Top ten fighters in the UFC who never won a title
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the Mecca of MMA fighters. The respected organization harbours the best fighters from all over the world. With a deep pool of talents in every weight class, winning a title is not an easy task for these elite athletes. Some fighters had already fought for the title and lost. Some have yet to fight for a title.
Here is a list of notable fighters who have been great in their UFC careers but yet to become a champion.
Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga
The Brazilian fighter they call "Napao" is a solid fighter with well-rounded skills. An explosive striker, he surprised everyone by knocking out a very well-regarded stand-up fighter, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, with a dose of Cro Cop's own medicine--a roundhouse kick to the head. That fight was Gonzaga's claim to fame which earned him a shot at the heavyweight title against Randy Couture, which he lost.
Gonzaga is a very good Jiu-Jitsu grappler with a wide range of submission finishes in his career. However, he just could not deliver in big fights. His losses are only from respected veterans (Werdum, Couture) and very promsing up-and-comers (Carwin, Dos Santos). Despite the disappointing losses, Napao Gonzaga is still one of most fearsome fighters in the heavyweight division.
Jon Fitch
Jon Fitch is an excellent wrestler. He dominates his opponent once they are on the ground. The former Purdue wrestling standout is 12-1 in the UFC. He once held the longest winning-streak (8 consecutive wins) along with Anderson Silva.
His only loss was from the hands of the welterweight champ, Georges St. Pierre, in UFC 87. He is now set for another title shot after he defeated Thiago Alves in their much awaited rematch in UFC 117.
Kenny "KenFlo" Florian
Kenny Florian comes from a well-off family in Massachusetts. A true student of the game, Kenny Florian chose fighting for a living because he wanted to prove his skills and later be called a “Master”.
He is a Jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai fighter known for his razor sharp elbows. KenFlo had already fought the who’s who of the UFC lightweight division. He has wins over Takanori Gomi, Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson and Roger Huerta. His only losses inside the octagon were all main fights. He lost to Diego Sanchez via TKO (TUF Finals), Sean Sherk via decision and BJ Penn by submission.
Nate "The Great" Marquardt
Nate Marquardt is a three-time King of Pancrase middleweight champion. He has the ability to finish a fight anywhere it goes. A proven veteran of the fight game, his resume speaks for itself.
Marquardt had the opportunity to take the belt away from the number one pound-for-pound fighter, Anderson Silva. He lost that fight and since then, "The Great" was on a mission to get back on top of the heap of the middleweight pool but only to get disappointed again by an excellent wrestler, Chael Sonnen.
Yushin "Thunder" Okami
Okami is a Japanese fighter with notable size and strength.He had only lost twice in the octagon and they were from the likes of Rich Franklin and Chael Sonnen. Thunder holds a controversial win over Anderson Silva.
Fighter should always expect a hard fight when going against Okami. He has a good chin and extremely tough to finish on the ground.
Chris "Lights Out" Lytle
Win or lose, it is very hard to ignore Chris Lytle's skills and fortitude inside the octagon. His experience is incredible with over fifty MMA fights under his belt. What makes Lytle great is his willingness to go toe-to-toe while still maintaining composure and veteran craftiness.
"Lights Out" is also a professional boxer and it is displayed in his powerful striking. But his real strength is in his ability to pull off amazing submissions. Experienced as he is, Chris Lytle has never fought for a UFC title.
Matt "The Hammer" Hamill
Matt Hamill is considered as a role model and hero for individuals with disabilities. Even though he was deaf, he fought through the odds and became a three-time All-American wrestler before joining the UFC.
He has only lost two fights inside the octagon. They came from a controversial loss to Michael Bisping and from former UFC light-heavyweight Champion Rich Franklin. With a great life story, a movie is now being made about him.
Clay "The Carpenter" Guida
Nicknamed "The Carpenter", Clay Guida was working as a carpenter while training and fights during his spare time. He is a wrestler with very relentless attacks and has very great conditioning and stamina.
He is considered as one of the UFC’s fan-favorites. Fans wants to see him fight for every match he is into is very exciting. He was awarded with three "Fight of the Night" honors and 2009 "Fight of the Year" honors with Diego Sanchez.
Thiago "The Pitbull" Alves
A Muay Thai fighter from Brazil, Alves is known for his lethal striking and good ground game. He has wins over Karo Parisyan, Chris Lytle, Josh Koscheck and hall-of-famer, Matt Hughes.
Although he suffered from back to back losses against Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch, he is still considered as one of the best fighter in the welterweight pool.
Brandon "The Truth" Vera
The first four fights of Vera in the UFC – including the knockout win over Frank Mir – was so impressive that many thought of him as the next big thing in the heavyweight division. But all came to a halt after his back-to-back loss against Sylvia and Werdum.
Realizing that he was not strong enough against the bulky heavyweights, he decided to go down to light-heavyweight division. Yet then again, "The Truth" was still a disappointment.
He suffered controversial split-decision losses against Jardine and Couture but no light-heavyweight has ever dominated him. Then Jon Jones came along. Vera was supposed to give the rising prospect a true test but he ended up being mauled by Jones' sharp elbows and punches on the ground.
Nevertheless, Vera is a solid technical Muay Thai striker and wrestler. When focused, he can still become the next big thing as once expected.
These fighters will someday earn a title shot and some of them will even become champions in their weight division
Tags: