Double champions in MMA

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Anatoly Malykhin was the first fighter to become a three division champion in MMA history. Malykhin Anatolii (cropped).jpg
Anatoly Malykhin was the first fighter to become a three division champion in MMA history.

Double belt, double champion (or simultaneous champion in cases where the belts are won without abandoning or losing the other) is an achievement made by mixed martial artists in several categories.

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Controversies

Some sports experts argue that a double championship could be detrimental to the divisions that the champion competes in. The progression of the divisions may be blocked, which can be considered unfair to other challengers. This can be due to the fact that MMA athletes cannot compete in short periods of time (except for rare circumstances, such as fights that end quickly and/or without injury) and must have adequate time for recovery and training camp. Furthermore, athletes need time to adjust their weight, which can further delay title fights. [2]

Historical double-champions of the main associations

NºNameDivisionTitleDefensesOrganizationSimultaneous
1 Randy Couture Heavyweight19970 UFC No
20022
20071
Light heavyweight20030
20030
20040
2 Dan Henderson Welterweight20070 PRIDE Yes
Middleweight20050
3 B.J. Penn Welterweight20040 UFC No
Lightweight20083
4 Joe Warren Featherweight20100 Bellator No
Bantamweight20140
20140
5 David Branch Light heavyweight20151 WSOF Yes
Middleweight20142
6 Mamed Khalidov Middleweight20151 KSW No
Light heavyweight20091
7 Conor McGregor Lightweight20160 UFC Yes
Featherweight20150
20150
8 Georges St-Pierre Middleweight20170 UFC No
Welterweight20060
20070
20089
9 Martin Nguyen Lightweight20170 ONE Yes
Featherweight20173
10 Aung La Nsang Light heavyweight20181 ONE Yes
Middleweight20173
11 Mateusz Gamrot Featherweight20180 KSW Yes
Lightweight20164
12 Daniel Cormier Heavyweight20181 UFC Yes
Light heavyweight20153
13 Amanda Nunes Featherweight20182 UFC Yes
Bantamweight20165
14 Ryan Bader Heavyweight20190 Bellator Yes
Light heavyweight20171
15 Henry Cejudo Bantamweight20191 UFC Yes
Flyweight20181
16

Patricio Freire

Lightweight20190 Bellator Yes
Featherweight20142
20175
17

Roberto Soldić

Middleweight20210 KSW Yes
Welterweight20170
20182
18 Reinier de Ridder [3] Middleweight20202 ONE Yes
Light Heavyweight20210
19 Christian Lee Lightweight20220 ONE Yes
Welterweight20220
20Salahdine ParnasseLightweight20233 KSW Yes
Featherweight20212
21

Jon Jones

Heavyweight20231 UFC No
Light heavyweight20118
20183
22

Kyoji Horiguchi

Flyweight20231 RIZIN FF No
Bantamweight20180
20200
23 Anatoly Malykhin Light Heavyweight20220 ONE Yes
Heavyweight20230
Middleweight20240
24 Alex Pereira Middleweight20220 UFC No
Light heavyweight20233
25 Larissa Pacheco Lightweight20220 PFL Yes
Featherweight20230
26 Ilia Topuria Featherweight20241 UFC No
Lightweight20250

List of double champions by country and organization

References

  1. ↑ Dewar, Val (2024-03-01). "ONE 166: Anatoly Malykhin Becomes First Triple-Champ in MMA History". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  2. ↑ Will Adesanya become champions? The four fighters who became twice UFC
  3. ↑ https://www.onefc.com/athletes/reinier-de-ridder/ Reinier De Ridder, "The Dutch Knight"
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