5 UFC fighters who found championship success after changing weight classes
For many fighters in the UFC, deciding on which weight division to compete in isn't a simple task at all.
How many pounds can you realistically lose during training? Would you rather be diminished or undersized? Which champion do you think you have a better chance of beating if you change weight classes?
These are questions UFC fighters need to answer before deciding on a division. In many cases, their choices correlate with the level of success they achieve in the octagon.
In the UFC, some fighters reached new heights once they finally moved to the weight class that was the right fit for them. On that note, let's have a look at five fighters who found championship success after moving to a different weight division.
#5 Former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier (145 lb to 155 lb)
Dustin Poirier took the UFC by storm in his promotional debut. As a short-notice replacement, 'The Diamond' outclassed top featherweight contender Josh Grispi at UFC 125 before embarking on a four-fight win streak to carve his place in the title picture.
But Poirier's title aspirations were smashed by Chang Sung Jung. Poirier held on to his position as a featherweight standout, but losses to Cub Swanson and Conor McGregor prevented him from reaching the top.
Poirier grew tired of coming up short against fellow top featherweights. In 2015, he made the best decision of his career when he moved up to 155 pounds.
'The Diamond' found new life as a lightweight, going on a run of four wins. After a loss to Michael Johnson. Poirier bounced back by slaying lightweight stars Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez to earn a title shot.
He finally got his hands on UFC gold when he outgunned Max Holloway to capture the interim UFC lightweight title. While Poirier came up short in a unification bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov, he remains one of the best lightweights in MMA to this day.
#4 UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (135 lb to 125 lb)
Kyrgyzstan's Valentina Shevchenko entered her first UFC fight as a short-notice replacement. Nonetheless, she emerged victorious against Sarah Kaufman at UFC on Fox 17.
In her second appearance in the UFC, Shevchenko fought future women's GOAT Amanda Nunes but suffered her first defeat in the promotion. 'Bullet' bounced back by scoring back-to-back wins over former UFC bantamweight titleholder Holly Holm and Juliana Pena to earn a championship rematch against Nunes.
However, Shevchenko once again came up short against 'Leona', falling on the wrong side of a split decision after five rounds. After two losses against Nunes, Shevchenko finally decided to test the waters in another division by dropping to flyweight.
The results were instantaneous for Shevchenko. She dominated Priscilla Cachoeira in her first fight after moving down and captured the vacant UFC women's flyweight title against Joanna Jędrzejczyk in 2018.
Shevchenko has not looked back since then, compiling five straight title defenses, and is showing no signs of slowing down yet.
#3 Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (170 lb to 185 lb)
Robert Whittaker made his way to the UFC by winning an international version of The Ultimate Fighter. The Australian won the season as a welterweight, defeating Bradley Scott in the season finale.
Whittaker showed promise when he emphatically defeated Colton Smith by TKO in his first post-TUF appearance. But 'The Reaper' ran into a brick wall when he lost to fellow TUF alum Court McGee in a unanimous decision and was KO'd by Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson.
Whittaker managed to bounce back against Mike Rhodes, but moving up to middleweight in 2014 was the real game-changer for 'Bobby Knuckles.'
While he looked undersized at 185 pounds, getting rid of the hellacious weight-cut did wonders for Whittaker. The Australian reeled off seven consecutive victories that led to his interim middleweight title win against Yoel Romero in 2017.
Although he lost the strap to Israel Adesanya in 2019, Whittaker has returned as the top-ranked middleweight following his impressive wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.
#2 Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (135 lb to 125 lb)
Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson entered the UFC after the world's largest MMA promotion merged with his former home, World Extreme Cagefighting.
'Might Mouse' began his UFC journey as a bantamweight. He defeated Norifumi Yamamoto and Miguel Torres to earn a title shot against then-champion Dominick Cruz. But 'The Dominator' proved to be too big, too fast and too strong for Johnson as Cruz defended his UFC bantamweight crown in a lopsided unanimous decision.
Things changed for Johnson when the UFC introduced the 125-pound division. The UFC conducted a single-elimination tournament, with the new flyweight championship on the line.
Johnson was crowned the inaugural flyweight champion after defeating Joseph Benavidez via split decision. 'Mighty Mouse' then went on a legendary five-year reign with 11 successful title defenses. Despite losses against Henry Cejudo and Adriano Moraes late in his career, Johnson is still recognized as an all-time great.
#1 UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (145 lb to 155 lb)
Brazilian hero Charles Oliveira has always been a standout but was never seen as a championship-material fighter. Between 2010 and 2017, Oliveira collected ten wins, seven losses and one no-contest . His record was definitely decent, but it wasn't anything that warranted a title shot.
'Do Bronx' decided to move up to lightweight in 2017. While he didn't immediately find success in his new home, slowly but surely, he started to climb up the ranks.
After a devastating TKO loss to Paul Felder, he went on an eight-fight winning streak that culminated in a championship bout against Michael Chandler for the vacant UFC lightweight title.
It took Charles Oliveira 28 fights and 11 years to get his first title shot, but he finally reached the promised land when he seized the throne at UFC 262.