Winning championships in two different weight classes has become a focus of the UFC’s biggest stars in recent years, but Couture did it before anyone. The notoriously tough wrestler used pressure and perseverance to win the heavyweight title in 2000, then added a light heavyweight belt in 2003, emerging as one of the UFC’s first stars and helping keep the company afloat while it struggled through its early days. Ufc.com/honors/ufc-hall-of-fame.

Runner-up: Forrest Griffin