The greatest of all-time conversation is an unwinnable debate because everyone sees things differently. Is it title defenses that make the fighter the GOAT? Is it dominant performances? Is it wins over ranked opponents? Is it wins over former champions? Is it whoever has the most finishes? Is it legacy?
There are so many variables to the conversation, and everyone has a different answer.
Rose is a ways off
For Daniel Cormier, he still sees Joanna Jedrzejczyk as the greatest of time, even though Rose Namajunas has two wins over her.
“You know, the sport’s young, so we tend to excited,” Cormier said on his show DC & RC. “We have seen this time and time again from Cain [Velasquez] was greatest heavyweight of all time, to [Kamaru] Usman now may pass Georges St-Pierre, and greatest middleweight Izzy [Adesanya] is right behind Anderson [Silva] when in reality it’s not. It’s not.
For as much of a resume as Rose is building as the champ, she’s a ways off. Because the greatest champion in this division’s history is Joanna Jędrzejczyk. It doesn’t just point to the matchups because of all the defenses. The way that she truly put that weight class on the map is why we view her the way that we do.”
A little more work to do
While a win over Carla Esparza at UFC 274 would do a lot for Namajunas’ legacy, especially since it would be avenging a loss, Cormier says this is more of a personal fight for the champion.
“But does Rose step closer to being considered to be in the conversation as the greatest strawweight we have ever seen? Absolutely. I believe that this fight does more for Rose personally than it does for her legacy because you go and get that one back from when you were a kid, from when you got embarrassed after coming off the show, riding that wave of momentum.
Her true first taste of stardom, of recognition, of visibility, she got really stumped bad by Carla Esparza,” Cormier said. “So I think personally for Rose and her entire team, this win is for them as opposed to what does it mean to the legacy of Rose Namajunas, because it’s still building. And if she’s going to be considered the greatest fighter in this division’s history, she got a little more work to do.”
So far, all of Namajunas’ title defenses have been rematches, so Cormier has a point. With Marina Rodriguez waiting in the crowded strawweight line, that is a name that should be essential to the champion’s resume.
Namajunas vs. Esparza II goes down this Saturday at UFC 274.
