Everybody and their grandma knows Dana White thinks Jon Jones is the MMA GOAT. The UFC CEO, after all, doesn’t forget to remind fans every chance he gets. Especially with Jones’s retirement coming up, there has been a renewed interest in who the greatest ever mixed martial artist is.

And the latest to jump into the debate is former UFC light heavyweight champion and Alex Periera’s coach, Glover Teixeira. The Brazilian former fighter suggested that UFC 1 winner Royce Gracie was on his all-time list, then went on a tangent about the unfairness of comparing fighters from different eras to explain why he had Gracie on his Mt Rushmore. Teixeira even gave the example of the BJJ GOAT debate between Gordon Ryan and Rickson Gracie to further explain why you cannot compare fighters who fought at very different times.

“But like you know, I have Royce Gracie there. Because everybody’s champion in the era, right? At the time right? How good you are at that time, right? Like I think they talk about Rickson Gracie and Gordon Ryan. In Jiu Jitsu, we talk about here Rickson, Gordon Ryan, who’s the greatest of all time. It’s difficult to say. I think that right now if they are in their prime, right, Gordon wins. But Rickson was just as good in his era, you know what I mean,” Teixeira told MMA journalist Helen Yee in an interview.

Glover Teixeira (Pereira’s coach) thinks Khabib is the GOAT
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In the end, however, the Brazilian former champ settled on Khabib Nurmagomedov as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. “So it’s difficult to say but if I have to pick one right now, I’ll say Khabib,” he added. But what is the case for Khabib Nurmagomedov being the GOAT? And how does he stack up against Jon Jones?

How does Nurmagomedov fare against Jon Jones in the GOAT debate?

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach, Javier Mendez thinks that since Jon Jones was caught using PEDs, that by itself disqualifies ‘Bones’ from being the MMA GOAT. Mendez pointed to the case of cyclist Lance Armstrong, who was considered the GOAT in his sport until he was revealed to have been using PEDs, after which he became the most disgraced person in the sport. And Mendez feels that the MMA world should follow suit.

Dana White, however, is unbothered by Jones’ PED usage, and instead focuses on the many achievements of ‘Bones’. After all, Jones is essentially undefeated (the only loss on his record being a disqualification), has the most successful title defenses in UFC history (thirteen), and holds the record for becoming the youngest-ever champion in the history of the UFC.

And while Teixeira didn’t go into details, the case for Khabib being the GOAT comes down to his utter and complete dominance in the octagon. Not only did the Dagestani retire undefeated, but didn’t even have any close fights in the UFC. But he did retire prematurely, while still in his prime, and with only three lightweight title defenses on his resume.

Of course, the GOAT debate comes down essentially to what your criterion is. If, for example, you choose to focus on dominance in the cage, Khabib takes the cake. But if you value longevity and accolades, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre or even Demetrious Johnson may be your pick. Who do you think is the GOAT of MMA?