Top 10 UFC double champions - ranked

In the world of the UFC, it's hard to win one title, let alone two in different weight classes. However, ten fighters in the promotion's history have managed this.

So with five double champions and five simultaneous double champions, who ranks as the best in UFC history?

Naturally, it's hard to rank these fighters. All ten were or are incredible talents, but it's fair to suggest that some were more dominant than others.

Here, then, are the UFC's ten double champions, ranked.

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#10. Conor McGregor - former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion

The biggest star in UFC history, Conor McGregor also stands as the first fighter to win two titles in different weight classes simultaneously.

'The Notorious' had a rapid rise up the rankings at featherweight following his debut in 2013. He beat lower-level foes with ease to begin with, then became a contender by knocking out Dustin Poirier.

McGregor had to wait for his clash with longtime champ Jose Aldo, winning an interim title against Chad Mendes beforehand. When he did get his shot at the Brazilian, though, he capitalised hugely and knocked him out in 13 seconds to claim the title.

After splitting a pair of fights at 170 pounds with Nate Diaz, 'The Notorious' then moved to lightweight, where he knocked out Eddie Alvarez in a dominant showing to claim his second title at the end of 2016.

McGregor ranks low on this list, though, because he's the only fighter here who has never made a single defense of either of his titles.

Sure, the fact that he gave them up to pursue a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather made him millions of dollars richer, but it also harmed his legacy. The Irishman has won just once since that Alvarez victory.

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#9. BJ Penn - former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion

BJ Penn is a fascinating case in the fact that, unlike most of the other fighters on this list, he won his first title in a heavier weight class than his second.

'The Prodigy' burst onto the scene as a 155-pounder in 2001 and immediately stormed up the rankings. After losing his first title shot, he was unfortunate not to claim the lightweight title in 2003 when the judges strangely declared his fight with Caol Uno a draw.

The Hawaiian rebounded, though, and shocked the world by dethroning longtime welterweight champ Matt Hughes at the start of 2004. It was Penn's first fight at 170 pounds.

Rather than go on to defend his title, though, Penn departed the UFC for a big-money contract with Japanese promotion K-1, angering Dana White in the process.

'The Prodigy' did return in early 2006, though. After failing to regain the welterweight title, he dropped to 155 pounds and claimed the gold there instead.

This time Penn did put on a dominant reign, defending his title three times, although his time as champion was shorter than many remember, just over two years.

Had the Hawaiian held onto either of his titles for longer, he could've been ranked more highly in this list, but it's hard not to count his 2004 departure against him here.

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#8. Ilia Topuria - former UFC featherweight and current lightweight champion

The latest fighter to become a double champion is, of course, Ilia Topuria.

'El Matador' wrecked Charles Oliveira this weekend at UFC 317 to claim lightweight gold after voluntarily giving up his featherweight title earlier this year.

2024 had seen Topuria make history by claiming that title, knocking out longtime champion Alexander Volkanovski. In doing so, he became one of the few fighters to win a UFC title while unbeaten overall.

It's fair to say that Topuria's reign at 145 pounds did not last very long, but the fact that his single title defense came against Max Holloway says a lot. 'El Matador' can always say he beat two of the consensus greatest three featherweights of all time.

It's too early to rank Topuria any higher here, as for all we know, his lightweight title reign could prove to be a footnote. Based on what he's achieved thus far, though, that feels doubtful, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him top a list like this in the future.

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#7. Georges St-Pierre - former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion

Generally considered the greatest fighter in UFC and MMA history, Georges St-Pierre ran roughshod over the welterweight division for the best part of a decade.

'GSP' held the welterweight title twice between 2006 and 2013, with his second reign lasting over five years.

From his octagon debut in 2003 to his initial retirement in 2013, the Canadian basically beat every other great 170-pounder on the planet, from Matt Hughes and BJ Penn to Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit.

However, St-Pierre's reign as middleweight champion was far less successful. He returned from a four-year absence to dethrone Michael Bisping in a thriller at the end of 2017, but whether he deserved a shot is debatable in itself.

To add to this, 'GSP' didn't even attempt to defend his title, relinquishing it in 2018, citing health issues stemming from his move up to 185 pounds.

In conclusion, then, St-Pierre's run at 170 pounds marks him out as the greatest, but in terms of double champions, it's hard to consider him higher.

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#6. Alex Pereira - former UFC middleweight and light-heavyweight champion

Few fighters in UFC history were able to reach the top quite so fast as former middleweight and light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

'Poatan' entered the octagon as one of the most decorated strikers in the promotion's history, and quickly did some damage, short-circuiting three foes to earn a middleweight title shot.

Sure, he took a shortcut of sorts due to his previous kickboxing rivalry with then-champ Israel Adesanya, but he still had to beat 'The Last Stylebender', a very dominant champion.

Pereira did just that, shocking everyone by knocking Adesanya out in the fifth round to claim his first MMA title.

The Brazilian's run as a 185-pound kingpin did not last long, as Adesanya took his revenge and reclaimed his crown just a few months later.

However, a move to 205 pounds in late 2023 proved to be very fruitful, as 'Poatan' knocked out Jiri Prochazka to claim the light-heavyweight title. He then defended it against three opponents before losing it to Magomed Ankalaev earlier this year.

With six wins over former UFC champions in a short space of time, Pereira has marked himself out as a genuine all-time great, but his lack of dominance at 185 pounds means he can't be ranked any higher here.

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#5. Jon Jones - former UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion

It's arguable that Jon Jones is the most controversial fighter on this list, entirely thanks to his questionable reign with the heavyweight title.

Nobody can really question his accomplishments at light-heavyweight. 'Bones' became the youngest champion in UFC history when he dethroned Shogun Rua in 2011, and by then he'd already beaten great fighters like Ryan Bader.

From there, he defended his crown against a who's who at 205 pounds, beating the likes of Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira.

Two failed drug tests and twice being stripped of his title did put a stain on Jones' legacy, but it's still hard to argue with his performances in the octagon.

His run as a heavyweight, though, is another thing entirely.

Sure, it wasn't his fault that he had to beat Ciryl Gane rather than Francis Ngannou for the title. Ngannou chose to leave the UFC after all.

However, 'Bones' then proceeded to pursue a defense against Stipe Miocic, who was clearly past his best, and ignored the threat of interim champ Tom Aspinall for nearly two years before retiring this year.

Had Jones simply fought Aspinall - even if he'd lost - then he may be ranked more highly here. However, despite his dominance at 205 pounds, his final year really left a bad taste overall.

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#4. Daniel Cormier - former UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion

Probably Jon Jones' greatest-ever rival, Daniel Cormier comes in one spot above 'Bones' on this list despite none of his title reigns being as dominant as Jones' time as light-heavyweight champ.

That's because 'DC' took all three of his title reigns seriously and was willing to fight the top contenders at the time, even if they weren't always the biggest names in the divisions.

Cormier's first title reign came in 2015 with the light-heavyweight title, as he claimed the crown vacated by Jones when the latter was stripped following a hit-and-run incident.

This reign was probably his most memorable, as he made defenses against Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson, and also beat Anderson Silva in a memorable non-title fight.

Cormier lost the title to Jones in 2017 but had it returned to him when the latter tested positive for PEDs. This time, he made a single defense before moving to heavyweight and becoming the third simultaneous double champ in UFC history by beating Stipe Miocic.

'DC' vacated his 205-pound title shortly after, and also lost the heavyweight crown back to Miocic in his second defense, although he did first defend against Derrick Lewis.

There's an argument that Cormier was never the outright "best" fighter in either of his divisions, but as a champion, he was exemplary, and he should absolutely rank highly on a list of the double champions.

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#3. Henry Cejudo - former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion

The self-proclaimed 'greatest combat athlete of all time', Henry Cejudo was marked out for greatness prior to his UFC debut thanks to his 2008 Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling.

It did take 'Triple C' a while to get comfortable in the octagon, though, as he was easily defeated by Demetrious Johnson in his first flyweight title shot.

Cejudo rebounded well, though, and in his second attempt at the gold two years later, he came up trumps. In a tight bout to call, the gold medallist dethroned 'Mighty Mouse', becoming the first man to ever defeat him at 125 pounds.

Cejudo's first and only defense was an odd one, as he was faced with bantamweight titleholder TJ Dillashaw, who moved down in an attempt to become a simultaneous double champ.

Dillashaw's attempt failed miserably, though, as Cejudo violently knocked him out. Later, he tested positive for EPO and was stripped of his crown, and so it only made sense for Cejudo to go after that, too.

Sure enough, 'Triple C' stopped Marlon Moraes to become the UFC's fourth simultaneous double champ, and he went on to defend his new 135-pound title against the legendary Dominick Cruz.

Had Cejudo not retired briefly in 2020, giving up both of his titles in the process, he could well have found himself at the top of this list. His legacy is secured, but he could've achieved even more.

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#2. Randy Couture - former UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion

The UFC's first-ever two-division champion, Randy Couture is now considered persona non grata with the promotion thanks to a spat with Dana White.

However, while his overall MMA record of 19-11 is hardly outstanding compared to some of the other fighters on this list, it's impossible to play down his accomplishments.

'The Natural' entered the UFC in 1997 following a hugely successful amateur wrestling career and immediately showed his talents. He won UFC 13's heavyweight tournament and then became the first fighter to beat Vitor Belfort, who looked unstoppable at the time.

Couture followed that by winning his first heavyweight title, dethroning Maurice Smith, although a contract dispute meant he left the promotion before he could defend it.

His second reign was more successful, as he returned to reclaim his crown from Kevin Randleman and made two excellent defenses.

When he lost it to Josh Barnett, though, it felt like his career was probably over. After all, he was pushing 40 years old.

Of course, everyone knows what happened from there. Couture dropped to 205 pounds, thrashed Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, and became a two-time light-heavyweight champion before initially retiring in 2006.

Remarkably, even then, the story didn't end. 'The Natural' returned from retirement in 2007 to become heavyweight champion again, this time defeating the much larger Tim Sylvia.

Couture eventually lost his title to Brock Lesnar in 2008, and would retire - this time for good - in 2011.

While none of his title reigns were truly dominant per say, the fact that he was able to find such success at an advanced age, and upset the odds against great fighters so many times means he remains an absolute legend.

In addition, Couture's remarkable longevity makes it impossible not to rank him highly on this list.

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#1. Amanda Nunes - former UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion

The only female fighter on this list, it's not a stretch to say that Amanda Nunes should also be considered the UFC's greatest double champion.

Sure, she didn't face the same kind of competition that Georges St-Pierre or Jon Jones did, but to be so dominant over two divisions - at the same time - for the best part of a decade is incredible.

'The Lioness' first claimed the bantamweight title when she defeated Miesha Tate in the headline bout at UFC 200 in 2016.

Believe it or not, many fans saw her as a placeholder at the time, particularly when she was matched with former champ Ronda Rousey in her first defense.

Nunes smashed Rousey, though, and then went on to beat the likes of Valentina Shevchenko and Holly Holm too.

In 2018, she shocked the world by defeating Cris Cyborg—the most feared female fighter of all time—to claim the featherweight title, making her the UFC's third simultaneous double champion.

From there, 'The Lioness' dominated all comers in both divisions until her retirement in 2023, with the only blemish being a defeat to Julianna Pena that she later avenged.

In total, Nunes ended her career with nine wins over other fighters who held UFC titles, a scarcely-believable number. She's not the greatest fighter of all time, but in terms of double champions, she belongs at the top of the list.