MMA remains to be a comparatively new skilled sport, nevertheless it has created loads of historic moments, and the UFC, the game’s most recognizable promotion, has developed numerous stars.
Many fighters have constructed spectacular data, spotlight reels full of untamed knockouts and loopy submissions and some have entered the fraternity of UFC champions. However even amongst those that have reached the highest of the mountain of their division, there may be a fair larger stage of uncommon air that solely a handful of fighters have ever reached.
“Champ-champ” standing — proudly owning titles in two divisions concurrently.
In keeping with former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier, profitable even one UFC title is “practically not possible”. In simply over 30 years of the UFC internet hosting struggle occasions, solely 107 completely different fighters (not together with the champions who’ve held a title greater than as soon as) have held a title in any of the promotion’s 12 weight courses. Of these 107 fighters, solely seven have even challenged for a second belt. And of these seven fighters, solely 4 (Cormier, Henry Cejudo, Conor McGregor and Amanda Nunes) have ever really gained.
“It takes world-class ranges of dedication, talent, athleticism and even some luck,” Cormier informed ESPN.
But, many UFC champs have referred to as for his or her shot at a title holder in a distinct division — some have even been daring sufficient to take action earlier than their first title protection. How, then, can we separate those that have earned the suitable to problem for a second title from those that nonetheless have extra work to do?
After surveying reigning champions, former champs and different UFC fighters, we have developed a proposal for “The Double Champ Guidelines.”
The first step: Win the primary title
No person needs to listen to about your double champ aspirations if in case you have but to earn your first title. It is simply that straightforward. However profitable that first belt isn’t any straightforward process.
“I do know everybody needs to be a UFC champion, however there have been so few individuals to come back by the game and obtain that, so it is not a given,” Cormier stated. “Being a double champion is so uncommon that it might’t be the main target for a fighter early. It has to occur organically.”
To earn a title shot, a fighter should work their approach up the division’s ranks, progressively taking over more difficult opponents whereas dealing with extra strain to win. And, in lots of circumstances, simply profitable is not even sufficient — loads of fighters have piled up resolution wins solely to get handed over in favor of somebody with fewer wins however extra finishes or fights which might be thought-about extra entertaining.
Each fighter’s entry level within the UFC is completely different, although. Some fighters needed to work their approach up from the figurative backside of the roster — like welterweight champion Leon Edwards — who made his first look within the Octagon in 2014 and compiled a powerful 11-2, 1 NC report earlier than profitable the title in 2022.
Different fighters, similar to gentle heavyweight champ Alex Pereira, seemed to be fast-tracked to a title shot. Pereira joined the UFC after an in depth kickboxing profession that featured a storied rivalry with then-middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Due to the hype round a possible matchup in MMA between the 2, after simply three fights within the Octagon, Pereira received a title shot towards Adesanya, which he gained.
In the end, it would not matter the way you get the title. Simply do not let anybody hear you utter the phrases “double champ” with out it.
Step two: Clear your division or Turn into a famous person
That is the place we hit a fork within the street, however finishing one in every of these choices is important to earn a shot at a second gold strap. And although each of the paths are difficult, one is undoubtedly preferable. Listed here are the choices: regularly beat title challengers till you’ve got gone by everybody or turn out to be an plain famous person.
Choice A: Beat all challengers
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“Turning into a champ is sort of not possible, however clearing your division is even more durable,” Cormier stated.
Clearing out the division is the most typical path. If claiming the throne is grueling, then sustaining your place there’s no simpler. In some circumstances, beating fighters on the best way up is not sufficient. Generally, you continue to need to tackle foes you’ve got already defeated en path to profitable a title, and in uncommon conditions, you would have to do this a number of occasions.
Simply have a look at Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo. Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko. We noticed Moreno-Figueiredo 4 occasions. Volkanovski-Holloway squared off thrice. And Grasso vs. Shevchenko 3 is predicted to be booked following the conclusion of the upcoming season of “The Final Fighter.”
Not too long ago, there have been two champions who did clear their division and nonetheless did not get a shot at changing into a double champion, former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman and former males’s bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling.
Usman had strung collectively the second-longest win streak in UFC historical past, which featured 5 title defenses earlier than shedding the title in 2022. Sterling had fought by the gauntlet within the promotion’s 135-pound division to win the title and had three profitable title defenses earlier than shedding the belt final yr. After shedding their titles, each fighters determined to maneuver up in weight.
“What Usman has completed [five title defenses] is so troublesome,” Cormier stated. “I believe the times of us seeing these lengthy title runs is finished. In at this time’s MMA, three title defenses is taken into account a profitable title reign.”
Choice B: Turn into the following Conor McGregor
Alternatively, the best way to bypass every thing talked about in Choice A is to be a generational famous person. Turn into such an enormous identify and model throughout the sport that it is so financially useful for the promotion that they can not afford to not offer you that likelihood.
Nonetheless, out of the 600-plus fighters the UFC has contracted, Conor McGregor is the one fighter to do that. Loads of different stars have come by the Octagon, together with Jon Jones, who’s broadly thought to be the perfect MMA fighter of all time. However even the MMA GOAT cannot examine to the stardom that the person often known as “Infamous” has reached.
“Conor McGregor is the exception, not the rule,” Cormier stated.
Whereas McGregor’s stage of success out and in of the Octagon is one thing all fighters aspire to succeed in, doing so can solely occur organically. This can be a guidelines for a path to double champion glory, however there is no such thing as a direct path to changing into a worldwide star.
Step three: Be taught the panorama
Apart from wins and losses contained in the Octagon, timing stands out as the greatest consider figuring out if a champion will get a shot at a second title.
Is there a struggle card that wants an enormous headliner? Is there a champion who makes for a compelling matchup? Is that champion out there for a possible matchup? Is the matchup one thing that additionally is sensible from the UFC’s perspective? These are just some questions that should be answered to know the panorama earlier than establishing such a uncommon alternative.
When Cormier beat Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 to additionally declare the heavyweight title in 2018, Cormier stated he was the beneficiary of filling a necessity for the UFC and the heavyweight division on the good time.
“Star energy is overstated in MMA,” Cormier stated. “In my case, I did not have this huge star energy. I did nicely, however I wasn’t promoting huge pay-per-views. Numerous [the making of the fight with Miocic] was in regards to the worth of the matchup.
“For me, it was a chance based mostly on Stipe not having many choices. I had fought Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. I had simply crushed Volkan Oezdemir. And Stripe had completed the identical factor. He had simply crushed Francis Ngannou, who had basically run by the division. So Miocic was missing a challenger and I used to be in the suitable place on the proper time. It simply made sense.”
Cormier stated two of the opposite double champs additionally benefited from comparable conditions. Henry Cejudo, who held the lads’s flyweight and bantamweight titles from 2019 to 2020, was keen to struggle a harmful man in Marlon Moraes for the then-vacant bantamweight title. And Amanda Nunes, who held the ladies’s bantamweight and featherweight titles from 2017 to 2021, went as much as featherweight to tackle Cris Cyborg for the then-vacant belt.
Within the present period of MMA, the standard of the matchup when pairing two champions is extra essential to the UFC matchmakers than the person stardom of the fighters. With the UFC missing a number of fighters who may very well be thought-about international stars, outdoors of McGregor, Cormier stated the following champion to problem for a second belt will profit from the matchup being so marketable that the UFC cannot cross it up.
Assessing the panorama is a novel course of for every fighter, together with what changes can be crucial for them to make a transfer to compete in a brand new division. Nonetheless, step one is common: determine a possible opponent.
To choose that opponent, a fighter should have an understanding of their physique and their capabilities. Many fighters cannot add sufficient weight to maneuver as much as one other division. And most fighters aren’t capable of minimize any extra weight to make the restrict at a decrease division. Then, if that fighter could make weight, can they nonetheless compete at a championship stage with how their physique adjusts to being in a brand new division?
Step 4: Name your shot
Like in step three, timing is equally essential, however on this step, timing is all as much as the person fighter. Even when it is not for a title — or a second title — when trying to get booked for an enormous struggle, it is all about technique.
We have seen loads of callouts that labored: Chael Sonnen’s postfight callout of Anderson Silva, Michael Chandler’s name for a struggle with McGregor at UFC 274, and even Merab Dvalishvili’s fixed pestering of Sean O’Malley by way of social media to construct public curiosity.
There have additionally been much more callouts that did not work. Think about Aljamain Sterling calling for a rematch with O’Malley utilizing his telephone whereas within the crowd at UFC 293 — it was not obtained nicely by MMA followers.
“When and the way you name in your shot issues,” Cormier stated. “As soon as you’ve got completed every thing else, you simply need to plant the seed. You may say it to the general public, or you’ll be able to simply say it to [UFC CEO] Dana White or [UFC chief business officer] Hunter Campbell. It’s important to promote your self and the matchup, it might’t be delicate. If the callout works, prepare to arrange for the toughest struggle of your life.”
How do double champs have an effect on the game and people round it?
This concept of a guidelines is simply good if it is sensible to those that must abide by it when trying to problem for a second title. Nonetheless, some fighters and even a reigning champion would not thoughts it.
“I believe [the opportunity to challenge for a title in another division] is situational,” O’Malley stated to ESPN. “I do not thoughts that because the rule, like ‘Hey, you’ll be able to’t go up but. You have to defend the belt.’ Alright, let’s do it.”
Whereas O’Malley stated he would not thoughts a pre-established guidelines as a barrier to entry for a second title shot, it’s value mentioning that he probably feels these alternatives are situational as a result of he’s simply vying for a shot at UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria’s title after efficiently defending his title over Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299.
However, it is sensible that those that can be affected by the champion of their division difficult for, or — even worse for them — really profitable a second title. Megan Anderson, who challenged Nunes for her featherweight title at UFC 259 in 2021, is aware of all too nicely about how a champ-champ impacts different ranked fighters of their division.
“It stalemates the divisions of each titleholders concerned, ” Anderson stated. “Simply have a look at the state of the light-weight division. You could have [Islam Makhahchev], that has each of his title defenses towards a males’s featherweight. No person within the division.
“And have a look at how that affected the division, Justin Gaethje was imagined to be first in line for a shot, however as a result of he wished and wanted to remain energetic, he took a harmful struggle towards Max Holloway and misplaced. Now, Gaethje value himself a shot on the title.”
Whereas Anderson did get her shot on the featherweight title, throughout most of Nunes’ time on the UFC roster, she was defending her bantamweight belt. However Nunes did make back-to-back defenses of her 145-pound title in 2020 towards Felicia Spencer after which towards Anderson.
When Nunes made that second protection at 145 kilos, it ruffled some bantamweight contender feathers.
“Some bantamweight fighters felt that featherweights have been taking away their shot at competing for a title,” Anderson stated. “And one fighter even reached out to me personally, complaining that I used to be ‘delaying her likelihood’ to problem for the bantamweight title.”
Vera and former light-weight champion Rafael Dos Anjos each really feel that whereas there are circumstances when it is sensible for a champion to earn a shot at one other title, some champions might view it as simply a chance to take an enormous struggle with out the chance of shedding their belt.
“I believe that is a approach so that you can struggle, get one other struggle and nonetheless hold your belt,” Dos Anjos informed ESPN. “It is form of protected, proper? You get one other struggle, you get an excellent payday and get an opportunity of getting a brand new belt, however in the event you lose, you continue to have your belt.”
Vera agreed that taking a struggle towards one other champ is safer than taking over a challenger throughout the division.
“I consider it is much less strain if you’re not imagined to lose,” he informed ESPN. “When the man coming from the highest 5 is hungry [and] actually making an attempt to kill you. That man is a scary man.”
Which fighters may problem for double champ standing subsequent?
In keeping with Cormier and Anderson, there aren’t many present champions who’ve already completed sufficient throughout their title run to be clear candidates for an opportunity at one other title, however just a few names have piqued their curiosity: Edwards, O’Malley, Pereira and strawweight champion Zhang Weili. We may see them within the Octagon reverse one other champion in the event that they play their playing cards proper.
Edwards: Of all the present champs, Edwards has the longest energetic title run. And, as talked about earlier, he needed to undergo practically everybody on the high of the division to get a title shot. Then, to get the belt, he needed to beat Usman, broadly thought-about probably the greatest welterweight fighters of all time. Plus, he is a star within the U.Okay. Cormier and Anderson really feel that Edwards may need a pair extra defenses, however he is shut.
“Edwards may very well be due for a chance quickly, however there are such a lot of nice matchups that may be made for him at welterweight,” Anderson stated. “Shavkat Rakhmonov has been on a tear. Belal Muhammad remains to be ready for his title struggle. Plus there are up-and-coming contenders like Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Garry, who may put themselves within the title image quickly.”
O’Malley: He is among the champs who has already referred to as his shot at one other champion. After his dominant unanimous resolution win over “Chito” Vera at UFC 299, he referred to as out featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. However O’Malley has no downside issuing out challenges for opponents who may make large fights, even when which means entering into the boxing ring. O’Malley referred to as out WBA light-weight champion Gervonta Davis final yr.
“Suga” Sean can also be a star amongst youthful MMA followers. He has over 4 million followers on Instagram. With just one title protection, his callout of Topuria was slightly overzealous, however the concept wasn’t outlandish.
Zhang: Forward of UFC 300, Zhang Weili probably was first in line to get a shot at double champ standing. Then, at UFC 300, Zhang efficiently defended the strawweight title towards Yan Xianon within the co-main occasion, profitable by unanimous resolution — nevertheless it was a poor exhibiting for Zhang. After that efficiency, evidently profitable that struggle will not be sufficient to justify reserving her to face one other champ.
“One different factor to contemplate is the Grasso-Shevchenko logjam that is already going down on the high of the flyweight division, that’s the solely logical division for her to problem,” Anderson stated.
Pereira: Along with his jaw-dropping knockout of Jamahal Hill in his gentle heavyweight title protection in the principle occasion, Pereira immediately elevated himself from star to famous person standing. In keeping with Cormier, Pereira may do one thing that will cement his legacy in MMA.
“Pereira has the potential to be a three-division champion if he strikes as much as heavyweight. That is by no means been completed within the UFC,” Cormier stated. “His energy interprets so nicely. He has pure energy in his punches and leg kicks that does not depart as a result of he strikes in weight.”
Pereira additionally expressed curiosity in doubtlessly transferring as much as heavyweight. The one downside is that there is additionally a holdup atop the heavyweight division. Jones is predicted to face Miocic when he returns from damage. And Tom Aspinall has the interim heavyweight title.
One remaining rule — and that is nonnegotiable — interim titles do not qualify for double champ standing.