When I think about great non-MMA athletes who never won a title, I feel a little twinge.
I don’t have to break out the Kleenex or anything, but when I think about guys like Charles Barkley, John Stockton and poster boy Dan Marino, I do get a little sad. Maybe a six out of 10 on the Sports Sad Scale.
But with MMA, I don’t even get sports sad. There are no bad teammates, bad coaches or sustained bad luck. There aren’t really any dynasties; even the greatest of the great can go down on any given fight night.
By the same token, an elite is never far away from their big chance. Any fighter can string a few wins together and get the strap. Or they can’t. The proverbial anything can always happen, but with MMA, more than with any other sport, anythings even out. It’s either meant to be, or it isn’t.
Here are the 20 best fighters in history who have never put that 15 pounds of gold around their waists. Tournament titles count. Titles from minor promotions don’t.