# Double champions in MMA

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.

## 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.

## Historical double-champions of the main associations

| Nº | Name | Division | Title | Defenses | Organization | Simultaneous |
| 1 | Randy Couture | Heavyweight | 1997 | 0 | UFC | No |
| 1 | Randy Couture | Heavyweight | 2002 | 2 | UFC | No |
| 1 | Randy Couture | Heavyweight | 2007 | 1 | UFC | No |
| 1 | Randy Couture | Light heavyweight | 2003 | 0 | UFC | No |
| 1 | Randy Couture | Light heavyweight | 2003 | 0 | UFC | No |
| 1 | Randy Couture | Light heavyweight | 2004 | 0 | UFC | No |
| 2 | Dan Henderson | Welterweight | 2007 | 0 | PRIDE | Yes |
| 2 | Dan Henderson | Middleweight | 2005 | 0 | PRIDE | Yes |
| 3 | B.J. Penn | Welterweight | 2004 | 0 | UFC | No |
| 3 | B.J. Penn | Lightweight | 2008 | 3 | UFC | No |
| 4 | Joe Warren | Featherweight | 2010 | 0 | Bellator | No |
| 4 | Joe Warren | Bantamweight | 2014 | 0 | Bellator | No |
| 4 | Joe Warren | Bantamweight | 2014 | 0 | Bellator | No |
| 5 | David Branch | Light heavyweight | 2015 | 1 | WSOF | Yes |
| 5 | David Branch | Middleweight | 2014 | 2 | WSOF | Yes |
| 6 | Conor McGregor | Lightweight | 2016 | 0 | UFC | Yes |
| 6 | Conor McGregor | Featherweight | 2015 | 0 | UFC | Yes |
| 7 | Georges St-Pierre | Middleweight | 2017 | 0 | UFC | No |
| 7 | Georges St-Pierre | Welterweight | 2006 | 0 | UFC | No |
| 7 | Georges St-Pierre | Welterweight | 2007 | 0 | UFC | No |
| 7 | Georges St-Pierre | Welterweight | 2008 | 9 | UFC | No |
| 8 | Martin Nguyen | Lightweight | 2017 | 0 | ONE | Yes |
| 8 | Martin Nguyen | Featherweight | 2017 | 3 | ONE | Yes |
| 9 | Aung La Nsang | Light heavyweight | 2018 | 1 | ONE | Yes |
| 9 | Aung La Nsang | Middleweight | 2017 | 3 | ONE | Yes |
| 10 | Daniel Cormier | Heavyweight | 2018 | 1 | UFC | Yes |
| 10 | Daniel Cormier | Light heavyweight | 2015 | 3 | UFC | Yes |
| 11 | Amanda Nunes | Featherweight | 2018 | 2 | UFC | Yes |
| 11 | Amanda Nunes | Bantamweight | 2016 | 5 | UFC | Yes |
| 12 | Ryan Bader | Heavyweight | 2019 | 0 | Bellator | Yes |
| 12 | Ryan Bader | Light heavyweight | 2017 | 1 | Bellator | Yes |
| 13 | Henry Cejudo | Bantamweight | 2019 | 1 | UFC | Yes |
| 13 | Henry Cejudo | Flyweight | 2018 | 1 | UFC | Yes |
| 14 | Patricio Freire | Lightweight | 2019 | 0 | Bellator | Yes |
| 14 | Patricio Freire | Featherweight | 2014 | 2 | Bellator | Yes |
| 14 | Patricio Freire | Featherweight | 2017 | 5 | Bellator | Yes |
| 15 | Amanda Nunes | Featherweight | 2018 | 2 | UFC | Yes |
| 15 | Amanda Nunes | Bantamweight | 2022 | 0 | UFC | Yes |
| 16 | Reinier de Ridder | Middleweight | 2020 | 2 | ONE | Yes |
| 16 | Reinier de Ridder | Light Heavyweight | 2021 | 0 | ONE | Yes |
| 17 | Christian Lee | Lightweight | 2022 | 0 | ONE | Yes |
| 17 | Christian Lee | Welterweight | 2022 | 0 | ONE | Yes |
| 18 | Jon Jones | Light Heavyweight | 2020 | 8 | UFC | No |
| 18 | Jon Jones | Heavyweight | 2023 | 1 | UFC | No |
| 19 | Anatoly Malykhin | Light Heavyweight | 2022 | 0 | ONE | Yes |
| 19 | Anatoly Malykhin | Heavyweight | 2023 | 0 | ONE | Yes |
| 19 | Anatoly Malykhin | Middleweight | 2024 | 0 | ONE | Yes |
| 20 | Alex Pereira | Middleweight | 2022 | 0 | UFC | No |
| 20 | Alex Pereira | Light heavyweight | 2023 | 3 | UFC | No |
| 21 | Larissa Pacheco | Lightweight | 2022 | 0 | PFL | Yes |
| 21 | Larissa Pacheco | Featherweight | 2023 | 0 | PFL | Yes |

## List of double champions by country and organization

| Nº | Country | Champions |
| 1º | United States | 9 |
| 2º | Brazil | 4 |
| 3º | Canada | 2 |
| 4º | Russia | 1 |
| 4º | Ireland | 1 |
| 4º | Australia | 1 |
| 4º | Myanmar | 1 |
| 4º | Netherlands | 1 |
| Nº | Org. | Champions |
| 1º | UFC | 10 |
| 2° | ONE Championship | 5 |
| 3º | Bellator | 3 |
| 4º | PFL | 1 |
| 4º | PRIDE | 1 |
| 4º | WSOF | 1 |