5 fighters who have surprisingly never been in a UFC main event

#2. Beneil Darisuh - UFC lightweight contender

Dariush is ranked no. 4 with a record of 21-4-1

Beneil Dariush missed out on his chance for a first UFC main event when he was forced to pull out of his scheduled bout with Islam Makhachev recently. While Darisuh may not be the biggest character in the sport, it does seem surprising that a main event bout has not come calling sooner.

Dariush is on a seven-fight winning streak and you can't help but feel as though he could've been handed a main event bout during this run. While some of his opponents may not have been high-profile enough, the same can't be said of his most recent fights with Tony Ferguson.

For Dariush, there are not a ton of other bouts that you feel ought to have been a main event, it is more just surprising that a fighter in his position has not had one. He is the no. 4 ranked lightweight on the planet and hasn't lost since early 2018, so surely his next bout will finally earn him a headline spot.

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#1. Vicente Luque - UFC welterweight contender

Luque is ranked no. 4 with a record of 21-7-1

Vicente Luque has been an elite welterweight for some time and has fought some of the biggest names in the division. Despite that, he is somehow yet to compete in a main event for the promotion. Thankfully, this will change on April 16 when he will rematch Belal Muhammad in what will be the main event of the evening.

If we look back at Luque's career, there seems to be a number of bouts that could have been a main event. In particular, his fights with Stephen Thompson, Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa were all huge fights in the division. Had they taken place on a fight night card, they likely would have been the headline bout.

Additionally, it seems a little odd that the fight to finally get him there is the rematch with Muhammad. While it may be a big fight in terms of rankings, Luque has gone 10-2 since then and will presumably be the favorite in that fight. If he wins, you can be confident that there will be plenty more big-time fights heading his way.