Beating Ian Garry Doesn’t Make Islam the GOAT #ufc
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Posted by
simone
on Aug 21, 2026
- 6 views
Is Islam Makhachev really the greatest fighter of all time?
Chael Sonnen isn't ready to give him that title.
The biggest problem with the argument is simple: Jon Jones still exists.
Chael argues that Jones has never had his weaknesses truly identified and exploited by an opponent. Until somebody figures out exactly how to beat Jones and actually does it, it's difficult to simply move him out of the GOAT conversation.
And Chael has another problem with the way Islam's status is being discussed.
Beating Ian Garry was impressive.
But is beating a young fighter with tremendous length and range — who was also trying to maintain respect and sportsmanship throughout the fight — really enough to establish yourself as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time?
Chael says no.
The GOAT conversation shouldn't change every time a champion wins a major fight. If it did, the title would simply belong to whoever won the most recent main event — at least until the next big performance comes