When it comes to the undisputed GOATs of MMA, Joe Rogan has three names in mind — and none of them are Jon Jones or Georges St-Pierre.
The debate over who should be hailed as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time has been raging on for years. Recently, Dana White made his opinion abundantly clear by dubbing ‘Bones’ Jones the undisputed GOAT and getting straight-up argumentative with anyone who disagreed.
But according to the longtime UFC color commentator, Jones doesn’t even rank in the top three.
During an episode of his ever-popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, the former Fear Factor host shared who he sees topping the list, starting with the best middleweight champion of all time, Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva.
“You gotta look at them in this window of time,” Rogan said. “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’. 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” (h/t GiveMeSport).
Up next for Rogan, and perhaps the most controversial pick, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“That’s just how good Khabib was (on his wins over Poirier & Gaethje),” Rogan continued. “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.”
The Eagle’ went 29-0 in his illustrious career and retired as the UFC lightweight world champion following a trio of successful title defenses against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. However, some dispute Nurmagomedov’s status as one of MMA’s greats, noting his lack of notable opponents outside of the three names mentioned above.
Joe Rogan closes out his list with flyweight great demetrious Johnson
Last but certainly not least for Rogan was Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson. As the UFC’s first-ever flyweight titleholder, successfully defended his belt an incredible 11 times, securing the record for most consecutive title defenses in promotional history.
Johnson also holds the record for most submission wins in UFC title fights and was just the second fighter in UFC history to capture performance bonuses in all four categories — Fight, Knockout, Performance, and Submission.
“When he was in his prime, ‘Might Mouse’ was a motherf*cker to watch,” Rogan said. “He would do sh*t 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.”
Even after leaving the UFC, Johnson’s dominance continued under the ONE Championship banner. He went on to win the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix tournament before claiming the ONE flyweight championship.
He also competed in the promotion’s first-ever mixed-rules bout, scoring a second-round submission victory over Muay Thai icon Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
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