10 great fighters who never won a title in UFC

Since UFC has begun, it has produced some of the best fighters on the planet. There have been great champions over the years who have enthralled the UFC fans all over the world with their performance and hard work.

However, there is also another elite group of fighters who have worked as hard as the champions have but just couldn't reach the coveted belt. Some of these men have fought their whole life and are true pioneers of the sport.

Let's take a look at some of the best fighters who have never won a title in UFC.

#10 Mirko Filipovic

Mirko is one of the best fighters ever to have stepped inside the Octagon. He was a former Pride FC Open-Weight Grand Prix champion and simply obliterated his competition. He was famous for his head kicks that knocked out his opponents senseless. But he failed to capitalize on all of this in the UFC. Mirko Crop was one step closer to the UFC belt after defeating Eddie Sanchez in a Heavyweight Title eliminator.

But the next fight against Gonzaga was probably one of the most unbelievable moments in the UFC as he was brutally knocked out by a monster head kick which was his most remarkable move. He then went on a three-fight losing streak and retired from the sport in the year 2015.

#9 Chael Sonnen

Chael was probably the greatest trash talker in the UFC and has fought some of the best fighters on the planet in his run with the company. He was just 2 minutes away from dethroning one of the greatest UFC fighters Anderson Silva at UFC 117. After dominating Anderson for four rounds but he made a silly error and paid the price for it. Anderson got his legs wrapped around him and forced him to tap via an arm triangle.

He again got a shot at the title against another great fight fighter, Jon Jones but was defeated in the first round by TKO. He eventually left the UFC and currently competes in Bellator MMA.

#8 Nate Diaz

The Diaz brothers are both exceptional fighters but both brothers have failed in capturing the UFC belt. Nate has fought some great fighters and challenged former champion Benson Henderson for the belt after a 3 match win streak. The outcome was extremely one-sided as Benson retained the title via unanimous decision. Now after all these years Nate is more eager for money fights than those that could lead to a title shot.

#7 Wanderlei Silva

Wanderlei was a beast when he competed in Pride FC hence was aptly named The Axe Murderer. He was ruthless and his knees to the body were disastrous. But he could not completely bring out his crazy side in UFC after a string of losses and then a USADA ban happened which banned him for many years ending his dream for a UFC title.

#6 Nick Diaz

Nick was maybe one of the most exciting fighters to ever enter the Octagon. He is the oldest of the two Diaz brothers and has fought some brawlers in his time. Who can forget him mocking Anderson Silva, who is one of the greatest P4P fighters in the world.

Nick was close to winning the UFC belt on two occasions one against St. Pierre and the other against Anderson Silva, both which he lost by decision. The Anderson fight was later changed to a no contest after testing for multiple performance-enhancing drugs.

Also, he has lost a lot of time in his career due to his ban for using Marijuana which ends this August. He might be involved in some big fights if he returns but still has a bleak chance of winning the tile.

#5 Joseph Benavidez

Joseph Benavidez is one of the most elite flyweights ever. He only has four losses in his MMA career. Two of them are from Dominick Cruz in the WEC and the other two from ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson in the UFC. Benavidez is a flyweight who has dominated his division and if it wasn't for 'Mighty Mouse' he'd be the Flyweight Champion by now.

It is sad that a fighter of his caliber is not getting the recognition he deserves just because he lost to Demetrious Johnson. He is the current No. 1 contender for the belt and we're sure there will be a trilogy fight coming soon to end this feud once and for all.

#4 Alexander Gustafsson

Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson is one of the most dangerous light heavyweights in the UFC right now. He has beaten some great guys to be a top contender in a stacked division. He has four losses in his career and 3 of them are from some of the most exceptional fighters on the planet: Anthony Johnson, Jon Jones, and Daniel Cormier.

Gustafsson came close to winning the title twice against Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier but fell short on both occasions. He is set to return to the UFC and with Daniel Cormier moving up the heavyweight division he might have a chance winning the title.

#3 Kenny Florian

Kenflo Kenny Florian has defeated some great fighters inside the Octagon but he always fell short in a title fight.

Kenny Florian has fought three title fights against Sean Sherk, BJ Penn, and Jose Aldo but couldn't capture the belt in any of the fights.

He is an exceptional fighter and a great jiu-jitsu artist but he was just unlucky. He fought valiantly in all of the title fights but he just couldn't get it done. He retired after his title fight against Aldo after UFC 136.

#2 Anthony Johnson

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson is one of the hardest hitting light heavyweights in the UFC. He has destroyed his opponents with a single punch in some of his fights. But he failed to capture the UFC belt not once but twice. On both the occasions he lost to the current Light Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. He was submitted in both of his fights against Cormier.

He retired from the UFC after his title loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 210. We'll have to wait to see if he steps out of his retirement and goes after the belt again in the future.

#1 Urijah Faber

Urijah "The California Kid" is one of the most loved fighters to step inside the Octagon. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Class 2017. He was one of the most well-rounded fighters in the UFC and has snatched some great victories. He is also a former WEC champion, but his only regret is not having a UFC belt.

He had four title shots in the UFC two of them against Dominic Cruz and other two against Renan Barao and lost three of them via decision.

He was close to winning the title but just couldn't reach it. He finished his illustrious career in the UFC with a win over Brad Pickett at UFC on Fox 22.