The moments we’ve seen fighters carry two UFC title belts over their heads have been nothing short of magical. They’ve provided a truly memorable and special feel, but the fallout of those scenarios has been utterly disappointing.
Four fighters in UFC history have held belts in two divisions at the same time. The results of those reigns, however, have been borderline disastrous.
After Henry Cejudo relinquished his flyweight belt on Thursday, three of those four iconic dual-champ figureheads have had their champ-champ status ended without losing the gold in the cage, and that’s kind of a problem.
Let’s look at how it’s all unfolded …
Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor was the original champ-champ. After beating Jose Aldo for featherweight gold at UFC 194, McGregor added the lightweight title to his collection with a knockout of Eddie Alvarez in November 2016 at UFC 205. It took just 14 days for the UFC to strip him of the 145-pound strap, then he would have the 155-pound belt taken away 17 months later while he occupied himself with a Floyd Mayweather boxing match and the extensive time off that came afterward. McGregor didn’t defend either title and hasn’t touched UFC gold since.
Daniel Cormier
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Daniel Cormier at UFC 230. (Getty Images)
Daniel Cormier’s dual-champ reign was probably the most successful of all, because he actually made a title defense while in possession of both. While holding the light heavyweight strap, Cormier moved up to heavyweight and knocked out Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 in July 2018. He defended the heavyweight belt against Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 in November 2018, but would never return to 205 pounds. The UFC made a title fight between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 in December 2018, and just one day before the fight took place, Cormier announced he was relinquishing the gold in a, “You can’t fire me, I quit” type of moment.
Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo after UFC 238.
Henry Cejudo’s time as a simultaneous two-division champ lasted six months, but he did not compete during that window. After defending his flyweight title against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January, Cejudo moved up to bantamweight to fight for the vacant strap after Dillashaw failed a drug test and was stripped of the belt. Cejudo would joins the history books with a memorable finish of Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 in June to take the 135-pound belt, but he suffered a shoulder injury in the bout and is still recovering from surgery. With a clear intent to fight the bigger names at bantamweight, the UFC and Cejudo mutually agreed he would give up the flyweight belt so the division could move forward.
Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes after UFC 245.
Amanda Nunes, of course, still holds dual-champ status. The longtime women’s bantamweight queen got her second belt when she knocked out Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 to claim the featherweight title, but it’s been nearly a year since that fight, and she’s yet to defend the 145-pound belt. After defending the 135-pound title against Holly Holm in July, Nunes was adamant about defending her other title next. She couldn’t find a willing foe at featherweight, though, and that’s going to continue to be a frustrating dilemma as long as both titles are in her possession.
