5 UFC champions who lapped their division

Israel Adesanya [Image courtesy of Getty]

Throughout the history of the UFC, there have only been a handful of dominant champions. Such is the nature of this incredibly unpredictable sport we all know and love. More often than not, fighters who are crowned as champions go on to lose their belts a few bouts later.

Once in a while, a generational talent emerges and becomes a long-reigning champion. These titleholders sometimes have to go through the same challenger twice, having already beaten most of the contenders. Fighters who repeatedly defended their belts for a long period of time tend to be remembered as legends of the sport, considering how challenging their accomplishment really is.

Georges St-Pierre, one of the longest reigning champions in MMA history, famously once said:

“It's hard to be champion, it's harder to stay champion because you are the target and everybody looks at you and they want to have what you have.”

Salute to an absolute legend of the sport!

2020 #UFCHOF inductee, Georges St-Pierre 🏆🇨🇦 https://t.co/A9n35SMJMt

That said, we thought we'd look at five UFC champions who lapped their division.

#5. Israel Adesanya – UFC middleweight champion

Israel Adesanya became the undisputed middleweight champion following his spectacular knockout victory over Robert Whittaker in 2019. Since then, 'The Last Stylebender' has emerged as one of the most dominant champions in MMA.

At just 32 and having recently signed a new deal with the promotion, the Nigerian-New Zealander will expect to rule the 185-pound weight class for a long time to come.

The @StyleBender reigns supreme 👑 #UFC271 https://t.co/NggdkkWrjj

Adesanya is seemingly lapping the division at the moment. He has already beaten top contenders Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker twice. Additionally, his dominant win over Paulo Costa, another top contender, was an incredibly one-sided bout and doesn't warrant a rematch as of now.

Adesanya is undoubtedly a tough night out for anyone. His striking is levels above everyone he fights and with every passing contest, his wrestling defense is improving.

Fighters who have tried to blitz him like Kelvin Gastelum and Robert Whittaker (the first time) failed to put the champion away. Those who opted to hang back and let the champ come to him, like Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa, ended up getting picked apart.

Our insiders made their picks, now who's on your middleweight Mount Rushmore? 🤔

📰 ES.PN/MWRushmore https://t.co/EiA8oBpYsa

Having already defended his belt four times, Adesanya is running out of challenges. He is likely set to take on Jared Cannonier in his next bout and will be hoping another contender emerges in the meantime. Looking down the pecking order at middleweight, it feels like only a handful of fighters have a real chance of beating 'The Last Stylebender'.

Grappling phenom Andre Muniz, rising star Khamzat Chimaev and former kickboxing world champion Alex Pereira undoubtedly present challenging matchups for the champion. However, all three fighters are quite far off a shot at middleweight gold.

It remains to be seen whether his reign will be cut short or if he stays unbeaten atop the division for years to come.

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