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For all intents and purposes, MMA is an individual sport. However, at the highest level of the UFC, the world’s best fighters tend to train in teams – and that can sometimes cause problems.
Over the years we’ve seen a number of examples of pairs of teammates who ended up at the top of a UFC division. It’s a trend that isn’t likely to stop any time soon.
Sometimes, these teammates were able to remain good friends and never fought. On other occasions, their need for glory got the better of them, shattering their relationship.
Here, then, are five times when teammates found themselves at the top of a UFC weight division.
#5. Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili – UFC bantamweight division
The most recent example of two teammates climbing to the top of a UFC weight class can be seen right now in the bantamweight division.
Aljamain Sterling has held the 135-pound title for the best part of two years now. While he claimed the gold under controversial circumstances, becoming the first UFC fighter to win a title via disqualification, it’s hard to argue with what he’s done since.
‘Funk Master’ defended his title against former champ Petr Yan in a rematch and most recently TKO’d another former titleholder in T.J. Dillashaw. Next up for him is Henry Cejudo, another former champion.
Remarkably, though, Sterling may not be the best bantamweight in the world right now. That spot might just belong to his teammate, Merab Dvalishvili.
‘The Machine’ is on the most impressive win streak in the division, as he’s won nine bouts in a row. More impressively, 2022 saw him retire the legendary Jose Aldo, and last weekend, he beat Yan down in a way that even Sterling didn’t manage.
With the two men being close friends and training partners at Long Island’s Serra/Longo gym, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll ever face off in the octagon – something that seemingly doesn’t sit well with Dana White.
However, as long as Sterling holds the title, it seems impossible that Dvalishvili will challenge for it. That makes the Georgian the promotion’s most deadly gatekeeper – and means the two men could rule the division for some time.
#4. Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell – UFC light heavyweight division
A great example of a friendship between two teammates that was ruined in pursuit of UFC glory is the tale of Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.
In the early 2000’s, they dominated the 205-pound division as training partners under the Team Punishment banner, although how close they truly were is debatable.
Whether they were ever great friends who had a pact to never fight, or whether they were simply acquaintances who trained together, depends on whether you believe Ortiz’s side of the story or Liddell’s.
However, it’s safe to say that in 2002, when Ortiz held the light heavyweight title and ‘The Iceman’ was positioned as top contender following a string of victories, controversy quickly ensued.
From the point of view of ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’, the promotion needed to pay him much more money than he was making at the time to fight his teammate.
Liddell, on the other hand, didn’t seem all that bothered about much more than simply winning the title.
Eventually, their friendship became fractured. By 2003, after Ortiz had lost his title, they agreed to face off in a long-awaited clash.
‘The Iceman’ came out on top via KO, but from that point onwards, the two former teammates became bitter rivals, with Ortiz seemingly slighted that someone he considered a friend could’ve been so desperate to fight him.
‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ faced off with his former teammate two more times, losing a second meeting in the octagon before gaining some semblance of revenge in a bizarre 2018 fight long after both men’s primes were over.
#3. Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch – UFC welterweight division
Right now, it seems like top bantamweights Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili are going to stick to their guns and refuse to fight one another, despite the wishes of UFC president Dana White.
If this turns out to be the case, then they’ll be following in the footsteps of famed welterweights Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch.
The two men, who trained with the American Kickboxing Academy, refused to face off despite White attempting to push them to do so on numerous occasions.
In this instance, the concept of them sitting at the top of their division comes with a slight caveat. At their peak, Koscheck and Fitch were definitely amongst the best three 170lbers in the world. But the third, Georges St-Pierre, held the UFC title and was able to beat both men.
Perhaps it was the fact that neither man captured the gold that meant they never became enthusiastic about facing one another. Both men were instead chasing St-Pierre, after all.
While neither could dethrone ‘GSP’, though, they still dominated most of their other competition. Koscheck beat the likes of Matt Hughes, Paul Daley and Anthony Johnson, while Fitch dispatched Thiago Alves and Ben Saunders amongst others.
Perhaps most notably, when Paulo Thiago burst onto the scene by knocking Koscheck out, he was quickly sent out of contention by Fitch just months later.
Overall, it was clear that the two welterweights were probably gaining more from training with one another than they’d have gained from facing off in the octagon. White, therefore, simply had to bite his lip and allow them to avoid one another – instead dominating everyone else instead.
#2. Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier – UFC heavyweight division
Like Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier were also American Kickboxing Academy teammates and friends who found themselves at the top of a UFC weight class.
However, their time at the peak of the heavyweight division was largely short-lived. Dana White didn’t even have the chance to pair them off before Cormier dropped down to 205 pounds to pursue the light heavyweight title instead.
Fascinatingly, it was probably the fact that Cormier rose to fame in Strikeforce that meant there wasn’t too much pressure on him to fight Velasquez.
While Velasquez was beating the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Brock Lesnar to claim gold in the octagon, ‘DC’ was rising to the top of Strikeforce by defeating Antonio Silva and Josh Barnett.
By the time he arrived in the UFC in 2013, Velasquez had essentially beaten a who’s who of the promotion’s heavyweights and looked like a dominant champion.
Cormier’s wins over Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, both top 10-ranked fighters at the time, probably would’ve moved him into line for a title shot.
Instead, though, ‘DC’ moved to 205 pounds, partially to avoid a clash with Velasquez, who he still regards as the greatest heavyweight ever.
In hindsight, it’s fascinating to think what could’ve happened had he decided not to drop down. Velasquez ended up losing his title to Fabricio Werdum in 2015, and it’s definitely possible to believe that Cormier could’ve beaten the Brazilian had they fought.
Overall, though, it’s safe to say that these two teammates could easily have ruled over the heavyweight division for a much lengthier time than they did, had ‘DC’ chosen to stay there.
#1. Jon Jones and Rashad Evans – UFC light heavyweight division
The best example of a pair of teammates who climbed to the top of a UFC division, only to fall out almost as soon as they did, remains Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.
In this case, their rivalry became so bitter that it practically split an entire team and resulted in a completely new – and almost equally successful – camp of fighters being formed.
The story of the two friends-turned-rivals began at Greg Jackson’s Albuquerque-based camp, where Evans had trained since arriving in the UFC in 2005.
‘Sugar’ eventually climbed to the top of the light heavyweight division and dethroned Forrest Griffin to claim the title there in 2008. Although he went on to lose it to Lyoto Machida, by the end of 2010, he was once again positioned as the division’s top contender.
Jones, on the other hand, burst onto the scene in 2008 as arguably the hottest prospect in the promotion, and was quickly invited to Jackson’s camp as a training partner for Evans.
However, he soon began to climb the ladder quickly, and when Evans blew out his knee prior to his title fight with Shogun Rua, Dana White and company were quick to ask Jones to step in.
‘Bones’ obliged and thrashed Shogun to become the promotion’s youngest-ever champion, and the story is well-known from there.
Evans still had his sights set on the title and, feeling slighted by both Jones and Jackson, left the camp to form the Blackzilians team that would eventually produce notable stars like Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.
Had he chosen to stay with Jackson and Jones, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where the two teammates could’ve ruled the 205 pounds division with iron fists for a lengthy period of time.
As it was, though, their time at the top of the division as friends and teammates was fleeting, with the bad blood between them only being settled recently.
