As I was browsing our recently updated All-Time MMA rankings, I couldn’t help but wonder: what are the odds that the current top ranked fighters of all time in each division will be replaced in the next decade? Let’s take a deeper look, in an attempt to answer one of the eternal sports questions: who is the greatest of all time?
The numbers in parentheses represent the all-time rating points.
[#1]: Georges St. Pierre (36945)
Next active fighter: [#2] Jon Jones (34157)
Point differential: 1.08x
Other contenders: [#7] Alexander Volkanovski, [#8] Max Holloway, [#9] Demetrious Johnson
The all-time absolute ranking takes into account the sum of fighters’ accomplishments across all divisions. And this list is the one with the least amount of separation between the top two. If Jon Jones sticks around for another year or two and defeats Stipe Miocic and Tom Aspinall, as he promised to do, he will certainly overtake GSP for the #1 spot. In the eyes of many, Jones is already the GOAT, and he would rightfully sit atop of our absolute ranking – for a very long time, if the rest of the list is any indication.
The next highest ranked active fighters on the all-time absolute list sit at #7-9. Alexander Volkanovski is on a clear decline, losing three of his last four fights, and having been on a receiving end of a KO in his two most recent outings. Holloway is still hanging in there and with a move to lightweight division he might soon pass his long-time rival Volk. However it’s fairly obvious that this 32-year old with a whole lot of fight mileage is nearing his ceiling, and will not break into the truly elite Top 5. Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson should be ranked higher in my opinion – but the relative weakness of the flyweight division has held him back here. At 37, the Mouse is at the tail end of a illustrious career and is unlikely to move much higher on the list.
