The last two years has brought about a sea of change in some of the UFC’s weight divisions, with new champions such as Dricus Du Plessis, Ilia Topuria and Leon Edwards ousting some established names on their way to the top.
With this influx of new title holders comes a changing of the guard. Some former champions have to get back in line and attempt to climb the mountain once more, while some other members of the ‘old guard’ may be watching their last opportunities at claiming UFC gold slip through their fingers.
Today, let’s take a look at five fan favourites who should have won UFC gold, but most likely won’t.
Dustin Poirier
Poirier fell short of the mark during his third (and likely final) attempt at winning an undisputed UFC title when he was submitted by the pound-for-pound number one Islam Makhachev in the fifth round of their encounter at UFC 302 earlier this year.
“The Diamond” made his UFC debut way back in January of 2011 when he faced Josh Grispi at UFC 125. After originally competing as a featherweight, a defeat to Conor McGregor in 2014 convinced Poirier to make the switch to 155lbs. He won nine of his next ten fights to earn a title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019.
Unfortunately for him, he suffered the same result as every other fighter who has ever stepped into the Octagon to face Khabib: heartbreaking defeat. Undeterred, he worked his way back into title contention, memorably picking up two consecutive wins over his old foe Conor McGregor, before again suffering a submission loss in a world title fight when he faced Charles Oliveira in December of 2021.
To add insult to injury, Poirier was knocked out in spectacular fashion by Justin Gaethje when the pair fought for the vacant BMF title in 2023.
Poirier hinted recently that he plans to continue fighting inside the Octagon, but it seems very unlikely the 35-year-old will work his way back to a fourth shot at undisputed UFC gold.
Tony Ferguson
Back in 2011, “El Cucuy” knocked out three opponents to make it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13, where he stopped Ramsay Nijem inside the first round to earn himself a UFC contract.
Ferguson won fourteen of his next fifteen fights over an eight-year stretch, taking out names such as Edson Barboza, Anthony Pettis and Rafael Dos Anjos along the way. His wild fighting style and his propensity for violent finishes earned him a place in the hearts of UFC fans all over the world, and there was a clamour to see how his eccentric grappling style would match up against that of the unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The UFC booked the pair to fight on five separate occasions between 2015 and 2020, but the match up seemed to be cursed and destined never to happen. A combination of injuries to both fighters, a global pandemic, and a bizarre incident with a TV studio cable that resulted in torn knee ligaments for Ferguson meant the fight never came to fruition.
The fifth and final cancellation (due to Covid pulling the plug on UFC 249 ) cost Ferguson a shot at glory, as by that time Nurmagomedov had won the 155lb title by beating Conor McGregor.
When the event eventually did take place, Ferguson found himself standing across from a new opponent: Justin Gaethje. He was soundly beaten in what has turned out to be the first of seven consecutive losses inside the Octagon.
The 40-year-old returns to action next month looking to snap that skid when he takes on Michael Chiesa in a welterweight contest in Abu Dhabi.
Justin Gaethje
Gaethje, much like his former opponents Poirier and Ferguson, is another fighter who will likely look back on his career when all is said and done and think “what if?”
The former World Series of Fighting world champion arrived in the UFC in 2017 with a reputation for a wild and reckless approach to fighting. After a mixed start to career inside the Octagon, he linked up with coach Trevor Wittman and refined his game, before embarking on an impressive winning run.
The dominant victory over Tony Ferguson at the height of the pandemic in 2020 earned him a title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Much like Poirier, however, he was submitted with relative ease by the Dagestani, who announced his retirement immediately afterwards.
A victory over Michael Chandler upon his return a year later was enough to earn him another shot at glory, and he took on Charles Oliveira at UFC 274. “The Highlight” fell short of the mark once again, as “Do Bronx” submitted him in little over three minutes.
After returning to winning ways against Rafael Fiziev, Gaethje took on Dustin Poirier for the BMF title at UFC 291. The second-round head knockout remains one of the finest moments of his storied UFC career and elevated him back into the number one contender spot in the lightweight rankings.
Gaethje put that ranking on the line when he agreed to defend his BMF belt against Max Holloway at UFC 300 earlier this year, and the gamble failed miserably. Gaethje was knocked out in the final second of the five-round match up, and fellow contenders Dustin Poirier and Arman Tsarukyan leapfrogged him in the title picture at 155lbs.
Much like Poirier, 35-year-old Gaethje faces an uphill battle to get back into contention in the lightweight title discussion.
Stephen Thompson
Thompson transitioned into MMA in 2010 after an insanely successful kickboxing career. Between his amateur and professional careers in the kickboxing ring, “Wonderboy” amassed a record of sixty-two wins and zero defeats.
After an unbeaten start to his MMA career, he announced his arrival in the UFC with a first-round headkick knockout win over Dan Stittgen in 2012. Thompson won nine of his first ten fights inside the Octagon, beating some notable names such as Johnny Hendricks, Robert Whittaker and Rory McDonald before earning a title shot against then-welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
Their five-round clash at UFC 205 finished as a majority draw, a result which meant Woodley kept the belt, but many fans felt Thompson should have won. The rematch four months later was ruled a majority decision victory for Woodley, but again many observers had felt that Thompson should have been the one getting his hand raised.
Four wins and five defeats in the years since have meant Thompson being seen as somewhat of a gatekeeper in the welterweight division, and the 41-year-old will surely look back at those two title fights and wonder what might have been.
Nick Diaz
For younger fans of MMA, Nick Diaz’s younger brother Nate will be regarded as somewhat of a superstar in the world of combat sports. For the generation of spectators old enough to remember promotions such as Elite XC, Strikeforce and Pride, 40-year-old Nick Diaz will always be known as a true “O.G.” of the sport.
In two separate stints in the UFC between 2003 and 2011, the older Diaz brother beat legends such as Robbie Lawler and BJ Penn, while also racking up impressive wins over Franks Shamrock, Paul Daley and Takanori Gomi during his sabbatical in other promotions.
In 2012, Diaz lost an interim title fight to Carlos Condit, before losing to UFC welterweight champion George St-Pierre in a title fight the following year. His fight against Anderson Silva in 2015 was retrospectively changed to a “no contest” and a five-year suspension due to a marijuana violation followed.
Diaz returned for a rematch with Robbie Lawler in 2021, but clearly wasn’t in shape to compete at the highest level and was stopped in the third round. He is scheduled to face Vicente Luque when the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi next month.
