5 fighters who should have been undisputed UFC champion but missed out due to bad luck

UFC fighters put it all on the line in an attempt to claim championship gold. However, despite their dedication and immense hard work, some fell short in their attempts to capture it due to misfortune.

As luck would have it, these fighters never got their shot at the undisputed championship. Others, who did end up facing the title-holder, either failed in their attempt to secure the belt or were 'screwed over' by the judges.

Some were even crowned the 'interim' champion but failed to unify their belt against their weight class's undisputed champion. The likes of Tony Ferguson had it worse. They were cursed by rotten luck and never reached the pinnacle of their division.

Here are five such athletes whose endeavors to achieve the golden strap never came to fruition:

1. Tony Ferguson

Despite being a dominant contender, Tony Ferguson never fought for the undisputed belt

Tony Ferguson captured the interim lightweight championship at UFC 216 against Kevin Lee. Following this victory, Ferguson was assured of his shot at the undisputed gold. However, it would never really materialise for 'El Cucuy'

Despite multiple attempts by the UFC, the Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov matchup never became a reality. Each time the promotion attempted to give Tony his deserved shot at the undisputed championship, the fight fell through due to some reason or the other.

For instance, at UFC 223, Khabib and Tony were slated to battle it out for the undisputed championship. Ferguson injured his knee during the build-up to the match and the opportunity to claim the gold slipped from his grasp.

Two years later at UFC 249, the UFC scheduled another title fight for Ferguson against Nurmagomedov. This time it was the Eagle who pulled out from the bout due to lockdown restrictions (courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic).

Ferguson decided to continue the show and fought Justin Gaethje instead. Things did not pan out well as Gaethje put a brutal beatdown on Ferguson and snatched the opportunity to fight Khabib for the undisputed belt. Tony would go on to suffer another devastating loss at UFC 255 to Charles Oliveira, thus going on a two-fight losing skid.

2. Alexander Gustafsson

Alexander Gustafsson fell short in three attempts at the title

In 2013, the fight between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson becameone of the most memorable light heavyweight bouts of all time. The scrap headlined the UFC 165 fight card and stood out from fans' expectations. For the first time, Jones did not look invincible inside the cage as Gustafsson took him into deep waters.

After a five round back-and-forth, Jon Jones was declared the champion via unanimous decision. 'Bones' retained his undisputed championship and put an end to Gustafsson's six-fight winning streak. However, the title aspirations for the Sweden native did not come to a halt.

At UFC 192, Alexander Gustafsson faced Daniel Cormier for the undisputed strap. Gustafsson's second crack at the title was also unsuccesful as he suffered a split decision loss to DC .

Later in 2018, at UFC 232, Alexander Gustafsson was offered a rematch with Jon Jones following the success of their initial meeting. This time, Jon Jones stopped the Swede in his tracks and won the rematch with a third round TKO.

3. Dominic Reyes

Dominic Reyes' last two fights have been for the undisputed championship

Dominic Reyes was riding a 12-fight winning streak when he was offered a shot at the champion, Jon Jones. MMA pundits debated whether Reyes was ready to face Jones or the UFC was pushing another rising prospect to stand across the champion. Reyes had defeated Chris Wideman in his last outing and told anyone who would listen that he was ready to claim the throne.

At UFC 247, Dominic Reyes proved his mettle as a force to reckon with in the light heavyweight bracket. Reyes took it to the champion and landed heavy strikes that would have put anyone else's lights out.

After five rounds of battle, Jones was declared the champion and Reyes' suffered a heartbreaking split decision loss.It was apparent that this was Jones' most controversial decision victory to date.

Dominic got another shot at the undisputed gold at UFC 253 last year. As Jones had left the title vacant, Reyes could secure the belt against the 37 year-old Jan Blachowicz. However, the Polish contender handed Reyes his second consecutive loss via KO/TKO. With this, Reyes' title aspirations have come to a halt.

4. Dustin Poirier

Poirier could not secure the undisputed championship against Khabib Nurmagomedov

It might seem implausible but No. 1 ranked lightweight Dustin Poirier has never been the undisputed UFC champion. Poirier got the first shot of his career at a UFC title against Max Holloway at UFC 236. The interim belt was on the line and the winner would go on to fight the undisputed champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

After five rounds of back-and-forth with the then featherweight king, Dustin Poirier secured the interim championship and was set to face Khabib next. The promotion scheduled the bout for UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi in September 2019.

This was a quintessential striker vs grappler matchup, and Dustin Poirier had the opportunity to end to Khabib Nurmagomedov's undefeated streak. The fight began and the Diamond had some initial success in striking with the Eagle. But eventually Nurmagomedov implied his dominant wrestling and brought the fight to the ground.

Things took a turn in the second round when Poirier jumped into a guillotine as Nurmagomedov shot for a double leg in the second round. It looked like the champion was inches away from tapping to the submission. However, the Eagle displayed mental fortitude and somehow managed to slip out.

Eventually, Khabib Nurmagomedov caught the Louisiana native in a rear-naked choke and brought the fight to an end. In the post-fight interview, Poirier expressed remorse on his shortcomings and promised to work his way back up.

5. Carlos Condit

UFC veteran Carlos Condit had almost secured the victory over GSP in 2012

Another interim champion who fell short by an inch in dethroning the divisional champion was UFC veteran Carlos Condit. Condit faced Georges St-Pierre for title unification at UFC 154. The fight could have marked the second TKO victory of GSP's career following a precise head kick landed by Condit in the third round.

The switch kick was followed by a combination of strikes that rocked the champion. A barrage of punches ensued and GSP was left covering himself bloodied on the floor. Eventually, the Canadian secured a defensive position on the ground and negated Condit's strikes.

As the rounds proceeded further, GSP outwrestled the interim champion and dominantly secured the decision victory. GSP later confessed that Condit put him through hell during their fight. This goes to show that Carlos Condit was very close in realizing his title ambitions.