After his stunning UFC Welterweight title defence over Gilbert Burns last Saturday, there were many fans and pundits alike proclaiming Kamaru Usman as the greatest fighter his weight division has ever seen.
This declaration garnered a lot of backlash and fan fare that has reignited a compelling discussion; who is the greatest welterweight of all time?
5. Robbie Lawler
‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler’s return and success in his second UFC run was nothing short of spectacular and a sheer joy to spectate as a fan.
To see a fan favourite who embraces all the traditional values of grit and hard work rather than the sheer athleticism that we have come to expect from UFC champions in the modern era.
After a split decision title win over rival Johny Hendricks, the American went on to defend his title in two career defining fight of the year candidates, against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit respectively.
While his reign as champion may not be distinct for it’s number of title defences or utter dominance, in terms of entertainment you would be hard pressed to find a more entertaining run in any promotion in the world.
Robbie Lawler’s tenure with the belt is looked back on with fondness, and it was undeniably a catalyst in the transition from mixed martial arts being absurdly considered ‘human cockfighting’ and a legitimate sport.
4. Tyron Woodley
His reign is certainly not reflected on with such fondness as Lawler’s, mainly due to Tyron Woodley’s fighting style which often translated to, for lack of a better word, boring fights.
Many consider this a negative on ‘The Chosen One’ in the GOAT conversation, but I consider it quite the opposite.
His run with the belt began and peaked with a highlight reel one-punch knockout over Robbie Lawler, and was shortly followed by a fight of the year candidate with Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, so it was always going to be difficult to keep up the thunderous hype he had created for himself.
Woodley proved his dominance and tactical brilliance by doing whatever he had to in order to remain champion, and sometimes, such as the rematch with the aforementioned Thompson and Demian Maia, that deciphered to chess-match like fights.
Woodley had nearly undefeatable grappling abilities and a right hand that hit like a bus which often rendered his opponents without a trump card.
His final title defence against Darren Till was a high point of his reign, finishing the highly touted Englishman with a second round D’Arce choke that shut the mouths of many of his critics.
Regardless of whether his style in the Octagon was enthralling or not, it is undeniable that only something incredibly special could rip that belt away from his clutches.
Speak of the devil….
3. Kamaru Usman
The gap in terms of ‘greatness’ between Tyron Woodley and current UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman is admittedly tenuous, but I just give ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ the edge due to dominant title defences over competitors that I would consider tougher than that of Woodley’s.
Usman’s complete destruction of the previously unbeatable Woodley just over two years ago to win the title was more impressive than any finish could have been.
His follow-up fifth round technical knockout win over fierce rival Colby Covington the following December was poetic justice at it’s best, and was the perfect way to get his first title defence behind him.
In Kamaru’s second defence of his title, it was hard not to back the fan favourite Jorge Masvidal, but Usman, almost like Woodley, did exactly what he had to do to beat the dangerous, short-notice challenger with the added disadvantage of a hidden broken nose sustained just two weeks before fight night.
Then we reach last Saturday night, where the champion looked as though he was about to have his belt ripped away from him by the well-rounded Brazilian, Gilbert Burns.
After a massive wobble in the opening minute of the fight, Usman switched it on as every great champion does by dominating the following round and abruptly ending the bout with punches in the opening exchanges of the third round.
Despite being in possession of less title defences his predecessor, Kamaru has never appeared reluctant to exert his suffocating supremacy over his challengers, so he takes the third spot on this list.
2. Matt Hughes
The two-time UFC Welterweight Champion rightfully takes the runner-up spot, with a hall of fame career that has left him considered one of the pioneers of the sport’s meteoric rise in popularity.
In a period when UFC titles were something of a hot potato, Matt Hughes managed to make his name synonymous with the welterweight championship, defending a total of seven times over two reigns.
My personal favourite moment of his with the belt has to be his lionhearted performance in his rematch with Frank Trigg, where he battled from the jaws of the defeat to the grandeur of victory with a rear naked choke that has become a mythical sequence amongst MMA fans.
Without the greatness of Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre would not have made the impact that he did, and by extension, I do not believe the UFC would be where it is today.
- Georges St-Pierre
Who else, right?
GSP is the quintessential mixed martial artist, with the combination of an elite mentality, immense talent and an unrivalled work ethic.
‘Rush’ played a pivotal role in transitioning UFC fighters from aggressive brawlers to undeniable athletes.
The Canadian lost to Matt Hughes in his first shot at a UFC title, which proved to be transformational for him as a fighter.
In their rematch, GSP would win by a second round technical knock out, before losing in perhaps the most shocking result in UFC history to Matt Serra.
That was nearly fourteen years ago, St-Pierre has not been beaten since.
Georges went on to regain his title from Serra and defend it nine times over the likes of BJ Penn, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz and Johny Hendricks before relinquishing his title in 2017.
There was very little any of his opponents could do to counter his talent and skill, whether that be in striking exchanges or once the fight reached the canvas.
It will take something quite special to topple GSP off this mountain, but I do genuinely believe that Kamaru Usman could have the abilities to do it one day.
