In the ever-evolving landscape of the UFC, few stories capture the imagination quite like the pursuit of dual-division supremacy. And on the path of this very supremacy are the two titans who have vacated their now former thrones in a quest to capture the throne one weight class above theirs. However, the point to notice is that in the past, champions could fight for the title above while holding the belt in their division. The case isn’t the same for Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.
When Jack Della Maddalena beat Belal Muhammad after dominating him for five rounds in the main event of UFC 315, the outcome opened the gate for two future title fights. First is between the Aussie striker himself and Makhachev for the welterweight gold, with a fight date not revealed. And the second is the main event of UFC’s International Fight Week. Set for UFC 317, Topuria’s wishes also came true when Islam vacated his title, leading to ‘El Matador ”s clash with Charles Oliveira at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Spanish-Georgian Striker had to vacate his belt and wait for months before the news of his lightweight title shot became official. Now, as his title shot is confirmed against Oliveira, for the MMA community, it seems one thing is certain. The UFC does not want to risk stagnation in the divisions and avoid a long-term regret due to the feasibility of such ambitions.
While in a session with the MMA Today podcast, former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira talked about this unofficial UFC initiative. And ‘Do Bronxs’ believes that the UFC is on to the double-champion dreamers. Oliveira said, “Look what we actually learned is that there’s no more fighting for two belts. Right? You either go fight for what you want or make it happen like Topuria did you know? Islam didn’t do that. Islam waited until the last minute to vacate his belt, knowing 100% he would fight Jack Maddalena. I think this will happen in Australia, it will be a great fight.”
Charles Oliveira, known for his resilience and straightforwardness, didn’t mince words when addressing the current state of dual-title pursuits in the UFC. Reflecting on the recent shifts in championship dynamics, he understood Makhachev had made his calculations before making any announcements and gave respect to Topuria for making his lightweight title shot happen on his own.
Charles Oliveira says the era of double champs is over
“Islam didn’t chase it like Topuria did… he waited till the last minute to vacate.”
mma today pic.twitter.com/Bfjml5LWjG
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 19, 2025
However, throughout the history of the UFC, not every double-champ has held both belts simultaneously. Yet, they too are considered by a majority of the fans as some of the greatest fighters to ever grace the UFC Octagon.
Former UFC champions who moved up in weight to challenge for the gold
Throughout UFC history, several former champions have dared to ascend to a higher weight class, seeking to claim titles in multiple divisions. These bold moves have led to some of the most memorable moments in mixed martial arts and have played a big role in establishing the roots so deeply for the UFC.
Considered by many as the greatest lightweight ever, B.J. Penn began his UFC career at the 155-pound division but achieved his first title at welterweight by submitting Matt Hughes at UFC 46. He later returned to lightweight and won the title by defeating Joe Stevenson at UFC 80. Penn’s title run as the king of the 155-pounders saw him garner three title defenses against the likes of Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian, and Diego Sanchez.
Another fighter among the ‘G.O.A.T.s’, the Canadian, Georges St-Pierre, in a dominant run as the welterweight champion, gathered 10 straight title defenses and beat the likes of Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, and even BJ Penn. He vacated his 170-pound belt after a controversial win over Johny Hendricks. Then he returned from a four-year hiatus to move up to middleweight, where he won the middleweight title by submitting Michael Bisping at UFC 217.
Then comes the fan-favorite, ‘Poatan’. Alex Pereira began his UFC career at middleweight, and with just three fights in the UFC, he was given a title shot, where he was crowned the middleweight champion by defeating an arch-rival in Israel Adesanya. And after losing the rematch to ‘The Last Stylebender’ and losing the 185-pound belt, he moved to the 205 division and after earning a shot by beating Jan Blachowicz, the former middleweight champion finished Jiri Prochazka in the second round at UFC 295 to become the champion in the light-heavyweight division as well.
Will fate be the same for Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria? After all, MMA is a cruel sport to follow. Both the fighters have raised the expectations above the bar for themselves. The reward is high but the risk is also there. Will Makhachev and Topuria prevail? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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