This weekend, in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, Israel Adesanya will attempt to take the promotion's middleweight title from Dricus Du Plessis.
If Adesanya successfully usurps the throne, he will achieve a feat that only Randy Couture has achieved before him.
The feat in question? Having three separate undisputed UFC title reigns.
Adesanya, a former Glory kickboxer, first got his hands on an undisputed UFC title in 2019, when he knocked out middleweight legend Robert Whittaker with a second-round left hook to claim the division's title.
He then asserted himself as one of the greatest fighters in the division's history with five-straight title defenses against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, in a rematch with Whittaker, and finally, against Jared Cannonier.
His impressive title reign — surpassed only by Anderson Silva's — finally ended in 2022, when he suffered a knockout loss to former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira.
Given his previous dominance and his immense popularity, Adesanya was granted an immediate shot at redemption against Pereira at UFC 287 in 2023. Despite having lost to Pereira twice in kickboxing and once in MMA, he finally came out on top in their 2023 fight, knocking the Brazilian out with a counter right hand to begin a second reign as middleweight champion.
Adesanya's second title reign didn't go as well as is first, as he lost the belt with a shock decision defeat to Sean Strickland in his first defense. However, if he is able to defeat Du Plessis at UFC 305 in Australia this weekend, he will join Couture as one of two fighters to have three undisputed title reigns in the promotion.
Couture, who now works as a commentator for the Professional Fighters League (PFL), actually got his hands on undisputed UFC gold five separate times.
He first won a UFC belt in 1997, defeating Maurice Smith to claim the heavyweight title.
He then vacated the belt amid a contract dispute with the promotion, but after two wins outside the Octagon, reclaimed the UFC heavyweight belt with a TKO of Kevin Randleman in the year 2000.
Couture then scored back-to-back title defenses, both against Pedro Rizzo, before losing the belt to Josh Barnett, who was later stripped of the title due to a failed drug test.
He next won the undisputed light heavyweight title with a decision win over Tito Ortiz, and after a hot-and-cold run in that division, finally returned to heavyweight in 2007, where he began a fifth undisputed title reign with a decision win over champion Tim Sylvia.
After a title defense against Gabriel Gonzaga, Couture lost the title for a final time at the hands of WWE star Brock Lesnar in 2008.
It remains to be seen if any other fighter will ever be able to enjoy five undisputed UFC title runs, but at UFC 305, Adesanya has the chance to become the second fighter in history to make it happen three times.
