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Only four fighters have been simultaneous two-division champions in the history of the UFC - Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo.
If you remove the "simultaneous" tag and just consider two-division champions, other UFC legends like Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn and Randy Couture will enter the fray. Still, only seven fighters in the history of the UFC have won the strap in two separate weight classes, showing just how tough the feat is.
Over time, the status of being a two-division champion has increased in importance, with it believed to be one of the biggest factors in deciding pound-for-pound greatness. We've seen several fighters talk about their desire to achieve the feat.
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Here are five UFC fighters who could become two-division champions in the near future.
Honorable Mentions: Kamaru Usman, Petr Yan, Dustin Poirier, Jose Aldo
#5 UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz
One of the most underrated champions in the UFC right now, Jan Blachowicz has taken over the light heavyweight division since Jon Jones vacated the belt. Winning the title with a brutal knockout of Dominick Reyes and following it up with a dominant display against Israel Adesanya, the Pole has established himself as a fighter who deserves to be at the pinnacle of the division.
Blachowicz is at the top of his game right now after a remarkable career resurgence in the UFC and could search for bigger challenges if he racks up a few title defenses at 205 lbs. He has been vocal about his desire to fight Jon Jones at any cost and won't be out of place at heavyweight.
Speaking about moving up, Blachowicz said ahead of UFC 259:
“I want to do maybe two or three more fights, maybe four in 205 and then I will go to heavyweight. Not after this fight. Maybe if UFC call to me, ‘Hey, we got a different proposition for you, maybe we go to heavyweight’. ‘OK, how much money you going to give me for this?’ And I will start thinking about this. But I would like to do a couple more fights in 205 and after I don’t know. Maybe two, three years I will go to heavyweight.”
As a decently sized light heavyweight with serious knockout power and proficient wrestling, Blachowicz could be a real problem at heavyweight.
#4 UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira
Another fighter who has won a UFC title after years of mediocre performances in the promotion, Charles Oliveira clinched the lightweight strap with a brilliant comeback win against Michael Chandler at UFC 262 earlier this year. The Brazilian, who has unlocked his true potential since moving up to lightweight, could compete again at 145 lbs if the right opportunity presents itself.
Cutting down to featherweight took a massive toll on Oliveira's performances, and he has always maintained that he feels much better at 155 lbs. But having understood himself much better over the last few years, where he has put together an undefeated run, 'Do Bronx' admitted that he hasn't closed the door on a potential return to featherweight.
“I still feel like a featherweight. If Dana White gave me the opportunity to go back to the featherweight division and win, I’d take it.”
Oliveira is one of the most well-rounded fighters on the roster and would have a significant size advantage over the others in the featherweight division. He has already suffered many losses to the weight class' best fighters, but Oliveira 2.0 could easily be a two-division champion if the solves the weight-cutting puzzle.
#3 UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko
A section of fans would swear that Valentina Shevchenko should've already been crowned a two-division champion.
At UFC 215 in September 2017, Amanda Nunes edged 'Bullet' in a highly controversial split decision, following up on her win at UFC 196 in March 2016. Shevchenko then moved to the UFC's new flyweight division and clinched the title, while Nunes has ruled over the bantamweight and featherweight divisions with an iron fist.
Both women have expressed an interest in the trilogy, with UFC president Dana White willing to book it for the third time as well. Shevchenko and Nunes have dominated their respective divisions over the last few years, and have very few interesting challenges in the UFC.
Can Shevchenko use her technical superiority to finally get one over Nunes, who holds a significant size and power differential? Truth be told, if anyone can dethrone 'The Lioness', it's the current UFC flyweight champion, despite the physical disparity.
#2 UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya
The only fighter on this list to have already taken a crack at being a two-division champion, Israel Adesanya suffered his first professional loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259.
'The Last Stylebender' decided to enter the fight with a lean figure, resulting in him being pinned to the mat for a significant portion of the five rounds. Adesanya has since moved back to middleweight and defended his title against Marvin Vettori, but has been vocal about his intent to return to 205 lbs and compete for the title once again.
Adesanya, who is improving rapidly by the day, might consider a different approach for his second quest at light heavyweight. And only a fool would bet against him using his unparalleled kickboxing to become a two-division UFC champion.
#1 Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones
Jon Jones' move to heavyweight, which has been teased for years, is still treated with a dollop of salt.
'Bones' has continually expressed an interest in fighting the best at heavyweight, but a pay dispute with the UFC and a self-confessed need to take his time during the transition have kept him on the sidelines for almost two years now.
Jones has stated that he'll return to the UFC in 2022, when he will look to become a two-division champion.
Can Jon Jones be Jon Jones at heavyweight? His last two performances have been lackluster; he will be up against absolute killers; he hasn't stepped foot in the octagon in a minute. But it would be impossible to bet against one of the greatest of all time.
