The TakedownKamaru Usman vs Georges St-Pierre: who is the greatest welterweight of all time?

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has entered the GOAT conversation in the UFC, but do the statistics back up this claim?

Georges St-Pierre’s staggering welterweight wins vastly outnumber what Usman has done, and it’s tough to make a case without the numbers to back it up

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Is Kamaru Usman the greatest welterweight of all-time? Georges St-Pierre might have something to say about that. Photo: AP

Published: 3:01pm, 15 Nov 2021Updated: 3:01pm, 15 Nov 2021

When getting into any greatest of all-time (GOAT) debate in sport, the argument usually boils down to one question, or statistics, to be more accurate.

LeBron James may never take basketball’s GOAT status from Michael Jordan unless he equals his six NBA championships. Jack Nicklaus will probably be regarded as the greatest golfer of all-time until someone wins 18 major championships (sorry Tiger). Wayne Gretzky probably has ice hockey’s GOAT status until someone can score more than 2,857 points.

When you look at the UFC, the arguments are still being formed as the professional mixed martial arts world is relatively young. However it appears the argument of title wins and defences are being consistently woven into GOAT chatter. Names such as Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre come up whenever MMA fans are debating who is the greatest to have set foot in an Octagon.

Now we have a new addition to the debate, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, “The Nigerian Nightmare”. Usman dispatched contender Colby Covington at UFC 268 in New York for the second time, and has now won six title fights.

Of course, after UFC 268, president Dana White threw his voice into the debate.

Kamaru Usman dispatched Colby Covington again, but GOAT status is still a way away. Photo: AFP