Rashad Evans and 10 UFC Fighters Who Have Been Screwed out of Title Shots

The title is pretty self-explanatory.

The UFC doesn't intentionally screw fighters out of title shots (usually), but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Circumstance is a cruel mistress and she has screwed many a fighter out of their chance at glory.

Then there are fighters who have screwed themselves.

Here are 10 UFC fighters who have missed their chance at a title fight, for one reason or another.

Travis Lutter

Travis Lutter has no one to blame but himself for losing his title shot.

Travis was scheduled to fight Anderson Silva for the middleweight belt at UFC 67, but he didn't make weight.

If Lutter would have come into the fight in better shape, he might actually have won. At one point, he actually mounted Anderson and then went for an armbar.

The armbar attempt was sloppy and Anderson avoided it, but had Lutter not been so drawn out from the weight cut, he may have been able to pull it off.

Chad Mendes

Chad Mendes is 10-0 as a mixed martial artist.

After winning a unanimous decision over Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 126, Mendes was expected to face the UFC's featherweight champ Jose Aldo at UFC 133.

Aldo ended up being injured and was forced to withdraw from the bout.

Mendes accepted another opponent and now it looks like Aldo is going to be fighting Kenny Florian next. This hasn't been confirmed yet, but Kenny would be a very marketable opponent for Aldo, so you can bet that's who the UFC will choose.

A tough break for Chad, but as long as he keeps winning, he'll get his shot soon enough.

Matt Lindland

Matt Lindland became the No.1 contender in the UFC's middleweight division when he defeated Joe Doerksen at UFC 54.

He never got his shot at the belt because, at the weigh-ins for UFC 54, he wore a T-shirt that hadn't been approved by the company.

After the T-shirt incident, Lindland was released from the UFC.

Matt got the same treatment that Paul Daley got for taking a cheap shot at Josh Koscheck. The difference is that Lindland just wore a shirt.

Gray Maynard

I know what you're thinking.

"But, Gray got his title shot."

Yeah, eventually.

When Frankie Edgar got his first fight against BJ Penn, he was riding a three-fight win streak and his most recent victory was over Matt Veach.

At that time, Gray Maynard was undefeated and coming off a victory over Roger Huerta (Huerta being a more significant opponent than Veach).

Obviously, Frankie deserved the shot and was able to capitalize on it, but at that time Gray deserved it more.

Yushin Okami

Yushin Okami's situation is very similar to Gray Maynard's.

Yushin is getting his title shot later this year, but he should have had it already.

At UFC 126, Vitor Belfort received a title shot against Anderson Silva, after being out of action for over a year and not having a fight in the UFC's middleweight division.

That title shot had already been promised to Okami, after he defeated Nate Marquardt at UFC 122.

Chael Sonnen

At UFC 117, Chael Sonnen came closer than anyone else in the UFC has ever come to defeating Anderson Silva.

Chael dominated the champ for four and half rounds before being submitted.

Many fans were calling for an immediate rematch and Sonnen may very well have got it, if his urine test had come back clean.

If Sonnen hadn't got himself suspended, he probably would have had a rematch with Silva by now.

Like Travis Lutter, Chael screwed himself out of a title shot.

Every Top Welterweight in the UFC

The day the UFC booked Nick Diaz to fight Georges St. Pierre, every top welterweight in the company was screwed out of a title shot.

Diaz may be the Strikeforce welterweight champion, but he has never beat a top ten welterweight.

Jake Shields had a much more impressive record than Diaz when he crossed over from Strikeforce to the UFC and even he had to take a tune up fight.

Diaz vs. St. Pierre will be an entertaining fight and fans are excited for it, but there are a lot of fighters who deserve that shot more.

Here's a few of them: Jon Fitch, Carlos Condit, Dong Hyun Kim, Rick Story, Martin Kampmann, Diego Sanchez.

I could list more, but you get the idea. All of these fighters have been fighting for the UFC for a while and have defeated at least one top ten welterweight.

Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans has been screwed out of two title shots this year.

First, he was supposed to face Mauricio Rua at UFC 128 for the light heavyweight championship, but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Then he was supposed to face Jon Jones for the title at UFC 133, but Jones withdrew due to injury.

Rashad is now going to fight Phil Davis at UFC 133 and if he wins that fight, he will finally get his title shot.

Anthony Pettis

Poor Anthony Pettis.

Pettis was the WEC's lightweight champion when the WEC merged with the UFC.

He was all set up to take on the winner of Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar. Unfortunately, that fight went to a draw.

Anthony could have waited out a title shot, but instead decided to take a fight with Clay Guida.

Guida defeated Pettis by unanimous decision and now Pettis is a couple wins away from a title shot, at least.

Jon Fitch

Jon Fitch is 13-1-1 in the UFC.

His only loss came at the hands of current welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre.

After that loss, Fitch compiled a five-fight win streak. The last win in that streak was over Thiago Alves in a fight to determine the division's No. 1 contender.

However, after that fight Fitch did not get his title shot and was instead booked to fight BJ Penn.

The fight went with a draw, with many believing that Fitch deserved the victory.

It's looking like Fitch won't get another title shot until 2012, if he gets one at all.