5 unluckiest UFC fighters in history

#4. Chael Sonnen

Most fight fans remember Chael Sonnen for his cutting and entertaining trash talk. The former All-American's ability to generate interest in his bouts purely through the strength of his charisma and gift of gab captivated an entire generation of MMA fans who were eager to watch 'The American Gangster' make good on his outlandish promises inside the octagon. Despite his relatively successful career, Sonnen never captured UFC gold.

In two of his attempts, the American came dangerously close. His first opportunity came against Anderson Silva at UFC 117. Sonnen dominated his foe for most of the five-round affair.

With only two minutes left, the win seemed all but certain until Sonnen succumbed to a moment of sloppiness and was caught by a triangle armbar. With no other choice, he was forced to tap out, losing a championship he had firmly secured his grip on.

Years later, Sonnen faced Jon Jones at UFC 159 for the light heavyweight title. From the very beginning, it was clear that Sonnen had little to offer Jones. Yet, during a grappling sequence, Jones pushed off his own foot at an odd angle, nearly snapping his toe in half. Undeterred, 'Bones' resumed his assault to record a TKO win over Sonnen.

Had Sonnen survived that round or the referee noticed Jones' injury, he would have undoubtedly captured the title. The cageside doctor would have determined that his foe was incapable of continuing the bout with such a gruesome injury. Twice, Sonnen came close to winning the title, and twice it slipped through his fingers.

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#3. Tony Ferguson

One of the greatest lightweights in history, Tony Ferguson is also one of the promotion's unluckiest fighters. Fans will be hard-pressed to find any other fighter who has embarked on a 12-fight win streak without ever fighting for the undisputed title in their division.

Furthermore, Ferguson's lack of title fights was largely due to Conor McGregor's decision to pursue a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. instead of defending his lightweight title.

This matter was completely out of Ferguson's control despite the fact that 'El Cucuy' was the interim lightweight champion at the time. Additionally, Ferguson never managed to fight his longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov despite the matchup being scheduled on five separate occasions. The first occasion never came to fruition as Nurmagomedov withdrew due to injury.

On the second attempt at booking the bout, it was 'El Cucuy' who withdrew, this time due to a lung issue. The third attempt ended in another failure when the Russian's poor weight cut left him unable to compete.

The fourth attempt was even more bizarre as Ferguson tore a knee ligament after tripping over a cable during a pre-fight media event. The cause? He wore indoor sunglasses.

Finally, the fifth attempt failed due to the emergence of a global pandemic, leading many to deem the fight cursed. With Nurmagomedov unable to leave Russia, he was replaced by Justin Gaethje.

What was originally scheduled as a bout for the undisputed lightweight title became an interim title fight. It forced Ferguson to challenge for a second interim title, despite never having lost the first one.

The fight was a brutal and lopsided loss that forever changed 'El Cucuy' as a fighter, ending his 12-fight win streak and causing him to plummet into the first-ever losing streak of his career.