Until Jose Aldo vs. Petr Yan for the vacant UFC bantamweight title is made official, Raphael Assuncao is not giving up hope on fighting to crown the next champion. Assuncao (27-7 MMA, 11-4 UFC) has been a longstanding top contender in the 135-pound division, but has yet to fight for UFC gold. He probably should’ve had a shot along the way, but a perceived lack of star power with his name, bad timing and some unfortunate losses likely have kept him from getting an opportunity. The Brazilian can launch himself back into a good place Saturday, though, when he meets former champion Cody Garbrandt (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in the UFC 250 co-main event. Despite three consecutive losses, Garbrandt still holds major name value in the sport and Assuncao thinks he could skip the line if he wins.