UFC 127 Fight Card: Jon Fitch And The Top 25 Fighters Yet To Wear UFC Gold

As UFC 127 approaches, UFC President Dana White has announced that the winner of the main event fight between Jon Fitch and B.J. Penn will be named the top contender in the welterweight division.

Penn has held titles in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions. Meanwhile, Fitch has long awaited a second opportunity at dethroning Georges St. Pierre as UFC Welterweight Champion. Since losing to St. Pierre in August 2008, Fitch has won all five of his fights and was even promised a title shot with his most recent win over Thiago Alves.

Later, Fitch was passed over and Jake Shields was given the next opportunity to fight St. Pierre. Considered one of the top welterweights for quite some time, Fitch is one of the best UFC fighters to have never won a title.

In determining the 24 other past and present UFC fighters who have done everything but sit atop their division, UFC tournament champions and superfight champions have been excluded.

25. Josh Koscheck

It has been a roller coaster ride of a career for Josh Koscheck. After finally gaining some momentum in the UFC, Koscheck's first run at a title was halted by Georges St. Pierre.

Koscheck would get his chance for revenge against St. Pierre at UFC 124, this time a championship fight, but he would come up short again.

24. Yushin Okami

Yushin Okami was first given an opportunity to become the top contender in the middleweight division back in June 2007. However, Okami would come up short in that fight, losing to eventual champion Rich Franklin.

In his last fight, Okami got another shot at becoming the top contender. This time, Okami came through with a win over Nate Marquardt. Unfortunately, Okami's shot at a title could be put on hold for a superfight between Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre.

23. Shonie Carter

Shonie Carter made a name for himself in the UFC with his spinning backfist knockout of Matt Serra at UFC 31. However, Carter would follow that win up with a deflating loss to Pat Miletich.

Carter would get another chance to make a run at a title in the form of The Ultimate Fighter: Season 4. In the second round of the competition, Carter met Serra again, but came up short in a decision.

22. Joe Stevenson

The closest Joe Stevenson came to winning a title was in a championship fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 80. Though, Stevenson did not come close to winning that fight. Penn dominated the fight and finished Stevenson with a second round submission.

Now, Stevenson is on a two-fight losing streak and is in danger of being released from the UFC.

21. Chris Lytle

Chris Lytle has had several fights with elite welterweights in the UFC and has come up short for the most part. At 36-years-old, Lytle is focused on making one last run at the title, though.

Lytle earned a win over Matt Serra in his last fight. A meeting with another contender in Carlos Condit had been scheduled, but Condit was forced to pull out of that fight, which leaves Lytle with a somewhat unknown opponent in Brian Ebersole.

20. Joe Riggs

With a win over Chris Lytle at UFC 55, Joe Riggs earned a title shot against Matt Hughes. Riggs would end up losing to Hughes, but failed to make weight so the belt would not have been his had he even won.

A while later, Riggs was released from the organization and began bouncing around, fighting in several smaller promotions. Last week, it was announced that Riggs had signed with Bellator Fighting Championships.

19. Chael Sonnen

A fighter can't get much closer to winning a title than Chael Sonnen did at UFC 117. After winning the first four rounds of the fight, Sonnen was submitted by UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva with less than two minutes remaining in the fight.

Sonnen's loss may have been for the better of the sport, though. Following the event, it was revealed that Sonnen failed a pre-fight drug test and was suspended for one year. Sonnen's suspension was eventually reduced to six months, but he is currently dealing with legal troubles that could keep him away from fighting for much longer.

18. Jeremy Horn

In 112 career fights, Jeremy Horn never captured a UFC title. Horn holds several notable wins over fighters like Chuck Liddell, Chael Sonnen and Forrest Griffin.

However, Horn was never able to get the job done when it mattered the most. Two times Horn fought in UFC championship fights and was defeated in both fights by Frank Shamrock and Chuck Liddell.

17. Matt Lindland

After getting his career off to a 7-0 start, Matt Lindland fought Murilo Bustamante for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Lindland would lose by submission in what would be his first and last shot at a UFC title.

With wins over fighters like Pat Miletich, Jeremy Horn and Carlos Newton, at least Lindland can find solace in the fact that he had a memorable career.

16. Hayato Sakurai

Hayato Sakurai had one fight with the UFC. That fight was with Matt Hughes for the UFC Welterweight Championship. While Sakurai lost that fight, it would have been interesting to see what Sakurai could have accomplished with an extended stay in the UFC.

Sakurai is currently on a four-fight losing streak and is considering retirement.

15. Takanori Gomi

Takanori Gomi is another fighter that didn't have an opportunity to compete in the UFC during his prime. Since joining the UFC, Gomi has gone 1-2 against stiff competition.

Still, with wins over Hayato Sakurai and Jens Pulver, a Gomi on the top of his game could have been a threat to capture a UFC title.

14. Frank Trigg

Twice Frank Trigg had the opportunity to end Matt Hughes's reign at UFC Welterweight Champion and twice Trigg came up short.

Trigg's wins over Dennis Hallman were the main reason for him receiving both title shots. Trigg also tallied a win over Jason "Mayhem" Miller before his most recent unsuccessful stint with the UFC.

13. Thiago Alves

Aside from a disappointing loss to Spencer Fisher in his UFC debut, Thiago Alves has only lost to Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch while with the organization. Alves earned a title shot with an extremely impressive string of wins over Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Karo Parisyan and Chris Lytle.

Alves's diet has always been a problem, but seemed to be much improved for his last fight after teaming up with Mike Dolce. Alves is still young at 27-years-old, so we shall see if the new diet can help him win a title in the future. 

12. Jake Shields

As quickly as Jake Shields made his way onto this list, he will have a chance to remove himself from this list with a championship fight against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129. Shields earned the title shot with a win over Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut.

Outside of the UFC, Shields has been dominant. Shields's 26-4-1 career record includes wins over Dan Henderson, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami and many more.

11. Nate Marquardt

A former King of Pancrase Middleweight Champion, Nate Marquardt quickly earned a shot at a UFC title in his second year with the organization. However, Marquardt would lose to Anderson Silva and was forced to climb his way back to the top.

Since then, Marquardt has had two opportunities to become a top contender. Marquardt came up short in both of those fights as well, losing to Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami.

10. Kenny Florian

Kenny Florian's near misses when it comes to championships have been well documented as of late. In addition to losing in two championship fights, Florian recently lost to Gray Maynard in a fight to determine the number one contender at lightweight.

Florian has expressed interest in dropping to featherweight in an attempt to challenge Jose Aldo for the UFC title. Florian began his career with the UFC as a middleweight, so time shall tell how the weight cut to 145 pounds will affect him.

9. Diego Sanchez

Diego Sanchez entered the UFC with a win over the aforementioned Kenny Florian. Since then, Sanchez has been ultra-competitive in both the welterweight and lightweight divisions.

Sanchez earned a title shot at lightweight, but was defeated by B.J. Penn. Now, Sanchez is attempting another run up the welterweight ladder. His next fight will be against another serious contender in Martin Kampmann.

8. Gray Maynard

I said earlier that you couldn't get much closer to winning a title than Chael Sonnen did in his fight with Anderson Silva. Well, you can't possibly get any closer to winning a title than Gray Maynard did in his last fight, which was against UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar.

Maynard earned a draw with Edgar, which allowed Edgar to retain the title. Now, the two fighters will have a rematch to determine which fighter is truly better.

7. Jon Jones

Jon Jones has quickly risen up the UFC light heavyweight ladder. Due to an injury suffered by Rashad Evans, Jones will step in to fight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in a championship fight. At only 23-years-old, a win over Rua would confirm all the hype that has surrounded Jones over recent years.

If the potential that Jones has showed in his previous fights continues against Rua, then he may not be on this list for very long. 

6. Pedro Rizzo

Pedro Rizzo was a loser in three UFC championship fights, twice against Randy Couture and one against Kevin Randleman. Still, Rizzo was an excellent fighter while with the UFC and he has made it clear that he wishes to return to the organization to finish his career.

Rizzo holds wins over a number of former UFC champions including Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, Ricco Rodriguez and Ken Shamrock.

5. Renato Sobral

Renato "Babalu" Sobral had one opportunity to claim a UFC title. That chance came in a fight with Chuck Liddell at UFC 62, where Sobral was knocked out in the first round.

Sobral has a career record of 36-9 with most of his losses coming against former UFC of PRIDE champions. Sobral has defeated fighters such as Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Jeremy Horn, and Chael Sonnen over the course of his career.

4. Jon Fitch

Jon Fitch holds an outstanding 13-1 record in the UFC. Fitch's only loss in the UFC came against Georges St. Pierre, who just so happened to become one of the greatest champions in MMA history.

Despite his success, Fitch has been passed over for title shots for a number of fighters that have been clearly lower on the welterweight totem pole than him. With a win over B.J. Penn at UFC 127, Fitch would supposedly earn another title shot, but we have seen how that promise has turned out before. 

3. Wanderlei Silva

Since joining the UFC, Wanderlei SIlva has not been the fighter he once was in PRIDE.The former PRIDE Champion is 2-3 in the UFC.

Silva may have found success in dropping to middleweight though. In his first UFC fight at 185 pounds, Silva defeated Michael Bisping. Now, Silva will have a chance to become a legitimate threat to fight for the belt as he is expected to fight Vitor Belfort next.

2. Mirko Filipovic

Speaking of fighters who haven't looked the same since coming to the UFC from PRIDE, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic has been a shadow of his former self. Filipovic has been able to manage victories over modest competition, but has showed no sign of competitiveness against the elite heavyweights in the UFC.

It is unlikely that we will ever see Filipovic as a UFC champion, but we shouldn't be surprised. This MMA legend had his best moments in PRIDE and at 36-years-old Filipovic is clearly not fighting for titles anymore.

1. Dan Henderson

Having won his last fight in PRIDE against Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson came to the UFC as the PRIDE Welterweight and Middleweight Champion. The UFC decided to have title-merging fights for both of Henderson's belts, but Henderson failed to defend either against Anderson Silva and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

With a three-fight winning streak, Henderson looked like he could be on his way to another title shot. However, he parted ways with the UFC and joined Strikeforce. After losing his first fight with Strikeforce against Jake Shields, Henderson has lost a lot of his appeal and fans may never see him in the Octagon again.

UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch Results, News and More