Is there a bigger career accomplishment than being double champ?

[Jackonfire]

Personally think setting record title defenses is more impressive. Double champ status requires a single favorable match up. Probably in the minority but that’s my opinion.

Yeah, GSP said winning the belt is the easy part, its just one fight. But holding onto the belt is hard.

 

[sdpdude9]

Yeah, GSP said winning the belt is the easy part, its just one fight. But holding onto the belt is hard.

Makes sense, you’re now the hunted. Guys can be sizing you up and preparing for you before you even know their name. Not to mention maintaining motivation when you’re not gaining anything, only retaining must be a challenge as well.

 

[Killer Kadoogan]

I personally am old fashioned and love the title defenses, champions defending their belts against the number 1 contenders in their division over and over is how its really supposed to be.

I always feel this double champ so called "superfight" stuff is all a flash in the pan, there is no consistency, the belts get passed around like confetti these days and so many interim belts all the time, it just gets so silly and comical.

I really believe modern UFC is lacking a long reigning champion, thats why there is a lack of stars as well. A long reigning champ will build that "aura" , its lacking so much these days, huge turnover of champs.

nah bro, just fight volk twice, one where volk didnt even train, and bam. the greatest of all time ever. who needs multiple title defenses against people in your own division on actual win streaks against other top contenders? that sounds stupid af

 

[PlayTheGame]

I really believe modern UFC is lacking a long reigning champion, thats why there is a lack of stars as well. A long reigning champ will build that "aura" , its lacking so much these days, huge turnover of champs.

Yep.

Too many up-and-comers started trying to emulate Conor, despite him being lightning in a bottle due to the timing, fighting style, and charisma.

Defending the title multiple times is a much more proven path to money, stardom, and it also grants star power to the challenger who manages to defeat the champ, thus benefiting the sport even more.

Treating belts like hot potatoes is a terrible way to attract new fans and sell PPVs.

I believe the same thing happens with the NBA these days - they had like 6 different champions in the last 6 years, and the viewership keeps dropping.

Despite claiming to want parity, people actually love dynasties in team sports and dominant champions in combat sports.

 

[Madmick]

Yeah, being the non-handicap champ.

It's called heavyweight. It's the crowning achievement in all combat sports. Always has been. LOL at "double champ" like that shit matters. Better than the P4P theoretical nonsense, but barely. Congratulations, you have two belts from the special Olympics.

 

[podsox]

Does anyone think Conor and cejudos resumes are anywhere near Anderson or gsp (prior to the bisping fight)

 

[Here's Johnny!]

No, need a Quad champ, Maly already ruined triple

Steroids in Japan don’t count

 

[BowserJr]

Objectively speaking, we all understand that fighters (actually anybody in any profession) should strive for excellence in their field. In MMA becoming a multi-division champion is the pinnacle of excellence in the sport.

So let me ask you, in what world does anybody think it’s unreasonable to fight for a second belt instead of fighting a contender that isn’t even in your division? All the trolling aside, why would anybody forgo a chance at putting your name in the history books?

Clearing out the division THEN getting the 2nd belt.

Even just clearing a stacked division is more impressive

 

[Aurelian]

The LW defense record was stuck at 3 for the longest time. Islam surpassed it. It would have been fun to see how far he could have actually ran that number up. A WW title is cool but if Islam is just going to win and retire I'd rather he have just stayed at LW, or is Islam going to fight Shavkat, Brady, Buckley, Garry, etc??

He was already somewhere like half of the way to being GOAT with 4 defenses at LW.

 

[moosaev]

Yeah, being the non-handicap champ.

It's called heavyweight. It's the crowning achievement in all combat sports. Always has been. LOL at "double champ" like that shit matters. Better than the P4P theoretical nonsense, but barely. Congratulations, you have two belts from the special Olympics.

HW is the glamour division for boxing, not mma. Mma can’t just inherit that, historically speaking boxing heavyweights have always been the biggest stars with the biggest rivalries and the most attention. That has never been true for mma, the glamour has always been pretty evenly divided between the divisions, except flyweights and women.

 

[Subline]

nah bro, just fight volk twice, one where volk didnt even train, and bam. the greatest of all time ever. who needs multiple title defenses against people in your own division on actual win streaks against other top contenders? that sounds stupid af

The only contender who fits that criteria is Arman, and the UFC had no intention of rebooking that fight.

Islam beating Ilia would entail the same sentiments about him beating a FW, in fact this thread is riddled with them.

 

[Subline]

Islam won a UFC title, broke the record for defenses in his division, and became pound for pound #1. He has beaten 5 guys currently ranked in the top 10 of LW.

Double champ is obviously the natural progression for his career and does more for his legacy than any single fight at LW. Sure, additional LW defenses could make up for that but still would not be worth as much as defenses at WW.

Arman was a fight I really wanted to see and Ilia has managed to build hype around a fight with Islam too, but if you seriously think that beating Ilia does more for his legacy than beating JDM you are either lying to yourself or ignorant.

 

[Madmick]

HW is the glamour division for boxing, not mma. Mma can’t just inherit that, historically speaking boxing heavyweights have always been the biggest stars with the biggest rivalries and the most attention. That has never been true for mma, the glamour has always been pretty evenly divided between the divisions, except flyweights and women.

LOL. Every combat sport. Because it's the only belt that isn't driving up the blue handicap ramp.

 

[IneedSometop]

I think becoming undisputed GOAT of your weight class is a bigger accomplishment imo

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Islam won a UFC title, broke the record for defenses in his division, and became pound for pound #1. He has beaten 5 guys currently ranked in the top 10 of LW.

Double champ is obviously the natural progression for his career and does more for his legacy than any single fight at LW. Sure, additional LW defenses could make up for that but still would not be worth as much as defenses at WW.

Arman was a fight I really wanted to see and Ilia has managed to build hype around a fight with Islam too, but if you seriously think that beating Ilia does more for his legacy than beating JDM you are either lying to yourself or ignorant.

Beating Ilia does more for his career than beating JDM, yeah...it'd be a much bigger fight (how is that even debatable?), thats how prize fighting works.

GSP beating BJ Penn is a much bigger deal than him beating Michael Bisping. Significantly so. Circumstances have more similiarites than differences with Topuria, JDM, and Makhachev

Unless JDM goes on to become an all time great, then it'd just be him beating a transitional champion. No one even thought JDM would ever be champion 6 months ago. There's a thread literally stating as much.

Literally, your only basis for that is saying beating JDM is better than beating Topuria is "well he is a double champ". How do you know people will even care about that 10 years from now? It's already not anywhere near as meaningful as it was 10 years ago.

We already have templates like boxing and kickboxing that show just capturing titles doesn't actually mean that much. Fighting legacies are about who you beat, not what brass you have. Islam beating Shavkat or prime Usman for the title would mean a lot more than beating Belal or JDM.

 

[moosaev]

LOL. Every combat sport. Because it's the only belt that isn't driving up the blue handicap ramp.

No, just no, lol. You’re wrong, I’m a boxing fan, MMA simply adopts boxing concepts when not all of them apply to mma.

 

[Madmick]

No, just no, lol. You’re wrong, I’m a boxing fan, MMA simply adopts boxing concepts when not all of them apply to mma.

This has nothing to do with boxing or tradition.

In combat sports, weight classes are handicaps. So, again, nobody cares how far the dude with one leg long jumps. It's hilarious to me how many lifelong fans are so lacking in curiosity or thought they never even stop to think about it; yet more ironically while so many of them mock the women's divisions.

We don't have an NBA champion of the under-6'-tall league, do we? We don't have an NFL with only sub-200lb players, do we?

That's the weight classes. This is a reality check.

 

[Tito Tapped]

There's never been a true double champion. Somebody who's earned rightful shots in both divisions and defended both belts simultaneously.

It's a meaningless accomplishment that's only offered due to marketing factors. So many fake designations are used to sell fights (bmf, #1 contender, title eliminator, etc) but double champ is one of the more aggretious since you basically hold up 2 divisions for the 1 off.

To me the most impressive thing is title defenses. Everyone gunning for you, little choice in matchmaking, and always (usually) facing guys on a hot streak.

 

[orca]

In this era I don’t think double digit wins is feasible, we will never see that again imo. The sport has become too competitive. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game, but that was a relic of where basketball was in its development at the time. Won’t happen again.

do you honestly believe guys like jiri,roundtree and hill and even pereira where better fighters than the generation jones wiped out
even oldman glover became champ not too long ago

 

[markys00]

What a stupid fucking question