Mixed martial arts (MMA) is unique among major sports in the sense that it is so new to the competitive landscape. Major League Baseball (MLB) was founded in 1876. The National Hockey League (NHL) started in 1917, and the National Football League (NFL) came aboard in 1920. Even the National Basketball Association (NBA) can say that its lineage predates 1950. Founded in 1993, and not reaching its stride as a lucrative business until nearly a decade later, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)–MMA’s premier organization–is still firmly in its juvenile stage. The recency of not just the UFC, but the sport of MMA puts anybody with GOAT status in peril strictly from a statistical probability perspective. Pick a sport, and it is almost certainly true that the GOAT 30 years after that sport became a professionally organized endeavor is most certainly not the GOAT today. Considering Jon Jones’s near-flawless record, it’s doubtful that he’s shaking in his bare feet, but he might not want to get too comfortable with his status as the universally accepted GOAT. After three decades of growing pains, the UFC is more talented than ever and, as a result, the GOAT race is seemingly on the cusp of becoming very interesting with candidates emerging in several weight classes. In the intermediate, however, it’s Jon Jones who sits comfortably on the throne, waiting for his first legitimate contender. Why is Jones so far-and-away the greatest mixed-martial artist more than a quarter-of-a-century into the sport, and what makes him vulnerable to the next generation of octagon assassins? Let’s check it out… 

Jon Jones is a bad man. He’s so bad, in fact, that his only loss as an MMA professional stems from pounding his opponent (Matt Hamill) too savagely, resulting in a disqualification. Otherwise, he has been perfect. His 28-1 record is buoyed by victories over a record nine former UFC champions. His 12 title defenses in the UFC are the most all-time and come in MMA’s two most dangerous divisions–light heavyweight and heavyweight. His 16 wins in title bouts are, far and away, the most in UFC history. During his decade reign of terror over the light heavyweight division, Jones fought a literal Hall-of-Fame list of challengers, including Ryan Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Glover Teixeira, and Daniel Cormier (x2). Jones’s two wins over Cormier are particularly notable, since it might be Cormier who is considered the GOAT if not for Jones. Cormier only lost twice in his career in the light heavyweight division, and both were to Jones. Jones battered the light heavyweight division so badly that he ran out of viable threats and motivation, prompting a move to heavyweight. Jones’s move to heavyweight wasn’t a toe-dip into the pool, either; it was a high-dive into the deep end against a #1 contender–Ciryl Gane–and arguably the greatest heavyweight in MMA history–Stipe Miocic. Jones was dominant in finishing both Gane and Miocic, adding even more scalps to what is often regarded as the most difficult schedule any fighter has faced in MMA history. 

The challengers to Jones’s claim as the GOAT have flaws that Jones does not. Anderson Silva dominated a division (middleweight) that was not particularly deep. Georges St. Pierre (GSP) faced a similar reality (welterweight), while also suffering arguably the biggest upset in MMA history (Matt Serra). Khabib Nurmagomedov–the only retired undefeated fighter in UFC history–was far too inactive and faced too few high-caliber fighters to pose a genuine threat. Demetrious Johnson–a fighter who often gets thrown into the GOAT conversation–faced an even weaker slate than Khabib, didn’t fight the most accomplished fighters of his era, and holds an equally shocking upset loss as St. Pierre (Adriano Moraes). Alexander Volkanovski–the longstanding king of the featherweight division–was mounting a serious challenge before failing in two attempts to become a two-division champ, and then discovering Ilia Topuria’s brilliance. 

While the challengers to Jones simply don’t exist at the moment, there are at least four factors that make Jones vulnerable as MMA’s GOAT:

1) Like Barry Bonds, Jones has allegedly failed multiple drug tests for banned substances. Much like baseball, however, performance enhancing drug use (PEDs) was rampant in MMA during Jones’s peak. The list of athletes in the UFC during Jones’s career who tested positive for PEDs is virtually a who’s who of MMA greats. This makes it highly liked that some of Jones’s opponents were potentially using PEDs as well. Still, future GOAT candidates who do not have any connections to PEDs may have an advantage in a resume comparison with Jones. (Note: I do not discount accomplishments because of PED use. However, it could be used as a mitigating factor in the event a comparison that is too-close-to-call requires a tiebreaker.)

2) While Jones has managed to remain (unofficially) undefeated, he has had several razor close fights against what could be considered inferior competition. Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 1 was very close. Jones was probably the right choice, but many fans and media outlets scored the fight for Gustafsson. Jones vs. Thiago Santos was also incredibly close. Again, Jones was probably the right choice, but many fans and media outlets scored the fight for Santos. Jones vs. Dominick Reyes is widely regarded as the wrong choice, with the majority of the MMA community–including UFC President Dana White–viewing Reyes as the winner of the fight. The judges scored it a split decision in favor of Jones, damaging Jones’s aura of invincibility in the process. There is nothing shameful about close fights. Jones doesn’t need to make apologies for winning, including the Reyes split decision. However, this is an area in a GOAT showdown where he can be vulnerable, especially if a challenger can remain undefeated while avoiding controversial decisions. 

3) Jones began his career as a finishing merchant. He won nine of his first 13 UFC fights by finish, and it would be 10 if not for his disqualification loss for pummeling Matt Hamill too savagely. He then saw seven of his last eight victories at light heavyweight come by decision. This sort of evolution from a ferocious finisher to a more cautious approach is not uncommon among longtime champions. GSP saw nine of his first 13 UFC victories come by finish, only for his last seven victories at welterweight to come by decision. Again, Jones (and GSP) don’t have to apologize for winning fights. A win is a win. However, in a close resume standoff, a fighter who wins more emphatically more often will have a advantage. 

4) Jones deserves a lot of credit for dispatching with such a long list of legends and Hall-of-Famers. However, his activity level fell off precipitously after his 14th UFC fight. In the eight years from 2014-2022, Jones fought just eight times. His career activity level is far superior to someone like Nurmagomedov, so it’s not something that is a significant weakness. However, if a GOAT challenger emerges who consistently accumulates 2-3 fights per year over the course of 10-15 years, then that would be an area where Jones’s resume could be vulnerable. (Note: The growing trend of fighters fighting less–not more–may make this a moot point.)

This is not to say that Jones doesn’t have a stranglehold on the current MMA GOAT conversation. He has not suffered a legitimate loss in 24 UFC fights. He has faced all comers in MMA’s two most vicious divisions, and his most dominant performances have come against his most difficult opponents. It will take a flawless resume to unseat Jones from the throne. With organized MMA being so young, it’s not yet clear how often we should expect to see such a resume. A threat could come in the next 5-10 years, or never come at all. In the meantime, it’s Jones who has the crown.

Of all the GOAT debates in sports, one of the easiest to call comes from football, because there isn’t a debate at all. Tom Brady made the conversation an open-and-shut affair. There are no competition concerns, numbers to scrutinize, or “yeah, but”s to explore. The only mystery isn’t who the GOAT is, but how it ended up being the 199th pick of an NFL draft. Let’s explore what makes a skinny 6th round quarterback in the world’s most brutal sport the unequivocal greatest of all time. 

The Leader in Everything

It’s easy to start with statistics, and there’s no reason to bury the lede, so let’s begin there. The most important position in all of sports is, arguably, quarterback. There have been dozens of phenomenal quarterbacks in NFL history. What makes Tom Brady so unique is that he has more passing yards, passing touchdowns, 4th quarter comebacks, game-winning drives, regular season wins, postseason wins, Super Bowl victories, and Super Bowl MVPs than all of them. His 12 combined Super Bowl rings and Super Bowl MVPs are five more than any other player in NFL history. His Approximate Value–a statistic created by Pro Football Reference to estimate career value–is 49 more than any other player, which is greater than the difference between 2nd place and 9th place. He not only has the greatest career in history, but his 2007 regular season is arguably the greatest season in history. 

Impact on Winning

Brady’s career statistics are enough to end the debate, but there are several other angles that bolster his legacy. For instance, Brady’s impact on winning is unrivaled in the sport. Bill Belichick is often included on the Mount Rushmore of NFL head coaches, and rightfully so. Belichick has a record six Super Bowl victories as a head coach, and appeared in a record nine Super Bowls. However, Belichick owes quite a bit to Brady for his success. Belichick’s career regular season record without Brady is 83-104 (.444). With Brady? Well things look a little sunnier at 219-64 (.774). Belichick’s career playoff record without Brady stands at just 1-2 (.333). Again, with Brady, that record balloons to 30-11 (.732). Certainly, there was some mutualism between Brady and Belichick in New England, but Belichick was unsuccessful in three NFL stints without Brady. Brady without Belichick? This is where Brady’s legacy reaches the land beyond the land of the absurd. Brady left New England to be the starting quarterback for Tampa Bay in 2020. Tampa had not made the playoffs in the previous 12 seasons, and carried a 7-9 record in 2019. In Brady’s first season without Belichick, he was the MVP of the Super Bowl! Brady would go on to lead the Bucs to the playoffs in all three of his seasons in Tampa, and did so in his mid-40s. Brady’s career regular season without Belichick is 32-18 (.640), and his playoff record is 5-2 (.714). It is rare in sports that we get to see such a definitive conclusion on the relative importance of a single player as we’ve been able to see with Brady. His massive success with and without Belichick, and with and without the Patriots and Bucs, combined with Belichick and Tampa’s poor records without Brady shows just how instrumental Brady was to his winning endeavors.

Sustained Excellence

Brady’s massive statistical ledger and his impact on winning are more than enough to close the book on this debate, but there’s more. Brady’s sustained excellence is only rivaled by LeBron James in the history of professional sports. Brady led the NFL in passing yards in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. He did the same with touchdowns. He won multiple Super Bowls in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. As a starting quarterback, Brady was 70-24 (.745) in his 20s, 113-28 (.801) in his 30s, and 68-30 (.694) in his 40s. There are only three quarterbacks in history besides Brady who won two Super Bowls with at least a .694 career winning %, and Brady accomplished that in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. 

Brady’s sustained excellence shows up even more if we move beyond the fact that he’s the all time leader in so many categories, and explore just how big his margin is over second place in those categories. His 10 Super Bowl appearances are four more than any other player. His 251 regular season wins are 65 more than any other player. The difference between Brady and 2nd place is the same as the difference between 2nd and 12th place. Brady’s regular season win total is twice as many as all but 8 quarterbacks in NFL history. Brady’s 35 playoff wins are more than double any other quarterback in history. He has twice as many passing yards as all but 18 quarterbacks, and twice as many passing touchdowns as all but 12.

The Sneaky O.G.

Perhaps most underexplored on Brady’s resume is how effective he was with his feet. Yes, the player in NFL history that you’d pick last in a 40-yard dash competition is arguably the greatest short yardage QB of all-time. Brady’s 124 conversions on third or fourth-and-1 are the most since 2000. His 90.5% conversion rate is the 2nd highest in that same timeframe. Brady’s 238 career rushing first downs are more than Peyton Manning and Drew Brees combined. He’s 18th on the postseason list for rushing touchdowns, including running backs! The most unstoppable weapon in the NFL today is the Brotherly Shove. It’s just under 90% success rate is so effective that owners considered banning the play following the 2024-25 regular season. Long before the Eagles perfected short yardage conversions, Tom Brady had the art of the quarterback sneak mastered at an even higher success rate. Brady’s 5.24 40-yard-dash didn’t win him many footraces, but nothing deflates a defense more than an “and short” conversion, and Brady did it better than anyone.  

That’s a wrap. 

If we had the ability to create an NFL player with 99s in every category, that player would be hard-pressed to duplicate Tom Brady’s career accomplishments. He isn’t just first in everything, he’s first in everything by a lot. He didn’t just win more than anyone, he left no doubt as to who was most responsible for it. He didn’t just play longer than anyone, he sustained excellence at a level that is unheard of in professional sports. Brady didn’t just kill Super Bowl dreams, he killed the GOAT debate. Thanks, Tom!

Success in professional wrestling doesn’t look quite the same as it does in baseball or basketball, where we have the luxury of statistics to quantify greatness. Legitimate competition produces real statistics, which makes it relatively easy to surmise the true value of an athlete. Pro wrestling is different. How do we measure the greatest in an industry that is essentially physical theater? While all GOAT conversations occur in the sphere of opinion, that is perhaps most true in wrestling. If you think Macho Man was the greatest wrestler of all time, there isn’t a statistic to definitively tell you he wasn’t. In the football GOAT conversation, it’s easy to cite that Tom Brady has more Super Bowl victories, Super Bowl MVPs, passing yards, touchdown passes, regular season wins, and postseason wins than any other player in NFL history. That’s a pretty compelling argument rooted in statistics. In the wrestling world, where results are pre-determined and–even then–have little bearing on “greatness” (“Mr. WrestleMania” Shawn Michaels was 6-11 in his 17 WrestleMania matches), statistics and legitimate wins and losses are absent from the conversation. Without tangible numbers to lean on, the most logical place to hold this conversation is “industry impact.” There are several ways to define industry impact–and we should use them all–but almost every definition results in Hulk Hogan being the greatest professional wrestler of all time, and by a country mile. There is no shortage of pro wrestlers who have helped shape the industry. Ric Flair, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Andre the Giant, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and the Undertaker are just a few from recent generations who have carved out tremendous legacies. However, none of them come close to the impact that Hogan had not just on the profitability of wrestling, but on the visibility and mainstream acceptance of the industry as a whole.  

The Chosen One

Hogan began his professional wrestling career in 1977, and by 1982 he was already a powerhouse in the industry and a bona fide crossover superstar thanks to his villainous role as Thunderlips in Rocky III. Vince McMahon Jr.–having purchased the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from his father in 1982–had his sights set on a global takeover of the wrestling industry, and he needed a lynchpin to be the face of his invasion. He chose Hogan, and he chose wisely. The value of the company would skyrocket from just one million dollars in 1982 to 14 billion dollars in 2025. Wrestling at the time was built on a territory system with dozens of regional companies scattered throughout the United States. There was an unspoken rule amongst territory owners that they would respect geographical boundaries and contracts in each territory. Of course, unspoken rules are meant to be broken, and McMahon was the first to make the move. He began enticing the biggest stars of the territories to jump ship to his company by offering lucrative contracts and mainstream exposure on a national platform. While McMahon’s vision was bold, it was not without risk, and it is difficult to imagine anyone at the time besides Hogan being able to pull it off, and pull it off he did. The tombstones of defunct wrestling territories and the massive success of WWE today are proof.

The Merchant of Merch

By 1985, the WWF was the preeminent company in wrestling, and Hulk Hogan was one of the biggest stars in the world alongside the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. He had his own Saturday morning cartoon (Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling), hosted Saturday Night Live, and appeared at the Grammys. He was the face of NBC’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, which was wrestling’s first primetime program on network television since the 1950s, and he headlined WrestleMania I, which is arguably the most important event in the history of professional wrestling. While McMahon’s industry takeover had taken off in earnest, Hulk Hogan was turning into a megastar, a status that would only balloon with the massive successes of the WWF’s Rock ‘n’ Wreslting Connection cross promotion with MTV, WrestleMania III in 1987, and Saturday Night’s Main Event’s six-year run as a ratings bonanza on primetime television. The Brawl to End it all was the most watched program in the history of MTV at the time it aired, and Saturday Night’s Main Event was so popular that it routinely garnered larger TV audiences than Saturday Night Live. Hogan’s presence was ubiquitous, leading to a brand identity not only new to professional wrestling but to pop culture in general. Professional wrestling today is inundated with merchandise that fans gobble up en masse, but that wasn’t always the case. The whole “merch” part of the industry was pioneered by the popularity of Hulkamania. Whether it was apparel, hats, lunch boxes, foam fingers, action figures, replica belts, workout sets, if Hogan’s name was on it, it flew off the shelves. Hulkamania wasn’t just a word that Hogan used to refer to his army of fans, it described what was happening in retail stores across America. Hogan’s influence was so profound that it created a massive money-making stream that didn’t exist before in the 100+ years of professional wrestling. Ric Flair and Andre the Giant–despite being wildly popular at the time–sold virtually no merchandise. The respective spheres of influence between Hogan and everyone else are like comparing mountains to hills. In a business where success is measured by ticket sales and eyeballs, Hogan didn’t just bring visibility to professional wrestling, but a marketability that wrestling promoters of yesteryear could only dream of.    

The First Action Hero (of wrestling)

It’s not unusual to see a professional wrestler starring in a movie today. Whether it’s the Rock, John Cena, or Batista, viewing audiences have gotten used to the ring-to-reel crossover. However, that path simply did not exist until it was paved by Hulk Hogan. Hogan’s role in Rocky III gave way to appearances on popular TV shows like The A-Team, The Love Boat, Baywatch, Suddenly Susan, Walker, Texas Ranger, and Hollywood leading roles in Suburban Commando, Mr. Nanny, and No Holds Barred. He also starred in the TV series Thunder in Paradise, becoming the first athlete to star in both an animated series and a primetime television series. In the “regular” sports world, pop culture crossovers outside of the lines of competition don’t factor into GOAT conversations. Tom Brady marrying Gisele, creating TB12, or orchestrating his own roast on Netflix doesn’t impact his value as a quarterback. The same can’t be said for pro wrestling. Without real wins and losses or statistical achievements, the biggest impact a wrestler can have on the business is bringing attention to it, and there’s no bigger way to bring attention than dragging professional wrestling into living rooms and movie theaters. While football is a competition first and a product second, pro wrestling is a product first and only, and Hogan was that product’s most lucrative salesman.  

Lightning Strikes Twice

There’s no question that Hulk Hogan was the driving force behind Vince McMahon’s dream of global domination becoming reality. History is rife with agents of change who happened to be at the right place at the right time. This is a designation that could even be applied to Hogan, if he didn’t do it all over again by taking down the very company that he helped elevate, and then pushing it to the brink of bankruptcy. Hogan’s contract with the WWF expired in late 1993, and he soon signed on with McMahon’s only remaining rival, World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The addition of Hogan was a coup for WCW, which was merely trying to reach profitability in an industry dominated by the WWF. Eric Bischoff was in charge of the day-to-day decision-making in WCW at the time, and he targeted and recruited older wrestlers with name recognition like Hogan and Randy Savage. With Hogan and Savage in tow, Bischoff was able to convince Ted Turner (WCW’s owner) to challenge WWF’s stranglehold on wrestling viewership by creating a cable show on Monday nights to rival WWF’s flagship program, Monday Night Raw. This led to the creation of Monday Nitro on TNT. 

Nitro was competitive with Raw immediately, winning or tying the ratings battle in 16 of their first 26 head-to-head matchups. Despite being 42-years-old, and a decade removed from the peak of Hulkamania, Hogan’s star power was enough to guide WCW to a stalemate with McMahon. That is, until July 7, 1996, when the leg drop heard around the wrestling world was levied by Hogan. In a move that would’ve been considered unfathomable just moments before, Hulk Hogan turned heel and became the baddest of the bad guys. This reversal sent shockwaves through the ether that once again attracted attention from millions of people who had long given up on professional wrestling as a primary source of entertainment. Hogan’s shocking turn and subsequent creation of the New World Order (NWO) storyline immediately catapulted WCW to the top of the ratings. Nitro would beat Raw in the ratings for an unprecedented 83 consecutive weeks, setting off another merchandise bonanza as NWO apparel became the hottest-selling merch in the business. Hogan was doing it all over again, except this time as a bearded bad guy in black and white, instead of a mustachioed good guy in red and yellow. WCW would go on to generate more revenue than WWE from 1996-1998, which would’ve been an inconceivable notion just a few years prior. Before Hogan’s NWO angle hit, merchandise was simply not a reliable revenue stream for WCW, once again showing how influential Hogan was to the industry’s bottom line. After a decade of dwindling audiences, wrestling was cool again, with athletes and celebrities like Karl Malone, Dennis Rodman, Reggie White, Kyle Petty, Master P, and David Arquette flocking to Nitro to be a part of the show. Hogan didn’t just prove that he could change the industry once as a babyface, he showed he could do it again as a heel. Nobody has ever come close to pulling off Hogan’s double feature from each side of the good vs. evil spectrum. John Cena–arguably the most popular wrestler of the past 25 years–tried to recreate Hogan’s heel turn magic to jumpstart his 2025 farewell tour, and found out that pulling it off was no easy task. Whereas Hogan’s heel turn shook the industry at its foundation, Cena’s proved to be just another storyline.

The Final Act

The greatest moment in the history of professional wrestling is up for debate, but it might be Hogan’s showdown with Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III in front of 93,000 people. What was already a frenzy turned into full-blown Hulkamania madness as Hogan slammed Andre to the mat and emerged victorious. Another candidate, however, is the crescendo of Hogan’s final act in the WWF following WCW’s sale to McMahon in 2001. Still booked as his villainous NWO persona, Hogan was pitted against The Rock in the main event of WrestleMania X8. In a tilt that was dubbed Icon vs. Icon, the 48-year-old Hogan was meant to pass the torch to the 29-year-old superstar. However, something strange happened. On his way to doing “the honors,” Hogan went out and unexpectedly created one of the greatest moments in the history of professional wrestling. The SkyDome crowd in Toronto was so mesmerized and electrified by Hogan’s presence that its reaction forced the two combatants to change the plan of the match on the fly. It is considered by many to be Hogan’s greatest match and one of the greatest displays of fan involvement in the history of the business. Hogan didn’t just turn wrestling companies and his fellow wrestlers into moneymaking machines, he delivered many of the most iconic moments the industry has ever seen. 

The GOAT

It has become chic for fans and former wrestlers to keep Hogan out of the GOAT conversation altogether. It kind of just became the cool thing to do, without much thought put into how ridiculous the assertion was. If the question is, “who is your favorite professional wrestler?” then Hogan doesn’t need to be within a thousand miles of that conversation. Get your Honky Tonk Man or Rick Rude on, if that’s your flavor. However, there isn’t anyone who has come close to having the type of impact on the wrestling industry that Hogan has had. Even calling Hogan the Babe Ruth of professional wrestling is underselling his impact. The industry wouldn’t exist as it does today without Hogan. Heck, WWE might not exist without Hogan. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin arguably reached Hogan’s peak, but stayed there for only six years. Ric Flair never reached the heights of Hogan’s popularity, nor did he have the foundational impact on business viability and survivability. The Undertaker is widely considered the greatest gimmick of all time, but a deadman who doesn’t say much can only impact the industry so much. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were technical savants, but never saw their characters change the landscape of the industry outside of the ring. Andre the Giant was the greatest of all wrestling “attractions,” but failed to gain traction beyond that until Hulkamania created an opportunity for his most memorable contribution. Macho Man Randy Savage was never the guy, and failed to run with that mantle when McMahon tried to make him just that while Hogan was away filming No Holds Barred in 1988. Savage again didn’t have the star power to shine on his own when Hogan left the WWF in 1993, to the point that McMahon tried to talk Savage into transitioning to commentary. It’s not just that Hogan is the GOAT, it’s that there isn’t anyone else who even has a passable claim. If a Mount Rushmore of wrestling GOATs doesn’t begin with Hogan, that is the surest sign that the person you’re listening to either has an axe to grind or mistakenly thinks GOAT = favorite.