wrestling skills in that division, he appears to have the best chance of pulling off this milestone.