Is GSP the GOAT if he wins the LW title? If not then who?

[Legendary]

Will there be any debate if GSP goes down to 155 and beats Khabib or Conor to become the first and only 3 division champ?

Other GOAT contenders for reference
Fedor: Old school
Jones:Tested positive, but still one of the best ever.
Anderson:Tested positive, but still one of the best ever.
BJ: I wouldn't personally, but all the best fighters say he was clearly the most skilled.
Aldo: He is not the GOAT, but definitely one of the best fighters ever. Top 5 all time for sure.
DC: 2 division champ, beat everyone who didn't test positive for steroids. Undefeated at HW

Who is the GOAT? How would you rank the contenders for the GOAT?

 

[Son of Sonnen]

In the discussion.

 

[Legendary]

In the discussion.

Just added him. He is definitely in the conversation.

 

[Sansnom]

GSP is already the GOAT and was before beating Bisping too.

 

[The Domin8or]

He’s already the GOAT LOL

 

[Legendary]

GSP is already the GOAT and was before beating Bisping too.

He’s already the GOAT LOL

I dont disagree, but to everyone else who might be biased to another fighter, I just dont think it will be debatable after.

 

[The Natural Born Runner]

If he's not the GOAT now, which in my opinion he isn't, then what the hell will beating a Lightweight do for that claim?

He could have really driven that claim home by doing some of the following:

- Giving Hendricks an immediate rematch and beating him to show all the haters that he's truly the better fighter.
- Going up and fighting Anderson Silva during both their primes.
- Going up to fight a real Middleweight champion like Weidman or Rockhold, not Bisping at 37.
- Defending his Middleweight title against Whittaker.
- Going back down to 170 to fight Woodley, the new Welterweight king.

 

[Legendary]

If he's not the GOAT now, which in my opinion he isn't, then what the hell will beating a Lightweight do for that claim?

3 division champ. His walking weight is what many bigger LW and normal sized WW walk around at. Plus its later in his career, which makes it even more impressive.

 

[QcChopper]

If he's not the GOAT now, which in my opinion he isn't, then what the hell will beating a Lightweight do for that claim.

Sad things with hater is that he could win all belts in all categories and you and people like you would come up with some bullshit to discredit him so whatever.

 

[Elmonstro1]

It would be hard to dispute

 

[Njmma209]

Never been defeated in the octagon. KO’d the current HW champ.

That’s a more impressive feat than GSP going full Christian bale machinist to win a manlet belt.

 

[The Natural Born Runner]

Sad things with hater is that he could win all belts in all categories and you and people like you would come up with some bullshit to discredit him so whatever.

No, not at all.

I just think that I'm an educated fan who sees through the bells and whistles.

In most sports, there is somewhat of a tournament which is in place to prove who the best is. The Premier League in England has 38 games, you play every team twice, once at home and once on the road. Whoever has the most points at the end of the year is definitely the best team. The UEFA Champions League is very much the same, you have the best of the best in Europe, divided into groups where you have to play each other twice, top 2 goes into the knockout bracket and every tie after that goes over two aggregated games - only the final is one game. After a tournament like that, the best team wins, if not one of the best. Wimbledon is the same, you earn your seeding via your world ranking and your world ranking is an accumulation of your previous work, you have to beat several good players to win the tournament.

All that said, the same rules for MMA? Nope. Georges St. Pierre was the best Welterweight in the world for a period of many years. Georges is one of the greatest fighters we've ever seen, that was proven by his consistency in winning and over the wide variety of styles he defeated. That said, Georges wasn't ever a finisher, and as much as that is not a prerequisite for being a "great", it can be used as a tiebreaker when legacies are similar a la Jon Jones and Anderson Silva, even Fedor. Georges could have superseded that "criticism" with a trumping tiebreaker of his own, setting himself aside from the pack, doing something seen impossible or improbable. Go and beat Silva in your prime, or come back from your hiatus and walk through Lawler, Wonderboy, Woodley etc. show you're still the king, or even better, defend the title at 185lbs, prove every snivelling doubter wrong.

Instead of doing any of these things, he is now calling out Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor, fighters in the division below. So yes, this "goal" of his would add nothing to his legacy, much like defeating a shop worn, 37 year old Michael Bisping who will never go down in history as anything more than a British MMA pioneer and a Cinderella Man for his night against Luke Rockhold.

 

[bambammccoy]

By achievement, yes.

By beating everyone who competes, Jones. Only because he is bigger.

Fedor is a contestant to GSP in my 2nd place GOAT list. The decade undefeated at heavyweight is hard to ignore.

 

[Fesaine]

View attachment 430895
Never been defeated in the octagon. KO’d the current HW champ.

Its crazy that the goat is only 31

 

[Egészségére!]

I'm not saying he's not but it's kind of strange to be called the GOAT for winning a fight you're taking to avoid the champion of your natural weight division

 

[Njmma209]

I'm not saying he's not but it's kind of strange to be called the GOAT for winning a fight you're taking to avoid the champion of your natural weight division

This. Beating T-wood means a lot more than beating Conor or khabib at 155. Gsp don’t want that though

 

[fortheo]

3 division champ. His walking weight is what many bigger LW and normal sized WW walk around at. Plus its later in his career, which makes it even more impressive.

They won't be satisfied till he fights woodley, Whittaker, Romero, Daniel cormier, and juiced Jon Jones.

 

[sabretitan]

It's subjective; always has been always will be. GSP is the already the goat imo

 

[Sweater of AV]

No. Fedor.

 

[DorianGray]

Will there be any debate if GSP goes down to 155 and beats Khabib or Conor to become the first and only 3 division champ?

Other GOAT contenders for reference
Fedor: Old school
Jones:Tested positive, but still one of the best ever.
Anderson:Tested positive, but still one of the best ever.
BJ: I wouldn't personally, but all the best fighters say he was clearly the most skilled.
Aldo: He is not the GOAT, but definitely one of the best fighters ever. Top 5 all time for sure.
DC: 2 division champ, beat everyone who didn't test positive for steroids. Undefeated at HW

Who is the GOAT? How would you rank the contenders for the GOAT?

I dunno tbh. It adds to his resume obviously, but he is also going down in weight so I'm not sure how much it adds. I guess, if he is able to make lw, then it could make his legendary ww run ever more incredible though.