5 UFC fighters stuck as permanent top-contenders in their respective divisions
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.
Wow!!! @Francis_Ngannou puts Curtis Blaydes away early at #UFCBeijing!! https://t.co/VfndLlSXzA
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.