5 highly ranked UFC stars who haven't won a fight in a surprisingly long time

In the world of the UFC, time goes by very quickly. This means that some highly ranked fighters can remain in their spot without winning for a surprisingly long period.

Right now, there are a number of top-ranked UFC stars who haven't won in well over a year or more, with their reputations seemingly the only thing keeping them afloat.

Whether these fighters ever claim the wins they need to climb back up to the top remains to be seen, with at least a few of them seemingly finished entirely.

Here, then, are five top-ranked UFC stars who haven't won a fight in a surprisingly long time.

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#5. Colby Covington - UFC welterweight

This past weekend saw Colby Covington compete in his first bout in just over a year, and it's safe to say it didn't end well for him.

'Chaos' was picked apart in vicious fashion by rising contender Joaquin Buckley, and only his sheer toughness prevented him from suffering a knockout loss. In the end, the bout was stopped by the cageside doctor due to a cut to Covington's eye.

The UFC's official rankings have been updated after the event, with 'Chaos' slipping three places to No. 9.

To find the last time the former interim champion won a fight, you have to rewind all the way back to March 2022 when he outpointed his bitter rival Jorge Masvidal.

That means that by the time he recovers from the beating he took from Buckley, it'll be well over three years since he had his hand raised in the octagon.

At the age of 36, there's very much a chance that we've seen Covington's last victory already. His last two fights have seen him look miles past his prime, and it's hard to imagine the UFC giving him a softball for his comeback.

Therefore, for how much longer he can remain ranked at welterweight, it's hard to say.

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#4. Israel Adesanya - former UFC middleweight champion

This week it was announced that Israel Adesanya will kick off his 2025 by facing off with dangerous prospect Nassourdine Imavov. The two will do battle in the headliner of the UFC's next trip to Saudi Arabia in February.

Remarkably, the fight will mark the first non-title fight for 'The Last Stylebender' in nearly six years, with his last one coming in February 2019 against Anderson Silva.

More to the point, though, Adesanya will come into the fight with his back to the wall. That's because by the time it comes around, it will be nearly two years since his last win.

That win, of course, was a banner one. 'The Last Stylebender' knocked out Alex Pereira to reclaim his middleweight title and gained some form of revenge over his old rival in the process.

Since then, though, he's spiralled downhill fast. A very disappointing showing against Sean Strickland in late 2023 saw him lose his title. Most recently, he failed to regain it from Dricus du Plessis.

That fight saw him suffer the first submission loss of his career, and put him on a run of just one win in his last four fights, too.

'The Last Stylebender' will be favored to beat Imavov, despite the latter's four-fight unbeaten run. If he loses, though, the future could well be dark for him.

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#3. Michael Chandler - UFC lightweight

After waiting for well over a year to face off with Conor McGregor, it's safe to say that Michael Chandler's return to the UFC in November did not go as planned.

With McGregor unable to return to action, 'Iron Mike' instead faced off with top-ranked contender Charles Oliveira in a de facto top contenders' match. Despite his best efforts, Chandler was, in the end, well beaten, leaving him at a crossroads of sorts.

Right now, he is still ranked No. 7 at 155 pounds. However, to find his last victory in the octagon, you have to go all the way back to his win over Tony Ferguson in May 2022. Assuming he doesn't return to action until the spring of 2025, then, it'll probably be at least three years since his last win by that stage.

In this case, it's understandable, as Chandler figured sitting out to wait for McGregor was a risk worth taking due to the potential financial gain. However, the fact is that 'Iron Mike' has wasted a year and half of his career. At the age of 38, he may not have been able to afford that.

Whether he can pick up his first win in some time in 2025, then, is a question mark.

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#2. Henry Cejudo - former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion

While it's perhaps unfair to name him on this list given that he spent a lengthy period in temporary retirement, the fact that Henry Cejudo is ranked No. 7 at bantamweight is still jarring.

That's because to find the last time 'Triple C' won a bout inside the octagon, you have to rewind all the way back to May 2020 when he stopped Dominick Cruz.

That fight, of course, came in a different time period entirely. At that point, Cejudo looked like he could go onto true greatness. 'Triple C' had claimed the 135-pound title to go with his 125-pound crown in the summer of 2019, and the win over Cruz felt like just the start of a long reign.

However, with the COVID-19 pandemic making everything difficult, Cejudo instead stepped away from action, purportedly hoping that the UFC would pay him more to stick around.

They didn't, of course, and instead the Olympic gold medalist returned in 2023 to attempt to reclaim his title.

That attempt ended in failure as he lost to Aljamain Sterling, and he has since been defeated by current champ Merab Dvalishvili too.

Cejudo is still a highly talented and experienced fighter, but how relevant he is these days is unknown. Assuming he fights again next year, it will be five years since his last win - and in the octagon, five years is a long time.

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#1. Kamaru Usman - former UFC welterweight champion

When welterweight champ Belal Muhammad was sidelined from his planned title bout with Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 this month, one contingency plan mentioned involved Kamaru Usman.

The idea that Rakhmonov could've fought 'The Nigerian Nightmare' for an interim title seemed to make sense to a lot of people. After all, Usman was still ranked No. 2 in the division at the time.

However, beneath the surface, it could be argued that Usman should be nowhere near the title picture right now. In fact, his current ranking is hugely inflated. That's because, remarkably, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has not won a fight since he outpointed Colby Covington in November 2021, over three years ago.

Since that win, Usman has lost his title to Leon Edwards, failed to regain it in a rematch, and then lost to Khamzat Chimaev at 185 pounds.

That fight was last October, and Usman has not fought at all in 2024.

Given 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has only lost to 'Rocky' at 170 pounds in recent years, he remains relevant to the rankings. However, because he's now 37 years old, how much longer that will be the case remains to be seen. One thing is for sure - Usman needs to fight - and win again - soon.