5 Former Champs Who Will Wear UFC Gold Again

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Being a champion is never a sure thing in the UFC. There are always up-and-comers who will be looking to take the belt and former champions looking to get it back.

Champions will lose eventually, but the true sign of a champ is if you can come back and reclaim "your" belt.

In the history of the UFC, only four fighters have ever accomplished such a feat. Those four are Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre and Tim Sylvia.

Here are five fighters who will have a chance to add their names to that list of outstanding Hall of Fame-worthy fighters—and Sylvia.

Frankie Edgar

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Frankie Edgar will be the first fighter on the list with a chance to reclaim a title.

Edgar lost the lightweight belt to Benson Henderson at UFC 144 when he dropped a unanimous decision. He has a rematch scheduled with Henderson for UFC 150 in Denver.

Many say that Edgar is worthy of the rematch because it was a close fight, and others say that he doesn't deserve it and it wasn't a close fight.

No matter what side of the debate you stand on, you cannot count Frankie Edgar out of a fight.

Rashad Evans

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In Rashad Evans most recent fight, he was easily dispatched by the current light heavyweight champion, Jon "Bones" Jones.

After a performance such as that, many may wonder how Rashad will ever have a chance to get the belt back. To that point, I have one simple sentence.

Jon Jones won't be at light heavyweight forever.

When Jones inevitably moves up to heavyweight, the light heavyweight division will be wide open once again, and Rashad will have as good a chance as any.

Lyoto Machida

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Like I said, Jon Jones won't be at light heavyweight forever.

Lyoto Machida has fallen on some hard times as of late in the light heavyweight division, as he has dropped three of his last four fights to Mauricio Rua, Rampage Jackson and Jon Jones.

However, Lyoto does have a big win over Rashad Evans to win the light heavyweight title. The same thing could happen again once Jones leaves the division.

Mauricio Rua

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I don't even think it needs to be said again.

The light heavyweight division will open up again at some point in the next two years.

Mauricio Rua won the light heavyweight title at UFC 113 when he knocked out Lyoto Machida, in a rematch of their fight from UFC 104 which Machida won by controversial decision.

Rua ended up losing the title to Jon Jones at UFC 128 when Jones stepped in on short notice as a replacement for Rashad Evans.

Shogun knocked out Lyoto knocked out Rashad. It could happen again.

Cain Velasquez

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Cain Velasquez is next in line for a crack at the heavyweight title. He lost the belt to Junior dos Santos in the main event of UFC on FOX 1, where he was knocked out in 64 seconds.

The timetable is currently open ended for this fight, but we do know that Cain is next in line. Whenever the rematch does happen, Velasquez will be sure to have a different game plan, and we'll get to see more from both fighters.

Cain will definitely have a chance to get his title back.

 

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter @TimMcTiernan.