Great Divide: Who is the greatest featherweight of all time?

The Nice Divide is a recurring function right here at MMA Preventing by which two of our employees debate a subject on the earth of MMA – information, a struggle, a loopy factor anyone did, a loopy factor anyone didn’t do, or some ethical dilemma threatening the very basis of the game — and check out to determine a decision. We’d love so that you can be part of within the dialogue within the feedback beneath.

At UFC 314, Alexander Volkanovski did one thing no man had ever finished earlier than: he received a UFC title struggle in a weight class beneath 170 kilos over the age of 35. Earlier than Saturday, fighters 35 or older had been 0-10 in UFC title fights from flyweight to light-weight. Now Volkanovski stands alone because the statistical outlier who defies the adage that Father Time comes for us all. However does he stand alone because the Best of All Time at 145 kilos?

Volkanovski’s win on Saturday and return to the highest of the featherweight mountain renewed a dialog that had been rising louder earlier than Volkanovski’s loss to Ilia Topuria final yr. Who actually stands above the remainder at 145 kilos in MMA historical past? Jed Meshew and Damon Martin make their circumstances.

Jose Aldo is the FW GOAT

Meshew: Oh, goody gumdrops, we get to have this asinine dialog once more! I believed when Volkanovski misplaced the title, this very foolish matter would have died the quiet demise it deserved, however in some way he wins a — let’s be trustworthy, papery — belt and the band of followers who solely began following MMA in 2016 strikes up once more. Effectively, it’s my civic obligation to remind you all simply who the heck Jose Friggin’ Aldo is.

However first, let me let you know what I’m not going to do: I’m not going to tug down Volkanovski. The case for Aldo as GOAT (and it’s not a case, it’s a reality) just isn’t that Volkanovski is dangerous or overrated or something unfavourable to do with him. Volkanovski is without doubt one of the 10 biggest fighters to ever lace up gloves. No, the argument is just recognition of how absurd Jose Aldo’s accomplishments are.

Volkanovski breaking the 35+ curse — albeit, once more, with a little bit of an asterisk — isn’t any small accomplishment. However how about Aldo being the youngest champion in Zuffa historical past? It not often will get talked about as a result of Jon Jones is “the youngest champion in UFC historical past,” besides that’s solely on a technicality. Jones received the sunshine heavyweight title at 23 years and 243 days outdated. Aldo received the WEC featherweight title — the de facto UFC belt on the time, for the reason that promotion didn’t have 145 or beneath — at 23 years and 70 days outdated. Aldo beat him to the punch by almost six months! (And the truth that he’s nonetheless getting High 15 wins at bantamweight a decade after his prime is legitimately one of the vital unbelievable issues in MMA historical past, but it surely’s at 135, so it has no bearing right here.)

However that’s simply the appetizer of accomplishment as a result of the reality is that this “argument” comes down to at least one easy reality: “greatness” is a measure of accomplishment, and there are solely a few fighters in MMA historical past who’ve completed greater than Aldo. 9 profitable title defenses over six years (I’m not going to depend his interim title win over Frankie Edgar of their rematch at UFC 200 regardless that it grew to become the undisputed title, for a similar cause I’m undecided we should always give all that a lot credence to Volkanovski’s win at UFC 314 — they didn’t beat the champ). That’s third all-time (tied with Georges St-Pierre) for variety of title defenses and second all-time behind Anderson Silva in days as champion (2215 for Aldo, 2457 for Silva). For context, Volkanovski’s extremely spectacular title run was 1761 days with 5 title defenses. That’s genuinely an insane accomplishment; it’s additionally nearly half of Aldo’s defenses and 15 months much less time on the high.

And although I’m loath to offer the mouth-breathers who make this argument any consideration, let’s deal with by far the commonest chorus when making an attempt to tear down Aldo’s resume: EvErBoDy He FoUgHt WaS tRaSh!

Urijah Faber and Frankie Edgar are champions and UFC Corridor of Famers. Chad Mendes is simply not a Corridor of Famer as a result of he had the unlucky timing to have his profession run solely throughout Aldo’s. They each fought Korean Zombie, however Volkanovski bought him previous the 35+ age line. And whereas persons are fast to tear on guys like Ricardo Lamas, Kenny Florian, and Mark Hominick, stick across the sport for some time. I’ll guess you completely something that in a decade, some new crop of followers will take a look at Volkanovski’s resume and say, “Effectively, Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega are trash.” That’s simply how these items go. For those who don’t win a belt, the individuals who weren’t there to see you struggle assume you sucked.

However the factor about title fights is, it’s at all times in opposition to a superb man. That’s how titles work. The folks combating for them are at all times among the many greatest accessible opposition. And whereas Volkanovski has finished unbelievable issues in his profession — and once more, is a High 10 fighter of all time — he merely hasn’t finished as a lot as Aldo. And even he is aware of it!

However right here’s the factor, Volkanovski isn’t finished but. Whereas this title is a bit specious, the actual fact stays it’s his now, and he’s going to defend it. If he places a couple of extra notches within the belt and not less than will get shut to Aldo’s NINE title defenses, we will revisit this dialog. However please, I’m begging y’all, put some respect on Jose Aldo’s title. The person is not only the King of Rio, he’s the King of Featherweight, too.

Photograph by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Alexander Volkanovski is the Featherweight GOAT

Let’s be clear — this debate isn’t meant to tear down one man to construct up one other however whenever you’re speaking concerning the resumes of two all-time greats, you must begin nitpicking to search out variations between the 2.

At the start the simplest argument to make for Aldo are the overall variety of title defenses he had as champion between the UFC and WEC. Make no mistake that’s a wildly spectacular accomplishment however context issues relating to these title defenses.

Not that Demetrious Johnson deserves to catch a stray right here however his document for essentially the most title defenses in UFC historical past with 11 would possibly maintain up without end however usually talking, he doesn’t soar over fighters like Jon Jones or Georges St-Pierre relating to the GOAT dialog just because he defended his title greater than them and that’s largely as a result of degree of competitors every confronted throughout their respective careers. Invoice Russell received 11 NBA titles however he barely registers in arguments over the very best basketball participant in historical past regardless that he almost doubled the quantity of championships that Michael Jordan claimed throughout his legendary profession.

The identical applies for Aldo and Volkanovski but it surely should even be said that it’s not like there’s some large chasm between them relating to their historical past in championship fights.

Because it stands, Volkanovski holds a outstanding 14-1 document at featherweight with a 7-1 resume in title fights at 145 kilos within the UFC in comparison with Aldo, who’s 10-4 total with an 8-3 document in championship bouts.

After all, Aldo’s wins are spectacular however as a lot as all of us love Mark Hominick, he was 20-8 when he bought the title shot and there’s no ignoring he went 0-3 after falling to Aldo earlier than retiring from the game. It’s usually forgotten that Kenny Florian was an excellent fighter in his day however his largest accomplishments got here at light-weight. Add to that, he had one win at featherweight earlier than he bought his title shot, he misplaced to Aldo after which by no means fought once more. As for Volkanovski, his solely title protection in opposition to a fighter in an analogous state of affairs was “The Korean Zombie,” who misplaced after which solely competed yet another time earlier than calling it a profession

OK, let’s simply say you wish to put Volkanovski’s title struggle wins over Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega in the identical bucket as Hominick and Florian then I’ve bought two phrases so that you can take into account — MAX HOLLOWAY.

At worst, Holloway is the third greatest featherweight of all time and Volkanovski beat him thrice with the third struggle being essentially the most lopsided match of all of them. As for Aldo, he’s 0-2 in opposition to Holloway and bought completed by knockout each occasions. And let’s not neglect about the truth that these two truly fought — Volkanovski received a dominant resolution over Aldo earlier than the Brazilian left the division and tried his hand at bantamweight as a substitute.

None of these fights occurred with Volkanovski or Aldo previous their prime so you may’t even use that argument relating to evaluating these performances.

There’s no true metric to measure greatness as a result of a lot goes into figuring out who we consider are the very best fighters within the historical past of the game. Certainly, Aldo is on that listing however Volkanovski’s high quality of wins are simply higher total, particularly whenever you issue within the head-to-head competitors.

Possibly Aldo might have added to his legacy at featherweight had he finally not left the division whereas Volkanovski simply made historical past because the oldest fighter to ever seize UFC gold at 155 kilos or beneath. Sure, he beat Diego Lopes moderately than avenging his loss to Ilia Topuria however Aldo claimed an interim title (that was finally was an undisputed belt) after he beat Frankie Edgar moderately than getting a second shot at Conor McGregor, who separated him from consciousness in 13 seconds.

These guys are each future UFC Corridor of Famers however Volkanovski simply has the higher total resume with extra significant wins at featherweight, which is why he’s the GOAT.