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Ilia Topuria is widely regarded as one of the most dominant fighters on the current UFC roster, boasting an unbeaten record. He became the new UFC lightweight champion after defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
This victory marks the second championship win in Topuria's career, as he previously held the title in the featherweight division. While many consider the Georgian-Spaniard to be a double champion, the question remains: Is he truly one? Let’s explore Topuria's eligibility as a UFC double champion.
Is Ilia Topuria a double champion?
Technically, Ilia Topuria is not a UFC double champion. Instead, he is a two-division champion.
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Throughout the history of the UFC, only four fighters have become double champions by holding titles in two divisions at the same time. These fighters are Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo, and Amanda Nunes.
Topuria, on the other hand, did not hold both the featherweight and lightweight titles at the same time. He vacated the 145-pound weight class championship to move up to the 155-pound division
There are not many fighters who can call themselves UFC double champions, but there are many more who have enjoyed being two-division champions. Retired UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre was one of them.
'Rush' reigned as the UFC welterweight champion and successfully defended his title several times. However, he never moved up to challenge for the middleweight championship while still holding the 170-pound division belt.
Notably, after vacating the welterweight title in 2013, St-Pierre returned to the octagon to face Michael Bisping for the middleweight championship at UFC 217. By defeating Bisping, the Canadian fighter added his name to the esteemed list of two-division UFC champions.
In addition to St-Pierre, other notable names who have become two-division champions include Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, Jon Jones, Alex Pereira, and, most recently, Ilia Topuria.
