Who is the GOAT of MMA? Unlike say, hockey (which has Wayne Gretzky) or basketball (with Michael Jordan), the GOAT debate in mixed martial arts is inconclusive at the moment. There are, after all, a handful of names for which a case could be made for being the best to ever do it, depending upon what criteria one chooses.

And who better to talk about this than long-time commentator, Joe Rogan, who has been with the UFC since its earliest days and has seen all the big stars fight up close. In this piece, we take a look at Joe Rogan’s picks for the fabled title of ‘MMA GOAT’. And surprisingly, it doesn’t contain Jon Jones!

Anderson Silva’s unreal run at 185lbs

Anderson Silva was a beast when he was in his prime. After all, the Brazilian former middleweight champ looked nigh untouchable when he was at his best between 2006 and ’13, when he won sixteen consecutive fights in the UFC. This is a record that stands to this day, which shows the unprecedented dominance of ‘The Spider’ in his heyday. The definition of a pure striker, Silva not only dominated his opponents but made it look easy with his Matrix-like ability to dodge punches and sublime striking skills.

Of course, the Brazilian would have a horrible second half during his UFC stint, going on perhaps the worst losing streak of any fighter of his caliber. For context, Anderson Silva won only one of his last nine fights in the UFC between 2013 and his retirement in 2020. This is why many feel that ‘Spider’ doesn’t deserve to be in the GOAT conversation.

Top Comment by Just

Nope, Jon Jones dominance of these young fighters whether its a stand up or grabbling is 2nd to none. Anderson...more

Share your take

Debate

But Rogan isn’t one of them. Why? Because of the criteria Joe Rogan has for his GOAT picks. “You gotta look at them in this window of time [when they’re at their prime]. And sometimes it’s just a few years where they’re accomplishing things in a way that it’s extraordinary you go, ‘I’ve never seen anybody better,'” Rogan told comedian Dan Soder on episode #2112 of his podcast.

“Anderson Silva, when he was in his prime, he was operating at a different speed than [his opponents]. He was processing things with like a 2024 computer, and they were using a Windows ’95,” he added. Speaking of processing things differently, Rogan’s second pick, too, made his opponents look like amateurs.

The cornerstone of lower weight classes: Demetrious Johnson

If mixed martial arts were a person, it would certainly be like Demetrious Johnson. After all, Johnson, unlike the rest of Rogan’s GOAT picks, was an all-around MMA genius- as proficient on the feet as he was on the ground- and able to pull off moves (like his famous flying armbar) no other fighter would even dream of.

With his eleven consecutive flyweight title defenses, he dominated the UFC’s 125-pound division, losing just once in that weight class, that too a razor-thin split decision to Henry Cejudo in their UFC 227 rematch. Not to mention, ‘Mighty Mouse’ was then traded to ONE Championship, where he became the flyweight MMA champ and thus holds the distinction of being a two-promotion champ.

An indication of ‘Mighty Mouse’s excellence is that UFC flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja, would call on Johnson to ‘come back’ to the UFC to prove who the flyweight GOAT was. Johnson had been out of the UFC for five years at this point and is now retired. But since everyone knows who the best flyweight (and perhaps overall fighter) is in the history of MMA, the current 125lbs kingpin felt the need to call out a retired fighter from a different promotion- that is how good Johnson was.

“When he was in his prime, ‘Mighty Mouse’ was a mother****er to watch. He would do s*** that no one could do. There’s not a champion alive that can do that [suplex] the way ‘Mighty Mouse’ can do that. When [Johnson] fought [Henry] Cejudo the first time, it was a masterclass. I maintain that he is the finest expression of martial arts I have ever seen,” Rogan said. His third and final pick for MMA GOAT, however, is the most controversial one for reasons we will discuss in-depth.

The undefeated juggernaut: Khabib Nurmagomedov

If you look up the word ‘dominance’ in the dictionary, it will show a picture of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Or at least it should. Because there has been no fighter perhaps in the entire history of combat sports, who dominated his opponents for the entirety of his career like Nurmagomedov did.

With his extraordinary work ethic, disciplined lifestyle, legendary strength, and wrestling abilities developed by wrestling bears (yes, really), Nurmagomedov hardly lost a round in his career, let alone a fight. In any of his fights, it was just a matter of time before he would inevitably catch his opponents, take them down, and maul them on the ground.

Many feel that the Dagestani retired prematurely- at the age of 32 in 2020 following his father’s death, with just three title defenses at 155lbs. This may have hurt his legacy somewhat, but purely from the eye test, no GOAT contender list could be complete without talking about ‘The Eagle’.

“That’s just how good Khabib was (on his wins over Poirier & Gaethje). He’s so good. It’s almost a tragedy that he never wants to fight again. He’ll go out, without a doubt, as one of the greatest to ever do it. If not the best ever, he’s definitely in the argument,” Rogan asserted.

Surprisingly, Rogan did not mention Jon Jones’ name, whom his friend and boss Dana White (and many in the MMA world) consider the greatest. What is even more surprising is that Rogan has previously spoken of ‘Bones’ as one of the GOAT contenders, and not even mentioning the heavyweight champ’s name this time around may indicate that Rogan has changed his mind on that subject. What do you think about Joe Rogan’s GOAT picks?