“If you want to move up, you have to vacate your title. This is what the UFC has told all champions.” That was Diego Lopes on ESPN MMA earlier this year, and let’s be honest, it stopped a lot of people in their tracks. Has the UFC quietly decided the double-champ era is over? Because if that’s true, it changes everything.

Think about it—over three decades, only four names have pulled it off: Conor McGregor, Henry Cejudo, Amanda Nunes, and Daniel Cormier have achieved this rare feat. And now, the former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion believes that the record set by him and these three others might remain intact. 

Daniel Cormier breaks down why Islam & Ilia Topuria won’t surpass his UFC feat 

In an interview with Aljamain Sterling, ‘DC’  emphasized his point, saying, “I don’t want this sport to stay the way it is today. I want it to keep growing. It’s huge now. And I also think the UFC doesn’t want that anymore. That’s why Ilia had to give up his belt. That’s why Islam had to give it up.” That comment sparked a response from ‘Funkmaster,’ who replied, “I look at him, and you’re technically still the 145lbs champ.”  

It’s not just Sterling who’s confused about the situation. Ilia Topuria held two belts simultaneously at UFC 317 after defeating Charles Oliveira in the main event. As a result, many casual fans thought ‘El Matador’ had become a simultaneous double champion, which wasn’t the case. Still, the Georgian-Spaniard did conquer two divisions.

However, it should be noted that Dana White hasn’t explicitly said the UFC will never see double champions again. On the contrary, the UFC president has shown interest in matching Ilia Topuria against Islam Makhachev—provided the Dagestani champ defeats Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in Madison Square Garden, calling it a “massive fight.” It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that, if the fight happens, it would likely be for the 170 lbs belt.

Since Ilia Topuria has already relinquished a belt once, it’s possible he won’t vacate the 155 lbs title even if he moves up. Likewise, it’s not unimaginable that Islam Makhachev could return to the lightweight division after bulking up for welterweight. This opens up the possibility of Topuria becoming a three-division champion, with two simultaneous belts. But how likely is this fight to actually happen? If you ask the Dagestani champ, he’s all smiles and confidence.

Islam Makhachev wants the superfight with ‘El Matador’   

Dana White and the UFC initially targeted the Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria superfight for International Fight Week. However, the Dagestani champ moved up in weight after Jack Della Maddalena defeated Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. That’s why ‘El Matador’ ended up facing Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. Since the superfight didn’t materialize at the time, fans have been left wondering if it will ever happen. Well, it now seems that we could actually see that fight come to fruition.  

Last month, Islam Makhachev attended a Q&A session, where he was asked, “I want to ask you to return to lightweight so you can destroy Topuria, so he can finally shut up and stop talking about fighters from Dagestan.” The former lightweight champ responded, “As you wish!”

That’s definitely an impressive display of spirit from Makhachev. Fans who love watching the best against the best have long hoped for this matchup. And after Dana White and the UFC top brass signed a massive $7.7 billion, seven-year deal with Paramount+ and CBS, next year might be the perfect time to put this fight on the White House card.

Look, we’re not there yet. For this to happen, Topuria’s got to keep his stranglehold on lightweight, Islam has to become king at welterweight, and the UFC has to actually let it go down. But after the new multi-billion-dollar broadcast deal, the company is going to need megafights to deliver. And a Spaniard vs. a Dagestani for legacy-defining history? That’s about as big as it gets.

The only question is: will Dana White break his own pattern, or is the double-champ era really over?