The MMA GOAT Criteria and which fighter do you believe best meets this criteria.

[Takamine86]

What is the GOAT criteria you ask? The GOAT criteria is 2 things that all the sports GOATs in every sport have. It is what makes them Legendary and unforgettable. It is why even though they don't compete today, they are still brought up and will continue to be brought up in sports conversations for generations.

That criteria is Great Highlights and Unbreakable records. These are the keys to sports immortality. These are what stand the test of time. These are how athletes of the past continue to be in the conversation of a generation that is focused on that athletes of their time. Think about any GOAT athlete of any sport and they have this in common. So what fighter in MMA best meets this criteria? Give examples of the records they hold that will never be broken as well as some of their highlights that will be played for generations.

 

[GiSP]

Another GOAT thread. I think I’ll sit this one out.

 

[Sweater of AV]

If that's your criteria then Fedor. In reality you can choose any criteria and it's Fedor.

 

[Post 2 Decision]

Not again

It's GSP bro

 

[AP_RESURRECTION]

People will first pick their favorite fighter, then decide the criteria.

I think a big consideration is how you look at losses.
Another consideration is whether you consider finishes important.
PED use is also tied to both Anderson and Jones, who are two typical contenders. Some don't care as much about that, others take this very seriously.
Some will think moving up and fighting bigger fighters (or in Fedors case, fighting at HW) wins points.
Win streaks and strength of schedule come into play.

I cant see anyone being above Jones at this point, in my opinion. He's been pretty much flawless in the cage. No end in sight also.
I think GSP is the safest choice, since we barely saw him lost and he avenged his losses. He also had a pretty good strength of schedule.
Fedor has a good case also given his long reign in the heavyweight division (unheard of)
People like Rogan put Anderson up there as well (Sherdog thinks this is ridiculous) because of how spectacular/dominant he was, in addition to his win streak. This is a bit less fact based and more just a feeling of how great/dominant he was at the time as a fan.
People who pretend they are owners of the UFC and focus on money put Conor up there given how much money he has generated plus the fact he's won two titles. This was more common before the Khabib fight.

There is no consensus. I stuck to positives since I can rely on haters to fill in all the negatives.

 

[volcanolairbadguy]

If that's your criteria then Fedor. In reality you can choose any criteria and it's Fedor.

at HW, i would take DC any day. No ufc. Lost 3 straight including rd1 KO by Henderson a natural middle weight.

 

[E Undead]

Fuck the stats. People make shit up with "X was undefeated for so long before facing him" or "he won X/Y rounds in his fights".

I will judge by what I see. Doesn't matter how long they peaked. It's simply how got they were when they peaked.

 

[E Undead]

at HW, i would take DC any day. No ufc. Lost 3 straight including rd1 KO by Henderson a natural middle weight.

That's what I'm talking about. People don't talk about the skills showcased but how a given fighter was defeated years after they peaked. Fuck you noobs.

 

[Rabban]

Tapping to strikes is a disqualifier IMO.

Sorry but gsp out of the running.

 

[FaceSlam]

Another GOAT thread.

 

[The Schmoop]

It’s GSP.

Bones is second if you include PED users. Fedor if not.


Bones is great but this is not a flattering time in his career. Feasting upon MW washouts. He’ll look good doing it but he’s going to face a very soft schedule for the foreseeable future. Talented but young, raw contenders await him. DC, Rashad and Gus are easily his best wins. Not huge on Rampage, Shogun, Vitor, Chael or Glover. Solid wins but not great.

 

[Taric]

The only statistic that makes you the GOAT of any specific sport is your dominance as the best in that sport. Whoever was the biggest driving force towards winning championships.

• Tom Brady has won 6 Super Bowl championships
• Michael Jordan has won 6 NBA championships
• Wayne Gretzky has won 4 NHL championships

Winning championships is the only metric that matters, because if you aren't the champion of your own era you aren't the best. Period.


Fedor was the #1 HW from March 16th 2003 until June 26th 2010.
That is 7 years, 3 months, and 10 days of being the #1 undisputed HW of the world without a loss during that reign.
This reign consisted of 19 victories as the #1 undisputed HW.

Anderson was the #1 MW from October 14th 2006 until July 6th 2013.
That is 6 years, 8 months, and 22 days of being the #1 undisputed MW of the world without a loss during that reign.
This reign consisted of 15 victories as the #1 undisputed MW.

GSP was the #1 WW from April 19th 2008 until December 13th 2013.
That is 5 years, 7 months, and 24 days of being the #1 undisputed WW of the world without a loss during that reign.
That reign consists of 12 victories as the #1 undisputed WW.

Jones was the #1 LHW from March 19th 2011 until April 28th 2015
That is 4 years, 1 months, and 9 days of being the #1 undisputed LHW of the world before he was stripped of his title.
Jones regained his #1 status again from December 29th 2018 until the present
That's another 5 months and counting.
This reign consists of 9 victories plus another 2 victories, for a total of 11 victories as the #1 undisputed LHW.

Aldo was the #1 FW from November 18th 2009 until December 12th 2015.
That is 6 years, 0 months, and 24 days of being the #1 undisputed FW of the world without a loss during that reign.
This reign consisted of 10 victories as the #1 undisputed FW.

 

[gono btw]

What is the GOAT criteria you ask? The GOAT criteria is 2 things that all the sports GOATs in every sport have. It is what makes them Legendary and unforgettable. It is why even though they don't compete today, they are still brought up and will continue to be brought up in sports conversations for generations.

That criteria is Great Highlights and Unbreakable records. These are the keys to sports immortality. These are what stand the test of time. These are how athletes of the past continue to be in the conversation of a generation that is focused on that athletes of their time. Think about any GOAT athlete of any sport and they have this in common. So what fighter in MMA best meets this criteria? Give examples of the records they hold that will never be broken as well as some of their highlights that will be played for generations.

https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/deconstructing-mma-myths-part-33-the-undisputed-goat.3961171/

 

[volcanolairbadguy]

That's what I'm talking about. People don't talk about the skills showcased but how a given fighter was defeated years after they peaked. Fuck you noobs.

Henderson slept him. no goat at HW gets 1 punched by a MW. DC squashed him.

 

[updowniri]

The GOAT is the actual best fighter ever irregardless of legacy, influence, etc. So probably Jones. By your criteria though Fedor.

 

[MMAFanJason123]

Right now Khabib then Jones. Both undefeated (No real person counts deaf Matt loss as real).

Fedor and GSP lost to weak fighters.