25 UFC Fighters Who Will Win a Title Before the End of Their Career

Winning the UFC championship is the ultimate prize in MMA. Being a UFC champion automatically places you among the elite fighters in the world and every fighter dreams of holding up the belt at some point in their career.

For many, this is a dream that never comes to fruition. Some of the best fighters in the UFC have failed to capture UFC gold in their careers and their legacy suffers because of it.

Here are 25 fighters on the UFC roster who will capture the elusive honor before they call it quits.

Alistair Overeem

This is a good time to establish that by "winning a title" we are talking about a UFC title, because many of these fighters have won titles in other organizations, and in Alistair Overeem's case, that's a lot of titles.

The former DREAM, Strikeforce and K1 champion has put together quite the impressive resume while fighting abroad and will finally get his shot at UFC gold in a bout with current champion Junior dos Santos expected to take place in the summer of 2012.

An elite striker with KO power, Overeem has what it takes to compete in the UFC heavyweight division. His demolition of former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 was impressive, but it is only just the beginning of what should be a successful stint with the UFC.

Even if Overeem is defeated by dos Santos, it is hard to envision him not working his way back to a title shot eventually.

Daniel Cormier

As Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum and Lavar Johnson have shown early in 2011, the Strikeforce heavyweights will be a real threat as they assimilate into the UFC.

Cormier isn't officially a UFC fighter, he still has a meeting with Josh Barnett to determine the winner of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix and then a possible plus-one match up as a swan song for the promotion's heavyweight division, but then his path to the UFC is clear.

While Daniel Cormier may be the last to make the transition to the UFC, he could make the biggest impact.

A highly-decorated All-American collegiate wrestler, Cormier has shown in his young career that he is a threat on the ground and in the stand up department while sporting a perfect 9-0 record in the sport.

Cormier is already creeping into most publications' top ten heavyweight lists and is a handful for anyone in the division.

As his game continues to progress, he could find himself on top of the heap at some point in his career, especially with all the turnover that occurs in the heavyweight division.

Stipe Miocic

The UFC heavyweight division has notoriously been shallow since the inception of the weight class and even the infusion of the Strikeforce heavyweights will not make this class as deep as some of its organizational counterparts.

However, prospect Stipe Miocic appears to have a bright future in the organization.

With only one UFC fight to his name (a unanimous-decision victory over Joey Beltran) the Cleveland, Ohio based fighter of Croatian decent appears to be a potential star.

A former Division I wrestler, Golden Gloves boxing champ and collegiate baseball player, Miocic is just a solid all-around athlete with devastating striking to boot.

In a division where only a few wins can make you a relevant name, Miocic is definitely someone to watch and could develop into a serious contender over a few years. To see Miocic hold UFC gold before he call it quits would not be shocking.

Phil Davis

Although Phil Davis wilted in his first shot in the national spotlight with his disappointing UFC on Fox 2 performance against former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, he still has a bright future in the UFC.

Davis still needs to work on transitioning his highly successful collegiate wrestling into MMA wrestling, but the Evans fight definitively showed him the weaknesses in his game, and that could be the best thing that has happened to his career.

With Davis' freakish build and athleticism, and current champion Jon Jones' eventual rise to the heavyweight division, the 205-pound weight division will be wide open.

In the meantime, Davis will be improving his game, waiting for his turn to rise up the ranks and claim the UFC light heavyweight championship.

Alexander Gustafsson

At just 25 years old, Alexander Gustafsson is another bright prospect in the always-deep light heavyweight division.

Gustafsson represents the new breed of fighter and has posted an impressive 5-1 record in the UFC. At 6'5", Gustafsson is one of the taller fighters in the division and he already has a great understanding of how to use that reach to dismantle opponents.

As Gustafsson grows into his frame more, he should become even more dangerous. Gustafsson is an exciting fighter who has yet to go to a decision in his UFC career.

Avenging his lone loss in a rematch with Phil Davis could serve as a light heavyweight championship match one day.

Chael Sonnen

The fighter everyone either loves or hates has said before that if he never holds UFC gold in his career, it will have been a failure.

While his bank account would say otherwise, Chael Sonnen truly believes that and will work relentlessly (and sometimes a little outside the rules) to make sure it happens.

Sonnen became a huge name in the UFC in his first bid to take the middleweight championship belt from Anderson Silva, taking the champion all the way to the fifth and final round before submitting to a triangle choke/armbar submission late in the round.

Sonnen has punched his ticket for a rematch with Silva that will reportedly happen in June 2012, although an official date has not been set.

The first match made him famous. The second could very well see him holding that UFC gold he covets in the most anticipated rematch in the history of the organization.

Mark Munoz

Many UFC champions have won a belt with superb wrestling and excellent power. Superb wrestling and excellent power? Those are the first two things that stand out about Mark Munoz.

Munoz could very well have been the champion sooner rather than later if it weren't for an injury that forced him to lose his spot in a No. 1 contender bout with fellow middleweight contender Chael Sonnen.

Munoz is a powerhouse and is riding a four-fight win streak in which he has looked better each time out.

Munoz's aggressive blend of wrestling, ground-and-pound and knockout power is enough to make any opponent sweat, and a successful run at the title is very much in play for Munoz.

Chris Weidman

In a division destitute for promising prospects, Chris Weidman stands out as one with serious potential.

The 27-year-old Serra-Longo Fight Team product has shown immense promise in getting off to an 8-0 start in his MMA career and most recently showed he could handle the spotlight with a unanimous decision victory over Demian Maia at UFC on Fox 2.

With Weidman's solid wrestling pedigree and training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he is already one of the best grapplers in the division and has shown that while he still somewhat raw in the striking department, he has no problem winning a fight standing up.

Weidman is definitely a future UFC middleweight champion.

Brad Tavares

It is hard to predict who will be champion of a division in five to ten years from now, especially when that division has had the same champion for over five years. However, Brad Tavares is one who could very well hold that distinction down the road.

A semi-finalist on The Ultimate Fighter season 11, Tavares is 24 and a mere 2-1 in the octagon. His recent loss to Aaron Simpson is disappointing, but the Hawaiian fighter has youth on his side and plenty of upside.

With years to develop his game against the competition the UFC has to offer, Tavares has the potential to mature into a UFC title contender and one day, a titleholder.

Rory MacDonald

At 22 years old, Rory MacDonald is one of the younger fighters in the UFC. He's also a future household name.

In MacDonald's short time in the organization, he has a record of 3-1, his lone loss coming at the hands of current interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit.

In the fight, MacDonald was on his way to taking a decision over Condit until Condit was able to draw the referee stoppage with just seven seconds remaining in the bout.

MacDonald is a well-rounded fighter who has looked dominant in his other UFC outings, especially in his win over lightweight contender Nate Diaz, in which he threw Diaz around like a rag doll.

Not only does MacDonald stand a great chance of holding a UFC title before he is done, a long title reign could very well be in his future.

Jake Ellenberger

With the uncertainty behind longtime dominant champion Georges St. Pierre's recovery from ACL reconstruction, the welterweight championship is more up-for-grabs than ever before. Jake Ellenberger could very easily benefit from the uncertainty.

A possible matchup for current interim champion Carlos Condit, Ellenberger has shown that he belongs among the class' elite with his five-fight win streak and recent dominant knockout victory over Jake Shields.

Ellenberger's only loss in the promotion came at the hands of Condit when Ellenberger met Condit in his UFC debut in 2009. Ellenberger has vastly improved since that first fight, so a rematch between the two would be very interesting.

At 26, Ellenberger has plenty of time to be a UFC champion before his time in the sport is done.

Johny Hendricks

Much like Ellenberger, Johny Hendricks is a perfect candidate to take advantage of the now wide-open welterweight division in the UFC.

In fact, Hendricks could be credited with breaking the division wide open when he wasted no time in knocking out former consensus No. 2 welterweight in the world Jon Fitch in an astonishing 12 seconds.

Hendricks has that combination of solid wrestling and brutal power that propels fighters to the top of the heap. Should GSP have difficulties in making a comeback or eventually move to middleweight, Hendricks would be right in the mix to get his shot at the UFC belt.

Benson Henderson

Henderson will get the first crack of anyone on this list to make his UFC title dreams come true.

Henderson will take on current lightweight champ Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 in Japan and oddsmakers are only favoring Edgar slightly.

While beating Frankie Edgar is by no means an easy task, Henderson has been on an absolute tear since joining the UFC from the now-defunct WEC.

Sporting a three-fight win streak, he has won three decisive unanimous decisions since his loss to Anthony Pettis in his final WEC fight.

Henderson is among the strongest fighters in the lightweight division and just may have the athleticism to negate Edgar's footwork and boxing.

Gray Maynard

Gray Maynard may not have been able to capture the elusive lightweight championship in his trilogy with Frankie Edgar, but he has shown time and time again he belongs with the elite of the division.

Maynard owns a 10-1-1 record in MMA and owns victories over the likes of Frankie Edgar, Kenny Florian, Nate Diaz, Jim Miller and Denis Siver.

A strong wrestler with solid power, Maynard is 1-1-1 against the current lightweight champion, and it would surprise no one if he were able to climb the ladder at least one more time and finally claim the lightweight championship.

Edson Barboza

In perhaps the deepest division in the UFC (lightweight), the undefeated Edson Barboza has established himself as a young contender to watch.

The 26-year-old Brazilian is a dynamic striker, and his highlight-reel knockout of Terry Etim is already an early candidate for knockout of the year.

While Barboza hasn't faced the elite fighters of the division, he has plenty of time to develop and should be a force in the division for years to come. Barboza being the UFC lightweight champion is an eventuality.

Jim Miller

The oft-underrated Jim Miller has an impressive 21-3 record. Those three losses were all hard-fought decision losses to Benson Henderson, Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar.

Miller has never been finished and should get over his big-fight slump when he takes on Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 3.

Miller is a dangerous submission artist with 12 submission victories to his name, and his striking game continues to improve.

The soft-spoken Miller may not be the best at selling a fight, but he certainly shows up to fight and should walk away with a UFC title before his career is over.

Anthony Pettis

For now, Anthony Pettis may just be known for his impressive "showtime kick," which may have been the most entertaining strike landed in MMA history.

Pettis now needs to show that his game is more substance than style and he definitely has the skill set to do so.

An exciting striker, Pettis lost his UFC debut to Clay Guida but bounced back with a split-decision victory over Jeremy Stephens.

Pettis is only 26 years old and has a lot of room to improve, but he should be a contender in the lightweight division for years to come.

Charles Oliveira

When Charles Oliveira first entered the UFC, he came on the scene with a bang.

Taking out Darren Elkins and Efrain Escudero in impressive fashion fast tracked Oliveira as one of the more promising prospects in the lightweight division.

However, it proved to be a case of too much too soon, as Oliveira went winless in his next three fights with losses to Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone sandwiched between a no-contest with Nik Lentz.

It appeared that Oliveira may have been all flash and no substance.

A move to featherweight has the 22-year old's hype train back at full steam now after soundly beating Eric Wisely in his debut at 145 pounds with a nifty calf slicer submission.

Oliveira's length and crafty submission game has once again garnered attention, and Oliveira should be a force in the 145-pound division from here on out.

With Oliveira's age and massive potential, for him to not capture a belt in his UFC career would be a disappointment.

Chad Mendes

Chad "Money" Mendes may have been current featherweight champion Jose Aldo's latest victim, but that doesn't mean a title is out of the question for Mendes.

With speculation that Aldo will eventually be forced to move up to lightweight as he ages or because he has simply cleaned out the featherweight division, Mendes could find himself right in the thick of things at any time.

Mendes' relentless style and wrestling ability pose a threat to anyone in the division and it would have been interesting, if Aldo had not caught Mendes with a knee, what he could have done over the course of a five-round fight with the champion.

Mendes is a tireless worker, and at 26 years old, he has plenty of time left in the sport. Mendes' 11-1 record speaks for itself; it isn't hard to imagine him as a UFC champion one day.

Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier is one of the many young dynamic fighters budding in the new lighter weight classes in the UFC.

After going 1-1 as a WEC lightweight, Poirier has racked up a 4-0 record in little over a year in the UFC as a featherweight.

Poirier has a great submission game, and his latest victory over fellow up-and-comer Max Holloway by mounted triangle armbar was a thing of beauty.

Poitier's wizardry on the mat is evident, and with just as many knockout victories as submissions, Poirier has shown that he is a well-rounded fighter.

Poirier should be in for a career full of exciting finishes and a UFC title reign.

Renan Barao

How many 25-year-olds can say that they have had 30 professional fights?

How many of those 25-year-olds are on a 28 fight win streak?

Renan Barao can make both of those claims. While most of his fights were on the regional circuit in Brazil, there is something to be said for a winning streak that impressive.

Barao is for real and with a record of 5-0 in the WEC and UFC combined, Barao is becoming increasingly popular as the first challenger to get a crack at the winner of the Urijah Faber/Dominick Cruz fight.

Michael McDonald

Not to be confused with the soulful Grammy award-winning singer, Michael McDonald is a fast-rising name in the bantamweight division.

With a 14-1 record at the age of 21, McDonald is well on his way to a successful career in the UFC.

McDonald wasted no time in defeating his last opponent, Alex Soto, in a mere 56 seconds at UFC 139.

After going 3-0 during his first year in the promotion, it is easy to envision McDonald seeing a step up in competition as he proves he is worthy of a run at the title.

Demetrious Johnson

Perhaps the happiest man to hear the news of the arrival of the new flyweight division in the UFC, Demetrious Johnson will have his chance to capture a UFC title in the flyweight tournament for the inaugural championship.

Johnson, whose bid for the bantamweight championship against Dominick Cruz fell short despite a valiant effort, showed Johnson's disadvantage due to his small stature.

Presumably 125 will be a much better division for Johnson and without a dominant champion in place, Johnson has as much chance as anyone at getting the belt.

Ian McCall

For those who don't watch too many promotions outside of the UFC, the flyweight division is completely new, so Ian McCall (or "Uncle Creepy" as he's known) is a completely unknown commodity to many fans.

However, fans should know his name soon as he has the experience at 125 to win the belt, perhaps by winning the tournament to become the inaugural champion.

McCall comes from the Tachi Palace Fights organization, an organization known for having a strong flyweight division where he was champion.

McCall should be able to capture the title at some point during the infancy of the flyweight division in the UFC.

Joseph Benavidez

A newcomer to the flyweight division, Joseph Benavidez is yet another fighter scheduled to take place in the four man flyweight tournament to crown the division's first champion.

Benavidez has never fought at 125, so it is hard to predict how cutting another 10 pounds will affect him, but there is no denying Benavidez' skill.

The Team Alpha Male product has an impressive 17-2 record and has only lost to bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, the last time by way of split decision.

Benavidez' strong submission game and grappling will make him a constant threat in the flyweight division and he could be an early title holder, remaining relevant even with a loss in the tournament.