Who Is the First Olympic Gold Medalist to Ever Win a UFC Championship Belt?

Olympic gold-standard wrestling skills look great on a resume, but they never guaranteed success inside the Octagon until 2018. Two Olympic champions, Mark Schultz and Kevin Jackson, had already tried to capture an undisputed divisional title in the UFC but left empty-handed.

That changed on Aug. 4, 2018, in Los Angeles after 2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo captured the flyweight championship. He not only ended the longest consecutive title defense reign in UFC history but also became the first Olympic gold medalist to win a championship in the promotion.

Henry Cejudo Beats Demetrious Johnson to Become First Olympic Gold Medalist UFC Champion

Cejudo entered UFC 227 as a heavy underdog because in their previous faceoff at UFC 197, Demetrious Johnson had handed him a brutal first-round knockout at the 2:49 mark. 

Inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, the rematch went all five rounds. Cejudo ultimately secured a massive upset over Johnson via split decision after two judges scored the bout 48-47 in his favor, while the third had it 47-48 for the long-reigning champion, who had previously defended his 125-pound belt 11 consecutive times.

“Triple C" won on the strength of his takedowns and top control, remarkably fighting through a lower-leg injury early in the opening round. Following the upset, he said the win was a "dream come true, from Olympic gold medalist to UFC champion."

That path he mentioned originally began in Beijing. Cejudo won freestyle wrestling gold at 55 kg at the 2008 Olympics at age 21, which made him the youngest American Olympic wrestling champion at the time. Kyle Snyder later broke that mark at the 2016 Rio Games.

Cejudo fell short of qualifying at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. Following that setback, he transitioned to mixed martial arts, where he made his professional debut in 2013.

Guinness World Records lists “Triple C" as the first athlete to win an Olympic gold medal and a UFC world title. While several media scorecards had Demetrious Johnson ahead before that historic first title victory, Cejudo's wrestling background quickly became recognized as a devastating threat inside the Octagon.

He eventually added the bantamweight belt to his waist with a TKO of Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 in June 2019. That victory made him a simultaneous, two-division UFC world champion. He successfully defended both titles before abruptly announcing his retirement from the promotion following his bantamweight title defense against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249.

Three years later, Cejudo made a highly anticipated return to the Octagon before officially retiring from MMA for good after UFC 323. Now, he is testing the waters in professional boxing. 

This past September, the 39-year-old combat sports legend secured a split-decision victory over actor-turned-boxer Javon Walton in a four-round welterweight main event. As the first Olympic gold medalist to ever capture a UFC championship belt, Cejudo has truly built one of the most successful crossover careers in sports history.