Fight Coverage
Fighters Who’ve Thrived Moving Up A Weight Division
A Look At UFC Athletes Who Achieved Major Success Moving To A Heavier Weight Class, And The Two Fighters In UFC 329’s Main Event Set To Rematch Two Divisions Up
Many fighters move down in weight as they age to face a new wave of contenders, with José Aldo and Frankie Edgar serving as prime examples. Far fewer, however, have chosen to reestablish themselves in a heavier weight division midway through their careers.
While some fighters have made history moving up in weight to capture titles in a second division including Amanda Nunes, Daniel Cormier, Georges St-Pierre, Henry Cejudo and Jon Jones, most did not make the higher weight class their long-term home, instead competing there in shorter stints before moving on to other challenges or retiring.
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We take a closer look at some fighters who found sustained success after moving up in weight, as well as the two UFC 329 main event fighters set to run it back in a rematch two weight classes higher than their first meeting.
Alex Pereira
Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira took the UFC by storm in less than three years. Pereira made his UFC debut in 2021 at middleweight and won three straight over Andreas Michailidis, Bruno Silva and Sean Strickland to earn a shot at UFC gold against long-time kickboxing foe Israel Adesanya. He maximized the spotlight in spectacular fashion, pulling off a come from behind TKO victory in the fifth round to win the belt. In just four fights, Pereira was the middleweight champion. How could it get any better?
After Adesanya took back his title in the immediate rematch, Pereira decided to take his talents from middleweight to light heavyweight, a 20-pound weight difference. While Pereira was very large for the middleweight division, it was intriguing to see how he’d fare against much larger opposition. In his first fight in his new division, Pereira earned a hard-fought victory over former 205-pound champion Jan Błachowicz, granting “Poatan” a title shot in just his second fight at light heavyweight. If Pereira wasn’t a superstar yet, he soon would be.
At UFC 295, Pereira took out former champion Jiri Prochazka late in the second round to become light heavyweight champion and add himself to the short list of fighters to win a title in two weight divisions. Five months later, Pereira headlined UFC’s historic UFC 300 card against Jamahal Hill, in which he maximized the spotlight by finishing Hill, yet another former champion, spectacularly in the first.
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Then, just two months later, Pereira saved the day during International Fight Week, filling McGregor and Michael Chandler’s main event slot at UFC 303 in a rematch against Prochazka. Ending the first round with a near fight-ending knockdown, Pereira unleashed a vicious head kick just 10 seconds into the second round to collect his third straight knockout victory and second light heavyweight title defense.
At UFC 307, Pereira defended his belt for the third time in seven months against Khalil Rountree Jr. in Salt Lake City. After losing his middleweight title, Pereira won five straight, captured the light heavyweight title and defended it three times. After losing his title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, Pereira reclaimed the throne just seven months later in a rematch with Ankalaev that saw "Poatan" stop the champ in just a minute and 20 seconds.
While his bid for an unprecedented third UFC title against Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 did not go as planned, Pereira’s accomplishments leading up to that fight remain among the most impressive in UFC history.
Charles Oliveira
Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira started his UFC career at 155 pounds, but he transitioned to featherweight after going winless in his first three Octagon appearances. Oliveira went 7-5 during his five-year stint at featherweight, with four of those fights taking place over the divisional limit because of his difficulty making weight. In 2017, Oliveira made the decision to move back up to lightweight, and it was a decision that would change his life forever.
At UFC 225, Oliveira submitted Clay Guida via guillotine choke in the first round. While it may seem insignificant since “Do Bronxs” has finished 31 of his 34 victories as a pro, it kickstarted an 11-fight win streak that will go down as one of the greatest title runs in UFC history.
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After winning eight straight, including victories over Tony Ferguson, Kevin Lee and Jim Miller, Oliveira earned a spot in UFC 262’s main event alongside Michael Chandler for the vacant lightweight title. After losing the first round, Oliveira rallied swiftly, stopping Chandler just 19 seconds into the second round to become the undisputed champion.
He then defended his title against Dustin Poirier, submitting the veteran in the third round. Oliveira then missed weight prior to what would’ve been his second title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274. Oliveira still stole the show in Phoenix, Arizona, finishing Gaethje in the first round to prove he was still the best lightweight on the planet during that period. At UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic, Oliveira earned his second victory over Michael Chandler. After a setback against lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, Oliveira got back in the win column with a submission over Mateusz Gamrot in Rio and a dominant showing over Max Holloway to capture the BMF title at UFC 326.
Sean Strickland
Sean Strickland has fought in the UFC for so long that many people don’t realize he spent a large part of his UFC career in the welterweight division, fighting the likes of former 170-pound champion Kamaru Usman.
It wasn’t until 10 fights and six years later that Strickland decided to move up to 185 pounds. While he ended his welterweight stint with seven wins in 10 fights, he believed he could take his game to the next level by moving up.
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While never quite in the title picture at 170 pounds, Strickland’s impressive run of eight wins in his first 10 middleweight fights, including victories over Brendan Allen, Jack Hermansson and Nassourdine Imavov, earned him a much-deserved shot at gold against then-titleholder Adesanya. Strickland opened as a massive +490 underdog to Adesanya’s -675, but proved every doubter wrong with a dominant unanimous decision victory.
After suffering two losses to former champion Dricus Du Plessis, Strickland earned another shot at gold after dispatching Anthony Hernandez in under three rounds at UFC Houston. Entering as a massive underdog once again, Strickland did what no one else had done before, defeating then-champ Khamzat Chimaev over five rounds to had "Borz" his first pro loss and regain the middleweight throne.
Robert Whittaker
Five fights in the UFC welterweight division was all fan-favorite Robert Whittaker needed to see before making his move up to middleweight in 2014.
As soon as he made the move to middleweight, Whittaker went on a six-fight tear to earn a shot at gold against Yoel Romero at UFC 213. In a five-round war, Whittaker stuffed 14 of the Olympic Silver Medalist’s 18 takedown attempts and landed 74 significant strikes to Romero’s 48 to win the title.
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Although Whittaker lost his belt to Adesanya in 2019, he has continued to establish himself as one of the top contenders in the division, with key victories over Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori, and Paulo Costa. Whittaker’s lost just three times in 17 fights at middleweight with all three of those losses coming to a current or former champion (Adesanya x2, Du Plessis).
Last June, Whittaker stunned Kingdom Arena in the UFC’s first-ever trip to Saudi Arabia, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for his first-round knockout over one of the middleweight division’s hottest prospects, Ikram Aliskerov. After dropping back-to-back fights against Khamzat Chimaev and Reinier de Ridder, Whittaker will try his luck in a new division once again as he makes the move to light heavyweight at UFC 329 to challenge Nikita Krylov.
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2
At UFC 329 on July 11, UFC superstar Conor McGregor makes his return to the Octagon for the first time in five years to rematch Max Holloway nearly 13 years after their first meeting. While over a decade separates the two fights, so do two weight divisions, with the former featherweights now set to clash at welterweight.
McGregor has been here before, competing at 170 pounds in both his high-profile rivalry bouts with Nate Diaz and his quick victory over Donald Cerrone. For Holloway, however, this is uncharted territory. McGregor has shown that his power and speed can carry up to welterweight, but it remains to be seen whether Holloway’s trademark volume and pressure will translate just as effectively.
Neither fighter has indicated that welterweight will become a permanent home, but a dominant performance could influence their future direction in a talent-rich division currently led by reigning pound-for-pound best Islam Makhachev.