The debate about the UFC GOAT has continued for decades at this point. The UFC has existed since 1993 and there have been many great fighters in the UFC. However, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Anderson Silva are the three fighters most often brought up in the discussion about the greatest UFC fighter ever. Let’s dive into this discussion.
UFC GOAT Debate: Anderson Silva
Nicknamed ‘The Spider’, Anderson Silva is without a doubt one of the greatest fighters in UFC history. Silva won the UFC middleweight title in 2006 and defended it 10 times in a row. He lost the title in 2013 to Chris Weidman.
Additionally, Anderson Silva won 16 UFC fights in a row. No UFC fighter has broken this record as of the time of this writing. Silva won some fights in the light heavyweight division during this time, as well. That included a knockout win against former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.
Silva’s long title reign and utter dominance of the middleweight division during that reign form the basis of his GOAT case. During his title reign, no middleweight challenger seemed close to Silva in terms of ability when the two fought.
Criticisms of His Case as the Greatest UFC Fighter Ever
However, Silva only won a single UFC fight after his first loss to Chris Weidman. That run included seven losses, one no-contest, and one decision win against Derek Brunson. Still, Silva did fight in the UFC for quite some time, fighting in the UFC from 2006-2020.
The Case for Greatest UFC Fighter Ever: Jon Jones
Jon Jones is a controversial figure in the UFC, given his many legal troubles and his failed post-fight drug tests. However, Jones is certainly an incredible fighter. Jon Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history when he beat Mauricio Rua at UFC 128. That win meant that he became the UFC light heavyweight champion at only 23 years old.
Jones defended his UFC light heavyweight title seven times in a row. He was stripped of the title in 2015. He returned and defeated Daniel Cormier in a rematch at UFC 214 to reclaim the title. However, he was stripped of it once again after post-fight drug test came back positive for turinabol. Turinabol is a type of steroid.
Jones returned to action at UFC 232 on December 29, 2018 and knocked out Alexander Gustafsson in the first round to win the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. Jon Jones defended the light heavyweight title three more times before vacating it and moving up to heavyweight.
Jones’ debut at heavyweight came on March 4th, 2023. He faced Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title and submitted Gane in the first round with a guillotine choke. Jones is the current UFC heavyweight champion.
Criticism of Jon Jones’ UFC GOAT Case
The criticism of Jones’ case as the greatest UFC fighter ever centers around his many controversies, including his two failed post-fight drug tests, and his later light heavyweight title defenses. Many refuse to acknowledge Jones as the greatest UFC fighter ever because he took steroids during his prime. Also, Jones’ final two light heavyweight title defenses in particular were fairy unconvincing wins.
In fact, many believe that Jones lost to Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 despite the judges giving Jones the win on the scorecards. All of this is perfectly valid. However, Jon Jones still has a strong case as the greatest UFC fighter ever.
The Case for Greatest UFC Fighter Ever: Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre is one of the greatest fighters in UFC history. St-Pierre won the UFC welterweight title twice and defended it nine consecutive times in his second welterweight title reign. He hung up his gloves for the first time following a controversial split decision win against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in 2013. Additionally, St-Pierre later returned to the UFC in 2017 at UFC 217 and submitted Michael Bisping to become the new UFC middleweight champion.
St-Pierre retired from MMA a second and final time after defeating Bisping with a stellar record of 26-2. Georges St-Pierre is one of the few fighters in UFC history to win titles in two weight classes. He belongs in the discussion about the greatest UFC fighter ever.
Criticism of Georges St-Pierre’s UFC GOAT Case
Georges St-Pierre never failed a post-fight drug test, nor did he have many controversies during his UFC career. The criticism of his case as the greatest fighter in UFC history centers around his upset loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69, where St-Pierre lost the UFC welterweight title. This fight is often considered the greatest upset in UFC history.
However, St-Pierre avenged this loss with a TKO win against Matt Serra in their rematch at UFC 83 in April 2008 and reclaimed the UFC welterweight title. St-Pierre’s only two losses in MMA came in title fights against Matt Hughes and the aforementioned upset loss against Matt Serra. St-Pierre also avenged his loss against Matt Hughes in their rematch, winning the fight by TKO in round two to win the UFC welterweight title for the first time.
As such, this criticism is valid but not particularly strong.
Our Pick for Greatest UFC Fighter Ever
Based on all the evidence, Georges St-Pierre is our pick for the greatest fighter in UFC history. St-Pierre never tarnished his reputation outside the cage, never failed a post-fight drug test, and set multiple records during his dominant second reign as UFC welterweight champion. He also returned later and dethroned Michael Bisping to win the UFC middleweight title.
This excellence inside the cage and his reputation as a great ambassador of the sport of mixed martial arts supports his case as the greatest UFC fighter ever.
Come Back Soon for More Sports GOAT Articles
This is part of our series on the greatest athletes of all time in various sports. We will have another article like this up soon. Check back later to continue keeping up with this series.