Let’s start with this: If you’ve tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs more than once, you’re disqualified from the Greatest of All-Time debate. Fail one test? Sure, we’ll let it slide, since it could be a tainted supplement or a one-time error in judgment. Fail twice, and you lose the benefit of the doubt in a hurry.
So that means Jon Jones is no longer a part of this conversation, underscored by the fact that new UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier pulled a boss move Saturday night by never once mentioning his biggest rival during his post-fight interview after knocking out Stipe Miocic at UFC 226.
This also means Anderson Silva, who like Jones has been caught twice, is also on the sidelines.
Cormier’s victory puts him on the very short list of fighters in the discussion for legitimate mixed martial arts GOAT status. DC’s electrifying knockout of Miocic, the greatest heavyweight champ in UFC history, in the opening round of their bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, not only gave the sport a much-needed feel good moment, but it also cemented Cormier’s status as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
With the win, Cormier joined Conor McGregor as just the second fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold two championships in two weight classes at the same time, and unlike McGregor, it appears he’s going to defend one and perhaps both of his belts.
Cormier also joins McGregor, B.J. Penn, Randy Couture, and Georges St-Pierre as the only fighters to hold two belts over the course of their career. Penn and Couture are UFC Hall of Famers and McGregor and GSP are locks to be honored when they retire.
So the GOAT debate, minus the cheaters, comes down to DC, GSP, and UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (The door’s still open for McGregor to get there if he returns for another run, and sure, we’ll acknowledge Fedor Emelianenko’s accomplishments in a more primitive era while we’re at it).
Johnson’s accomplishments in the sport are spectacular. He owns the UFC record for most successful consecutive title defenses at 11. He recently surpassed St-Pierre’s second UFC welterweight title reign for the second-longest in UFC history at five years, nine months. His skillset is extraordinary, with his finish of Ray Borg at UFC 216 among the most mind-blowing things you’ll ever see in a sporting competition.
But he also came up short at bantamweight when he challenged Dominick Cruz for the UFC bantamweight title, while Cormier and St-Pierre both went up in weight and won titles.
St-Pierre, for his part, still hasn’t lost a fight since 2007, and has lost just once since 2004, going 19-1 in that span. St-Pierre was criticized for fighting a play-it-safe style during his peak, but there’s little doubt he was effective. GSP voluntarily relinquished his belt toward the end of 2013, in part in protest over what was inadequate drug testing at the time.
While we don’t know how a burned-out GSP would have fared if he had pressed onward in 2014, we do know he pulled off one of the singularly most incredible feats in MMA history by coming out of retirement and finishing Michael Bisping to claim the middleweight title at UFC 217.
Which brings us back to Cormier. Cormier was well on his way to becoming an all-time great at heavyweight, racking up a 13-0 record at 265 pounds and winning the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix along the way. His sole reason for dropping down to 205 pounds in his mid-30s, which is not an easy weight cut, was because he valued his friendship with Cain Velasquez over his personal goals, a rare move in a selfish sport.
And that was the decision which ultimately led to joining the ranks of the two-weight class champs. With his only career loss coming to someone who failed two PED tests, also tested positive for cocaine, and has a long string of legal issues, Cormier has otherwise dominated the competition at two weight classes in a sport he didn’t even start until his 30s.
Whether you consider DC or GSP the GOAT (and DJ still has plenty of time to get there) depends on what you value most out of a fighter’s body of work. But there’s no denying Cormier has earned his spot on the short list.
Poll
Who is the MMA GOAT?
This poll is closed
-
25%
Daniel Cormier
-
8%
Fedor Emelianenko
-
7%
Demetrious Johnson
-
48%
Georges St-Pierre
-
10%
Other
UFC 226 quotes
“I see a bunch of fighters. ‘Oh, it’s so fake, I don’t want to watch this.’ Tune in and keep lacing my pockets. You’ve guys gotta get on board. These guys get on the microphone after their fights and say, ‘Yeah, it’s whatever the UFC decides.’ OK.” -- Cormier, on fighters who criticized his run-in with Brock Lesnar.
“I thought he was going to be the next guy. I think his ego ran away with him big-time. I can tell you that his ego absolutely did run away with him. And the minute that happens to you in the fight game, you see what happens. You start to fall apart. I had some personal encounters with him, as did other people in the organization, and this guy’s ego just was so out of control.” -- White on what’s gone wrong with Francis Ngannou.
“It sucks, losing is not fun at all. It sucks,” Miocic said. “But in perspective, I look at it — I’m going home right now to my beautiful wife, who’s having my child. There’s better things in life than losing. It sucks, I want to come back and get a rematch, of course. Right now, it’s DC’s day, good for him.” -- Miocic on the loss to Cormier.
Stock report
Hold: Stipe Miocic. Sure, at first glance, Miocic seems like an obvious “down.” He lost his championship via first-round knockout, after all, and it came right at the moment he finally seemed to be getting over with the masses after all his hard work. But do you doubt for a moment that Miocic is going to be back? In the land of the giants, everyone gets knocked out at some point, and what Miocic accomplished in becoming the first fighter ever to successfully defend the heavyweight crown three times was remarkable. Miocic has already proven his ability to make adjustments, as he avenged his previous loss to Junior dos Santos. He’s not old by heavyweight standards. He lost last night, but don’t be surprised if ultimately, somewhere down the road, Miocic joins the likes of Randy Couture and Cain Velasquez as multiple-time heavyweight titleholders.
Down: Francis Ngannou. Dana White certainly deserves some of the blame for Ngannou getting a big head after his win over Alistair Overeem. It was White’s company that went all-in on hyping him as MMA’s answer to Mike Tyson, despite being an athlete who was still clearly untested as an all-around fighter. But White’s still not wrong in his basic assessment. Ngannou did look unprepared against Miocic at UFC 220. Last night’s all-time stinker of a fight with Derrick Lewis may be down to Ngannou’s ego, or he may be gun-shy after the bad loss to Miocic. Either way, some people can handle the sudden rush of fame, some can’t, and Ngannou as of now looks like the latter. While we’re at it, White was also correct not to get too down on Lewis. Lewis had already backed out of one fight the day of the show due to back problems and no doubt felt in a bind when they flared up again. Lewis made the best he could of the situation, with a bad back against a non-engaging opponent, and still was able to show just enough to get the decision. Don’t get too down on the “Black Beast.”
Up: Mike Perry. I get it. A lot of people dislike Mike Perry, and he gives those people plenty of valid reason to do so. But Mike Perry the fighter is compulsively interesting. On his way up, he was all heart in the cage, ever moving forward, willing to take two shots to land a big one. But he also had clearly plateaued with that approach. And moving to JacksonWink was exactly the move he should have made. Perry looked like a more complete fighter than he’d ever been on Saturday night in his bout with the super-tough Paul Felder, and continuing to work with some of the sport’s finest coaches should only continue to up his spot. You don’t have to be a fan of the man to respect his skills and his potential.
Up: Dan Hooker. If you didn’t tune in to the Fight Pass prelim portion of the broadcast, you should pop over there now and catch Hooker’s fight with Gilbert Burns. I’ll wait for you. Back now? Cool. We seem to be entering a Golden Age of Down Under MMA, with Robert Whittaker as UFC middleweight champ, Israel Adesanya appearing destined for greatness, Tai Tuivasa having great potential and so on. And Hooker belongs on that list. Hooker held his own on the ground with Burns, a former WJJC gold medalist, before winning the fight with his strikes and becoming the first fighter ever to finish Burns. Between that and Hooker’s undeniable charisma, the man is a star in the making.
Up: Anthony Pettis. The feel-good story that was Cormier’s title victory overshadowed the other feel-good story earlier in the pay-per-view. The former UFC and WEC lightweight champion got off to a slow start against Michael Chiesa, but you got the sense he was starting to feel himself late in the first round, when he threw a head kick at Chiesa from a seated position. Then he turned it on in the second and became the “Showtime” of old before submitting a submission artist from his back. It remains to be seen whether Pettis will make another run at a title, but for someone who has been through ups and downs since losing his UFC belt to Rafael dos Anjos three years ago, it was great to see.
Official matters
Not much of note from an officiating and judging standpoint, aside from the fact we’re not sure exactly what Paulo Costa would have had to do to get a point deducted in his win over Uriah Hall.
So with that said, this seems as good a spot as any to address Cormier’s run-in with Brock Lesnar after the Miocic fight.
By and large, mixed martial arts fans have their head in the sand about the obvious relationship between MMA and pro wrestling. But it’s just as obvious pro wrestling fans try too hard to make comparisons between the two even when they’re simply not there. And in this case, things fell right into that vast gray area in the middle.
Lesnar’s act in the cage came off like it’s been done once too often, and might be reaching the point of diminishing returns. But the hype routine doesn’t diminish Cormier’s moment in defeating Miocic, as some of the most petulant MMA fans seem to believe. At the end of the day, with plenty of time to build this up, if Lesnar and DC do end up fighting, it’s going to end up big box office, regardless of what went down last night.
Fight I’d like to see next: Daniel Cormier vs. Whoever Daniel Cormier wants to fight
Cormier has vowed he’s going to retire by the time he turns 40 next March, which would seem to give him time for, at most, two fights. And with two belts, he’s got plenty of options. Cormier indicated at the post-fight press conference that he wants to maximize his revenue with the time that’s remaining, and who can blame him for it? If the most money is to be made fighting Lesnar — which, with Lesnar turning 41 this week and having not won a real fight since 2010, would be the easiest paycheck of his life — then good for him. If it’s a rematch with Miocic, go for it. If he wants to deign to give Jon Jones a payday, that’s his call to make, not Jones’ or White’s or anyone else’s. DC’s in the driver seat, and he’s going to pick his path.
Give my professional Facebook page a like when you get a minute. Thanks!