Pumping the Brakes on Daniel Cormier’s G.O.A.T. Talk

UFC 226 is now available on Amazon Prime.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder Daniel Cormier will challenge Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight crown in the UFC 226 main event on July 7 in Las Vegas. Cormier believes a win over Miocic would put him in the Greatest of All-Time conversation. During an appearance on Michael Bisping’s “Believe You, Me” podcast earlier this year, “DC” indicated that beating the heavyweight champion would make him “not only one of the greatest to do it, [but] the greatest to ever do it, not just one of [the best], but [in] the conversation for the best fighter of all-time. I truly believe that because it’s such a massive accomplishment.”

You have to like Cormier’s self-promotion, and he has a compelling argument on the surface. A win at UFC 226 would move him to 14-0 as a heavyweight and allow him to join Conor McGregor as the only fighters in history to hold UFC championships in two divisions simultaneously. It will not be an easy feat. Miocic is relatively young by heavyweight standards and already holds the record for most consecutive successful title defenses in the division. Cormier has retained his 205-pound championship on three occasions, but his two losses to Jon Jones -- one was later changed to a no-contest after “Bones” tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs -- stick out on his resume.

Cormier makes a good G.O.A.T. case, but are we really going to place him in the same rarified air as Jones, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre or Fedor Emelianenko? Not a chance.

For starters, Cormier simply does not have the longevity. He did not make his professional MMA debut until the age of 30 due to a successful amateur wrestling career that saw him qualify for two Olympics. As a result, he only has 22 fights to his credit. By comparison, Silva and Emelianenko each have 43. Cormier’s closest contemporary may be St. Pierre, who has fought 28 times. However, St. Pierre defended his welterweight championship across two eras (2006-13) and cleaned out his division in the process. He has the second-longest title reign -- behind Silva -- in UFC history and the third-most title defenses, training only Silva and Demetrious Johnson. In terms of longevity, “DC” falls short.

While Cormier’s fire has not burned as long, it has also never burned as brightly as the other fighters in the G.O.A.T. discussion. Silva, St. Pierre and Emelianenko were all unquestionably the best fighters in their divisions during their primes. Cormier has never been able to say the same, as the specter of Jones looms large over the 205-pound weight class. At any given moment, “DC” can only claim to be the second-best light heavyweight walking the planet. How can we call him the Greatest of All-Time when he can’t even rule his own division?

Even with a win over Miocic, it would still be difficult to consider Cormier the top heavyweight. While he would have the championship, he has not had to run through a gauntlet of contenders to capture it. Anyone can win a fight on any given night, but historically great champions need sustained success as validation. Until he beats other top heavyweights like Fabricio Werdum, Francis Ngannou, Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov, Cormier does not have much of a case.

Another qualm about Cormier entering the G.O.A.T. conversation: the lack of competition he has faced at 205 pounds; it’s an obstacle Johnson must also confront as a flyweight. While you can only fight the people put in front of you and even though comparing level of competition may be inherently unfair, splitting hairs becomes necessary when determining the Greatest of All-Time. Unfortunately for Cormier, the light heavyweight division finds itself at an all-time low, meaning his wins don’t stack up well. Gone are the days when former champions like Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Quinton Jackson, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell roamed the 205-pound weight class at their best. Cormier’s victories over Dan Henderson, Anthony Johnson, Volkan Oezdemir and Alexander Gustafsson do not compare favorably to St. Pierre’s wins over Matt Hughes, Jon Fitch, Jake Shields, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz and Johny Hendricks; the same can be said for Silva’s routs of Chris Leben, Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, Forrest Griffin and Vitor Belfort.

Now 39, Cormier failed in two chances to add a signature piece for his mantle, his two encounters with Jones resulting in decisive losses. While having a victory over Miocic to go along with wins over Josh Barnett and Antonio Silva at heavyweight would strengthen his case, it would not be enough to offset the years of divisional dominance put forth by his peers.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge Cormier fan. I think he’s great for the sport, a wonderful champion and an amazing fighter. Mixed martial arts could use more people like him, but the Greatest of All-Time he is not. What happens at UFC 226 will not change that.

Pressley Nietering is a third-year student at Clemson University.

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