Daniel Cormier Reveals Only Two Fighters Can Join Him In GOAT Conversation
There’s been a lot of conversation about just whom is the greatest of all-time in mixed martial arts lately.
The debate was kicked into overdrive when Daniel Cormier won the UFC heavyweight championship with a first-round knockout of Stipe Miocic at UFC 227, dethroning a record-setting champion and putting himself near – or some would say at – the top of the decorated list.
Many still claim that disgraced former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who owns two wins over Cormier (one recognized and one illegitimate), but several also believe “Bones” should be disqualified due to his repeated drug test failures. Cormier is among those doubters, not surprisingly, and he recently revealed only the two fighters he believed could be considered the GOAT due to their similar dominance and clean records on the Slip N’ Dip Podcast (via MMA Mania):
“Demetrious, Georges St-Pierre, these guys have none of these bad things tied to their names and these are the guys I should share the conversation with. I’ve never had any negatives and I’ve never had to go in front of any commission and explain why my test came up messed up. That’s why I should be in the conversation because I’ve done things the correct way.”
Cormier may have a good point in that regard. Both St-Pierre and Johnson have always been nothing less than dominant champions and model citizens in terms of passing drug tests while serving as ambassadors to their sport, similar to Cormier.
However, each has their own points of detraction as well, as Cormier will always have the two losses to Jones and hasn’t racked up a streak of title defenses like GSP and ‘Mighty Mouse,’ St-Pierre is always criticized for playing it safe during his late-career streak of victories, and Johnson’s competition in the UFC flyweight division will always be talked about as a reason he isn’t the greatest of all-time.
Jones is the most dominant fighter in history, and Silva arguably had the most impressive run as he finished contender after contender with beautiful knockouts never before seen in the sport. The legends will always have their careers questioned due to drug use, however, and rightfully so.
What do you think? Who is MMA’s GOAT in your opinion?
