5 champions from the B-leagues who went on to hold gold in the UFC
Next weekend sees UFC 262 go down from Houston, Texas. In the main event, a new UFC lightweight champion will be crowned when Charles Oliveira meets Michael Chandler.
Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler will be looking to win UFC gold for the first time at UFC 262.
If he does so, he’ll become one of a number of fighters to have stepped up from the smaller circuit to win a UFC title.
With this in mind, here are five champions from the B-leagues who went on to win UFC gold.
#1 Daniel Cormier (UFC heavyweight and light-heavyweight titles)
Former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier made his name in the StrikeForce promotion, where he claimed the vacant StrikeForce heavyweight title in 2012.
Cormier had already defeated the likes of Jeff Monson and Antonio Silva at that stage. DC then beat former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett to win the title vacated by Alistair Overeem in 2011.
However, his reign would be short-lived as just months later, StrikeForce closed shop and its fighters all migrated to the UFC.
Initially, Cormier debuted in the octagon as a heavyweight, defeating Frank Mir and Roy Nelson before dropping to 205lbs in 2014.
DC’s first attempt at winning UFC gold came up short. But at UFC 187 in May 2015, he became a UFC champion by defeating Anthony Johnson for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title.
And in 2018, Cormier became a bonafide UFC legend by defeating Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title, becoming one of just four UFC fighters to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes.
Now retired, Cormier is widely recognized as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time.
#2 Luke Rockhold (UFC middleweight title)
Luke Rockhold was a widely unheralded prospect when he upset Jacare Souza to win the StrikeForce middleweight title back in 2011.
Despite few observers giving him a chance, Rockhold outpointed the Brazilian and then went on to defend his title twice, defeating both Keith Jardine and Tim Kennedy.
When StrikeForce’s roster was absorbed into the UFC in 2013, Rockhold was not given an immediate title shot. Instead, he fought Vitor Belfort, losing by spinning wheel kick in the first round.
The setback was only temporary, though, and in 2014, Rockhold reeled off three straight wins - all by finish - ending in a submission victory over veteran Michael Bisping.
That was enough to put him in a UFC middleweight title eliminator with Lyoto Machida. Once again, Rockhold came out on top, choking the Dragon out to secure a title shot.
And in that title fight, the former StrikeForce champ came good, destroying Chris Weidman with punches in the fourth round to claim UFC gold.
However, Rockhold’s title reign would be short-lived, as he was upset by Michael Bisping and knocked out in his very first defense.
Rockhold has fought in the UFC just three times since, winning once and losing the other two fights – one being another title fight – by knockout.
#3 Mauricio Shogun Rua (UFC light heavyweight title)
Mauricio Shogun Rua became a PRIDE legend in 2005 by winning that year’s Grand Prix, defeating Rampage Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona in the process.
But when he entered the UFC, it initially looked like he would join the long list of champions from other promotions to fail inside the octagon.
Shogun was choked out by Forrest Griffin in his UFC debut and then spent a year on the shelf before picking up an unconvincing win over an aging Mark Coleman.
However, Shogun regained his PRIDE form from almost out of nowhere, knocking out UFC legend Chuck Liddell to earn a shot at UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.
And while he lost their first meeting in controversial circumstances, a rematch saw him become the first man to stop the Dragon, giving him the UFC light heavyweight title in the process.
However, injuries then left the Brazilian on the shelf for another year, and when he returned, he lost his title to the surging Jon Jones.
Shogun has continued to compete in the UFC in the years that have followed. While he hasn’t come close to regaining the UFC title, he remains recognized as an all-time great of the 205lbs division.
#4 Carlos Condit (UFC welterweight title)
When the UFC’s parent company Zuffa bought out the WEC in 2007, Carlos Condit quickly established himself as the promotion’s top welterweight.
He won the WEC welterweight title by choking out John Alessio and then made successful defenses against Brock Larson, Carlo Prater and Hiromitsu Miura.
But in 2009, the WEC’s welterweight division was moved to the UFC. As if proving that the competition in the octagon was stiffer, Condit suffered a debut defeat to fellow up-and-comer Martin Kampmann.
The Natural Born Killer quickly bounced back, though, and defeated Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim to earn a shot at UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre.
And when GSP was forced out of that fight with an injury, Condit instead faced Nick Diaz for the interim UFC welterweight title. Condit came out on top in a controversial decision, finally winning UFC gold.
Condit failed to unify the titles when St. Pierre defeated him. However, he is still recognized as a former UFC champion and one of the promotion’s best-ever welterweights, making his import from the WEC a rousing success.
#5 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC heavyweight title)
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was the inaugural PRIDE heavyweight champion, beating Heath Herring for the title in late 2001 after establishing himself as the world’s top heavyweight by beating Mark Coleman.
Minotauro lost that title to Fedor Emelianenko in 2003. But when he entered the UFC in 2007 following PRIDE’s collapse, he was still seen as one of the best big men in MMA.
A UFC debut win in a rematch with Herring appeared to set him up for a shot against UFC heavyweight champ Randy Couture, only for Couture to walk away from the promotion temporarily.
Instead, the UFC matched Nogueira with former champ Tim Sylvia to decide an interim heavyweight champion. And in true Nogueira fashion, the Brazilian absorbed a tremendous beating before choking the Maine-iac out in the second round.
Minotauro lost the title to Frank Mir in his first defense, suffering the first KO loss of his career in the process. But a few months later, he returned and defeated Couture - who’d also lost his title by that stage - showing exactly who would’ve won their planned fight had it taken place.
Nogueira ended up retiring in 2015 after a series of health problems but remains one of the only fighters to hold titles in both PRIDE and the UFC.