5 UFC fighters stuck as permanent top-contenders in their respective divisions

#4. Cory Sandhagen

Cory Sandhagen is an exceptional fighter. Tall and rangy for the bantamweight division, many touted him as a future UFC champion. His striking is sublime and his volume of strikes often overwhelms his foes.

However, Sandhagen wasn't always intent on finishing his opponents in brutal fashion. As good as the lanky kickboxer has been in the bantamweight division, he seems destined for a career as a top contender with no championship to call his own.

Of Sandhagen's last three losses, all have been to recent UFC bantamweight champions. He suffered a loss to Petr Yan, who just lost his championship belt to Aljamain Sterling. Prior to that, 'The Sandman' lost a close decision to TJ Dillashaw, who was stripped of his bantamweight title before Cejudo captured the vacant championship. Before that bout, he lost to Aljamain Sterling, the reigning bantamweight champion.

Given Sandhagen's losses to the division's champions, it is likely that 'The Sandman' may never capture UFC gold.

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#3. Max Holloway

Former UFC champion Max Holloway is one of the greatest featherweights in MMA history. He has provided fans with showstopping performances against the likes of Brian Ortega and Calvin Kattar.

He is also known to have bested former UFC champions Jose Aldo, Anthony Pettis, Charles Oliveira, and Frankie Edgar in his incredible featherweight run. While the Hawaiian has held the featherweight championship, even successfully defending it three times, he has since lost it to the ever-improving Alexander Volkanovski.

Holloway's first bout with Volkanovski was a convincing win for the Australian. Their first rematch, however, was a far more competitive bout, with many scoring it in favor of the Hawaiian. Unfortunately for 'Blessed', the judges held a different opinion, awarding Volkanovski the win instead.

Many hoped that their trilogy bout at UFC 276 would be another hotly contested affair, but it was instead a shutout by Volkanovski, who comfortably won every round. By ending the rivalry with Holloway with a dominant victory, 'The Great' made one thing clear: so long as he is the champion, Holloway will never have another shot at featherweight gold.