The Best UFC Fighters Never to Win a Title

For most, capturing a UFC championship belt is the highest achievement in competition in the high stakes world of the UFC. They dedicate their whole lives to train, sustain injuries, and fight their way through until they are finally able to capture the gold. But not every great fighter gets to have the belt. For others, who have good skills and played well with the fans to get a huge fan base, a UFC title just remained a blip on the screen. It is an overview of some very good UFC fighters who never managed to capture a championship in the Octagon, despite their talents and success.

1. Joseph Benavidez

Joseph Benavidez is widely considered one of the greatest fighters to never have won a UFC championship. He fought in the bantamweight and flyweight divisions, making a name for himself as aggressive and complete, fighting from a wrestling base while possessing knockout power. He would be perennially placed in contention in multiple flyweight title shots, and in both cases, he would fail to grab the championship.

The first title shot for Benavidez came in 2012 at UFC 152, when he took on Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and lost by a narrow split decision in a fight to determine the very first UFC Flyweight Champion. Benavidez returned to have his next shot at the champion Johnson at UFC on Fox 9 in 2013; in this match, though, Johnson knocked him out in the first round.

Although these fortunes seemed to swing against him, Benavidez remained one of the flyweight division’s top contenders for years. Again, he got a fight against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Fight Night 169 in 2020. In what was a sad tale of events, Figueiredo happened to miss weight, and thus he was ruled out as far as winning the title was concerned. In the end, Benavidez was devastated by a TKO. He was submitted by Figueiredo in the first round of their rematch later on that year.

Benavidez has announced his official retirement from the sport in 2021, a career unmatched in the flyweight division, but without a title to show. That career only speaks of much toughness and skill from him, which leaves him quite the figure that many look up to in the MMA community.

2. Alexander Gustafsson

Another fighter whose career has been defined by near-misses in title fights is Alexander Gustafsson. The Swedish light heavyweight might be best known for his epic wars with Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier—many would call them two of the better fights in UFC history.

Gustafsson wrested his first chance at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship by challenging Jon Jones in 2013 at UFC 165. What many people believe could have gone either way, Gustafsson pushed his reset buttons to the limit against the champion Jones, taking him deep into the water and becoming the first man ever to take him down in the Octagon. Unfortunately, due to a gallant effort from Gustafsson, Jones won by a razor-thin unanimous decision and therefore continued to elude Gustafsson.

Score one more victory, and Gustafsson would meet the belt again. Gustafsson confronted UFC 192 in October of 2015 against Daniel Cormier. Proving Gustafsson once again was involved in a close and back-and-forth war where at the end Cormier split the decision.

It wasn’t until 2018 at UFC 232 that The Swede finally got his rematch with Jon Jones but, once more, he fell short as Jones was able to finish him off via TKO in round three, crushing Gustafsson’s aspirations for claiming the light heavyweight crown. Certainly, never one to have won a championship, Gustafsson did do enough work against the best 205-pounders to be in the contention for one of the best light heavyweights of his time.

3. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone stands one of the most liked and entertaining fighters in the history of the UFC. A man known for taking on all-comers at virtually any venue and at any time, a good share of history is squarely lame with him. He has placed many records including most wins and the most finishes within UFC history, but a UFC title has always eluded him.

It was his versatility that allowed Cerrone to fluidly leap between the lightweight class and the welterweight class while remaining a constant contender. He first dipped his toes into the lightweight belt at UFC on Fox 17 in 2015 against the champion Rafael dos Anjos, although a nasty body kick derailed ever so briefly his plans of capturing the lightweight strap.

Cerrone kept on rolling, fighting the best at the highest levels, bumping up to welterweight, and picking up a string of extremely nice victories. He would never quite be able to get another title shot. Yet with that, he always remained a fan favorite because of the exciting style in which he fights, always approaches fights with his take-on-any-challenger mentality, and his cowboy persona.

It is this longevity, combined with record-breaking feats and the reputation for being one of the toughest and most exciting fighters to date, that truly defines Cerrone’s legacy in the UFC. Even without having captured the title, Cerrone contributions will forever be etched into MMA history.

4. Dan Henderson

Dan Henderson has had quite a storied career in mixed martial arts, getting his hands on the titles of multiple organizations. Yet despite championships in PRIDE and Strikeforce, Henderson never became a UFC champion—at best, a secondary blemish on the face of an entry-worthy résumé.

Henderson made his first bid for a UFC title in 1998 at UFC 17 when he won the middleweight tournament, but titles were not used for the divisions in the UFC until after 2001. He fought again in the UFC at UFC 75 in 2007, title in New as the PRIDE middleweight and welterweight champion; in that fight, he lost due to a unanimous decision against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson; this gave Quinton the “right” to combine his title with that of the PRIDE organization.
Henderson next moved down to middleweight to face Anderson Silva at UFC 82 for the UFC Middleweight Championship. After winning his matches in the first round, Henderson was later submitted by Silva in the second round.

Henderson returned to the UFC in 2011 after an impressive run in the newly joined Strikeforce organization. He was immediately thrown once again into the fray, picking up huge wins and getting a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight title versus Jon Jones at UFC 151. An injury saw Henderson withdraw from the fight, and he would never compete for the Light Heavyweight title again.

Henderson’s last chance for gold was a shot at the UFC 204, against Michael Bisping in October 2016, for the UFC Middleweight Championship of the world. Ironically, UFC Middle Man Henderson dropped Bisping twice and came very close to finishing him, but Henderson walked away on the losing end of a unanimous decision. The greatest fighter never to win a UFC title, Henderson retired shortly thereafter at the age of 46.

5. Demian Maia

Demian Maia is regarded by many as one of the finest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu exponents to have ever competed in mixed martial arts. Great submission artist and top control — this was among the combinations that helped Demian Maia reach perennial status regarding division contention within the middleweight and welterweight divisions, all the while falling short of claiming that coveted UFC title.

Maia’s first title shot came in 2010 against Anderson Cooper, this time in the middleweight division. However, the most memorable thing about their fight is the lack of action, for Silva evaded engagement with him for most of the fight. Maia was beaten by a unanimous decision to the champion. After that fight, Maia drew criticism for that performance and failed to secure another title shot at middleweight.

Maia would later drop down to welterweight, where he had quite the career resurgence building an immense winning streak. In 2017, Maia finally got the opportunity to try for the UFC Welterweight Championship against Tyron Woodley at UFC 214. On the day, Woodley came out strong and shut Maia down at every turn to earn a unanimous decision, again denying him a UFC title.

Despite this and not being the owner of a championship belt, Maia’s career is highlighted by his extraordinary level of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique and his being able to execute his game plans against elite level athletes. He is one of the best grapplers in the history of MMA and many fans, as well as fellow fighters, show him respect.

6. Kenny Florian
   Kenny Florian was an all-time favorite among fans and one of the most versatile fighters in the history of the UFC. He fought across no fewer than four weight classes during his career. Though he has had very successful runs in Mixed Martial Arts and Championship fights, Florian has never managed to become a UFC Champion.

Florian first stepped onto the national stage as a competitor in the inaugural season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” although he was fighting then at the middleweight limit. After he lost in the finale to Diego Sanchez, Florian dropped further and went down to the welterweight and later to lightweight categories, where he found his biggest success.

Florian finally earned his first fight with a title on the line, competing against Sean Sherk for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 64 in 2006. Unfortunately for Florian, he lost in a unanimous decision. Florian continued to successfully fight top contenders within the lightweight ranks, eventually getting a shot at champion B.J. Penn at UFC 101 in 2009. Penn’s superior-ability boxing and ground game were too much, and he submitted Florian in the fourth round.

In his last bid to win a UFC title, Florian dropped into the featherweight division and got a title shot against Jose Aldo in the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 136. Although it was a great fight, Aldo’s striking and takedown defense were just too much for Florian, who lost the match via unanimous decision.

Florian stepped away from active competition in MMA in 2012, but the legacy he leaves behind is that of one of the most respected and talented fighters in the sport. Though he never became a UFC champion, Florian’s contributions to the sport cannot be disregarded, and it is safe to say he stands as one of the more popular figures within the MMA community to this date.

7. Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen is definitely one of those colorful and polarizing characters that entered the interior of an MMA cage. He’s famous for the trash talk and self-promotion machine and truly being able to move and build up a fight. But even with his over-the-top personality effectively blazing the path, he would never hold a UFC championship despite having several opportunities to do so.

Perhaps more important than all of these, á laud Sonnen went on to face Anderson Silva in the most famous title match of his. It came at UFC 117 in 2010. Sonnen outwrestled Silva for four and a half rounds, in one of the most dramatic and least expected performances in the history of the UFC, only to find himself caught in the waning minutes of the fifth and final round to a triangle armbar submission. The loss broke his heart, having come closer to beating the seemingly invincible Silva than all of his previous challengers had.

Sonnen worked his way through the ladder to earn a rematch with Silva at UFC 148 in July 2012. This time, though, Silva took the victory by way of second-round TKO, himself well on his way to erasing any thought about the Chael Sonnen fight controversy that might have bugged anybody otherwise. Eventually, Sonnen would move up in weight to light heavyweight and challenge for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Jon Jones at UFC 159 in April 2013. Again, however, he found himself on the losing end of the decision, this time being defeated by first-round TKO.

Though never a UFC champion, Sonnen defined his career as one of the sport’s most charismatic and entertaining fighters. Sonnen is noted for his fight-selling skills and for his readiness to fight all opponents in all places at anytime. He remains one of the most memorable and influential figures in the history of MMA.

8. Urijah Fab

Most closely associated with pioneering and popularizing the lighter weight classes is Urijah Faber, better known to the fighting world as “The California Kid.” While Faber himself proved to be very successful in the WEC, becoming the featherweight champion and helping to bring the divisions of featherweight and bantamweight to light, he consistently failed in his UFC title bids.
That meant it wasn’t until 2010 before Faber received his first UFC title shot, when he challenged Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. In another hotly contested affair, Cruz emerged with a unanimous decision, and the rivalry would become one of each fighter’s most personal. Then again in 2016 at UFC 199, Faber had another shot at the title by facing Cruz in a rematch but lost to Cruz’s striking and footwork.

Faber also received his opportunity for a cross-over fight, fighting for the UFC Bantamweight Championship against Renan Barao in 2014, during the event UFC 169. While fighting great at the beginning, Barao stopped Faber in the first round, thus shattering his long-time dream of becoming a champion.

Faber retired in 2016, only to make a short comeback in 2019 back to the Octagon. He did have different titles but never got to win the UFC belt, although this in no argument makes him a legend for pioneering for the lighter weight classes and the great impact this has had on the sport. He is a respected figure in MMA, inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2017.

9. Alexander Overeem

Alistair Overeem is really “The Reem,” one of the greatest and most talented heavyweight fighters in the history of mixed martial arts. In addition, Overeem has also captured other titles in Strikeforce, Dream, and K-1 kickboxing, making him one of the rare breeds that had been glorious at the top in these diversified fighting games. However, a UFC title has always managed to keep eluding him.

Overeem made his UFC debut in 2011 with a first-round TKO victory over Brock Lesnar. Coming off of that win, he was to next face UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos. Overeem was pulled from the fight due to a failed drug test, which was to delay his shot at the title.

Eventually, Overeem made his way back to a title fight, this time facing Stipe Miocic at UFC 203 in 2016. Oveerem and Miocic compromised with a guillotine, but Miocic escaped and got a knockout late in the first round, shutting the door on Overeem becoming UFC Heavyweight Champion. This fighter never laid claim to a UFC title; he has remained among the top heavyweights in the world, continuing to score good wins against top fighters of the division, like Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, and Andrei Arlovski. Overeem has secured his legacy as one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport, despite not having won a title in the UFC.

10. Yoel Romero

Yoel Romero, nicknamed “The Soldier of God,” has arguably been one of the most intimidating, athletic fighters in history. The former Olympic Silver medalist in wrestling, with ruthless explosive power, unorthodox striking, and superb finishing capabilities, made him a perennial title contender in UFC’s middleweight division. But with those multiple title visits, it also meant Romero had failed in tempting fate, failing to wear the belt as a UFC champion. Romero was first given a shot at the interim UFC Middleweight Championship against Robert Whittaker at UFC 213 in 2017. In a good back-and-forth fight, which some reckoned could have certainly been awarded to Romero, Whittaker was awarded a unanimous decision win and took the interim belt. The pair then rematched for the undisputed title at UFC 225 in 2018.

Romero missed weight, meaning the fight was no longer considered a title defense for Whittaker, but that was mostly academic, as he ended up taking another really close decision win. For that, Romero earned a much-awaited title shot in his career against Israel Adesanya for the March 2020 UFC 248. The Adesanya fight drew a long list of boos for being relatively lackluster, though Adesanya took the match by a unanimous decision. While Romero never captured a UFC belt, his career would be defined by his physical tools that won him many fights as his big knockout power and ability to fight with giants into his 40’s.

Conclusion
The fighters we have been talking about in the feature would all be considered among the best ever to set foot in the Octagon; but, unfortunately, a UFC belt would just be beyond reach. Their careers remind that in the MMA world, success is not always about the number of belts won, but it’s measured by the impact a fighter has on the sport and the legacy they leave in their careers. Each has made an indelible record in the UFC, inspiring future generations of athletes, winning admiration from the audience, and setting an example for their peers. Time will tell, time will pass, but these contributions to the sport will never be forgotten; these men will always be seen as some of the best to never have won a UFC title.