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UFC fighters sit at the pinnacle of mixed martial arts. They occupy the upper echelons of the sport and are widely regarded as the world's greatest fighters.
Fighters who sign with the UFC dream about being recognized as the best mixed martial artists in their respective divisions, if not the entire sport. In order to do so, most off them aim to capture UFC gold.
Unfortunately, championship success eludes most of the mixed martial artists who pursue it. Most who do manage the feat don't hold onto their titles for very long, losing them to rising contenders on dominant win streaks. They, however, at least managed to get a taste of success.
Others aren't as lucky, for in the UFC there are fighters who are skilled enough to embark on impressive win streaks, only to consistently fall short of defeating the reigning champions in their divisions. There are even some fighters who have been champions that will never do so again, damning them to forever chase their former championship-status.
This list details five UFC fighters who seem destined to be stuck as contenders in their respective divisions.
#5. Curtis Blaydes
Heavyweight contender Curtis 'Razor' Blaydes is a well-rounded wrestler who has achieved a fair amount of success in his division. In fact, Blaydes has only ever lost to two fighters across twenty fights.
By no coincidence, every loss he's suffered has been to heavy-handed counter-punchers: take his losses to Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis, for example. Worse still, 'Razor' lost to Ngannou twice, which does not bode well for his career moving forward, given 'The Predator' is still the reigning heavyweight champion.
Trilogy fights are rarely scheduled if the same fighter wins the two preceding bouts, especially when the wins come via dominant fashion, as Ngannou's did when he KO'd Blaydes in both of their fights.
The most recent exception to the trilogy bouts has been Alexander Volkanovski's third matchup with Max Holloway. At least one of those fights was closely contested, whereas Blaydes was thoroughly dominated by the reigning heavyweight champion en route to two TKO losses.
While both losses happened prior to Ngannou capturing UFC gold, 'Razor' is unlikely to earn a title fight unless the Cameroonian loses the championship.
#4. Cory Sandhagen
Cory Sandhagen is an exceptional fighter. Tall and rangy for the bantamweight division, many touted him as a future UFC champion. His striking is sublime and his volume of strikes often overwhelms his foes.
However, Sandhagen wasn't always intent on finishing his opponents in brutal fashion. As good as the lanky kickboxer has been in the bantamweight division, he seems destined for a career as a top contender with no championship to call his own.
Of Sandhagen's last three losses, all have been to recent UFC bantamweight champions. He suffered a loss to Petr Yan, who just lost his championship belt to Aljamain Sterling. Prior to that, 'The Sandman' lost a close decision to TJ Dillashaw, who was stripped of his bantamweight title before Cejudo captured the vacant championship. Before that bout, he lost to Aljamain Sterling, the reigning bantamweight champion.
Given Sandhagen's losses to the division's champions, it is likely that 'The Sandman' may never capture UFC gold.
#3. Max Holloway
Former UFC champion Max Holloway is one of the greatest featherweights in MMA history. He has provided fans with showstopping performances against the likes of Brian Ortega and Calvin Kattar.
He is also known to have bested former UFC champions Jose Aldo, Anthony Pettis, Charles Oliveira, and Frankie Edgar in his incredible featherweight run. While the Hawaiian has held the featherweight championship, even successfully defending it three times, he has since lost it to the ever-improving Alexander Volkanovski.
Holloway's first bout with Volkanovski was a convincing win for the Australian. Their first rematch, however, was a far more competitive bout, with many scoring it in favor of the Hawaiian. Unfortunately for 'Blessed', the judges held a different opinion, awarding Volkanovski the win instead.
Many hoped that their trilogy bout at UFC 276 would be another hotly contested affair, but it was instead a shutout by Volkanovski, who comfortably won every round. By ending the rivalry with Holloway with a dominant victory, 'The Great' made one thing clear: so long as he is the champion, Holloway will never have another shot at featherweight gold.
#2. Colby Covington
Often touted as the second-best welterweight in the world, Colby 'Chaos' Covington is an nigh-indomitable force in his division. No one can match the relentless pace he sets whenever he steps into the octagon, which enables him to overwhelm his foes with a breadth of strikes designed to force them into a purely defensive state.
If all his opponents do is react, then eventually they will react incorrectly. With the added danger of Covington's wrestling threat, few can hope to stop 'Chaos' as he storms through the division.
He either outlasts, outworks, or outwrestles nearly everyone he faces. His patented fighting style earned him a UFC interim welterweight championship, but the NCAA Division I standout failed in both attempts at becoming the undisputed champion.
In his way stood Kamaru Usman, a man regarded by many as the pound-for-pound best fighter in MMA. Their first bout was competitive, ending in a TKO win for Usman. Their second bout, while similarly competitive, was another victory for 'The Nigerian Nightmare'.
Trilogy fights are rarely booked when one fighter has won every preceding fight, thus Covington seems fated for the role of top contender until Usman relinquishes his title.
#1. Dustin Poirier
One of the finest boxers in the UFC today, Dustin Poirier is a former interim lightweight champion who has plied his trade in two weight classes: featherweight and, of course, lightweight. Sadly, the Louisiana native is an elite fighter who seems to underperform when the lights are brightest.
While Poirier promised to shock the world when he and former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov crossed paths at UFC 242, 'The Diamond' fell short, becoming another number on the undefeated Russian's 29-0 record.
When Nurmagomedov retired from MMA, many believed Poirier—who was on a three-fight win streak—was the uncrowned champion. However, his second attempt at capturing the undisputed championship ended in another failure as he was defeated by Charles Oliveira with a rear-naked choke: the same submission Nurmagomedov used to defeat him.
Having lost to two undisputed champions, Poirier seems to be at a crossroads in his career.
