Is Kamaru Usman the Welterweight Goat of UFC?

Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman stands at the pinnacle of the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings. He will look to defend his welterweight gold in a much-anticipated rematch against Colby Covington at UFC 268. The bout at Madison Square Garden will mark his fifth title defense.

Many fans and fighters consider ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ as one of the best welterweights of all time. However, there are several others that suggest he has yet to earn the GOAT tag.

So ahead of one of the biggest rematches in the UFC, let us compare Usman’s career to one who has already earned the GOAT tag, i.e. Georges St-Pierre.

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How close is Kamaru Usman to becoming the GOAT?

Georges St-Pierre, one of the most dominant fighters to enter the UFC octagon, had a glorious professional fighting career of 26-2. ‘Rush’ secured 14 finishes (eight knockout wins and six submissions).

GSP became the UFC welterweight champion by defeating Matt Hughes in 2006. After that, he lost the title, but regained it after unifying his interim title at UFC 83. At welterweight, ‘Rush’ made a total of nine title defenses. After retirement, he made a return at middleweight and became a two-division world champion.

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Kamaru Usman has a 19-1 record and is undefeated in the UFC. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has already surpassed a few of GSP’s records.

After beating Jorge Masvidal, he surpassed GSP’s thirteen consecutive wins record. Furthermore, he just needs seven more wins to get past St-Pierre’s 21 UFC wins.

If ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ wins at UFC 268, he will be just four defenses away from breaking GSP’s record.

While there is no doubt that Usman’s opponents have been bigger draws and much sterner fighters, the numbers hand GSP the advantage in the welterweight GOAT debate.

That said, as GSP has retired from the UFC, he cannot improve on the same. Meanwhile, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is still active, and considering his current form, he has the potential to reach or even surpass all of GSP’s records to become the welterweight GOAT.

While he might be one of the greatest currently, he has yet to earn the all-time welterweight GOAT status.

Who, according to you, is the welterweight GOAT? Let us know in the comments below.