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UFC title fights represent the pinnacle of potential achievements in the promotion. MMA fighters from across the globe have devoted a lifetime of effort to their dream of one day capturing UFC gold. Unfortunately, due to changes in the promotion's standing in the world of sports and entertainment, winning is no longer enough.
Beneil Dariush is a classic case of a deserving fighter being frequently passed over for title fights despite being on a lengthy win streak. In this day and age, the UFC is also looking at the entertainment value that fighters can use to generate PPV buys. Thus, trash-talkers like Conor McGregor are favored.
Regardless of the exact reason why, some fighters are afforded opportunities that their colleagues never come close to touching. The specific opportunity that this list explores is a UFC title fight and the fighters who had unusually easy paths to them.
#5. Islam Makhachev, reigning UFC lightweight champion
There's no discrediting the breadth of skills at Islam Makhachev's disposal. The Dagestani phenom has enthroned himself as the world's best 155'er after dethroning Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title and subsequently defending his new crown against P4P king Alexander Volkanovski.
But his path towards lightweight supremacy was unusually easy for a division as deep and competitive as the 155 lbs weight class. Instead of facing top contenders, Islam Makhachev defeated the likes of Bobby Green, Dan Hooker, and Thiago Moisés en route to his title fight with 'do Bronx'.
While he has faced Arman Tsarukyan in the past, 'Ahalkalakets' was only 23 at the time and is currently ranked as the number eight lightweight in the world. Meanwhile, the rest of his past foes are either unranked, no longer in the promotion, or ranked outside the top 10 of the division.
Yet it was a win over the currently unranked Bobby Green that finally earned AKA's newest champion a title fight.
#4. Alex Pereira, reigning UFC middleweight champion
Despite presiding over the middleweight division as its resident kingpin, Alex Pereira is relatively inexperienced when it comes to MMA. In only his seventh fight, he captured UFC gold after he TKO'd his longtime nemesis Israel Adesanya in the fifth round of a back-and-forth affair.
His path toward the title, however, was supremely easy. In a weight class that includes the likes of Jack Hermansson, Derek Brunson, Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker, the former Glory kickboxing champion defeated unranked foes Andreas Michailidis and Bruno Silva before earning a title eliminator.
Sean Strickland was his first high-level opponent. However, 'Tarzan' was a tailor-made matchup due to his absent grappling threat and the fact that he stands with such an upright posture. So after three UFC wins in six MMA fights, with only one foe being ranked (currently ranked seventh), he earned a title fight.
#3. Dan Henderson, former UFC middleweight
Dan Henderson was far past his prime when he faced former rival Michael Bisping in a rematch of their fateful UFC 100 encounter. Not only was 'Hendo' past his prime, but at the time he had done very little to earn a title fight against 'The Count'.
After suffering a brutal knockout loss against Vitor Belfort, he rebounded with a knockout of his own against Hector Lombard. It was a win against a foe who was on a two-fight winless streak at the time. Thus, a single win over an opponent on such a run after having just rebounded from his own loss shouldn't have counted.
Instead, the UFC awarded the aging 'Hendo' with a title fight against Michael Bisping. It wasn't as if the pair had a closely-contested bout months prior. He was simply gifted a title shot after managing a single win against an opponent on a winless streak. Worse still, Henderson was chosen over legitimate contenders.
#2. Yoel Romero, former UFC middleweight
Yoel Romero is one of the most terrifying fighters in MMA history. His combination of near-superhuman explosiveness, seismic knockout power, and generally enigmatic demeanor rendered him a fearsome presence for anyone. Thus, he was an oft-avoided fighter at 185 lbs.
At UFC 248, however, he answered a public challenge from the then reigning champion Israel Adesanya by locking horns with him. What had 'The Soldier of God' done to earn a crack at 'The Last Stylebender's' divisional throne? Yoel Romero lost two fights back-to-back.
He missed weight against Robert Whittaker and lost the bout before suffering a subsequent defeat against Paulo Costa. Instead of rebounding, he was simply given a title fight despite being on a two-fight losing streak.
#1. Chael Sonnen, former UFC middleweight/light heavyweight
Despite 'The American Gangster's' counter to Tito Ortiz's criticism that he uses his mouth to earn opportunities, 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' couldn't have been any righter than he already was. Throughout his career, Chael Sonnen repeatedly used his gift of gab to generate massive interest in his bouts.
He quickly became a PPV star and the promotion didn't wait long to try and capitalize on his newfound popularity. He faced Anderson Silva in a highly anticipated rematch but was TKO'd for his troubles. After failing to dethrone 'The Spider', he was in need of a rebound win.
Instead, 'The American Gangster' talked the promotion into booking him into a second consecutive title fight despite the fact that he was coming off a loss. Not only did he earn a title fight despite coming off a loss, his crack at UFC gold came against Jon Jones at 205 lbs: a division he was completely irrelevant in.
Not only did he have zero standing in the light heavyweight rankings, but he also was never a 205'er in the promotion prior to his bout with 'Bones'. At least the likes of Yoel Romero and Dan Henderson earned easy title fights in the divisions they were relevant in. The same cannot be said for Chael Sonnen.
