Georges St-Pierre
José Aldo
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Dead even across the measured categories. Our all-time ranking places Georges St-Pierre at #2 and José Aldo at #8.
The case for Georges St-Pierre
The most dominant welterweight in history and a paragon of preparation, GSP retired at 26-2 having avenged both losses. He first won the welterweight title from Matt Hughes at UFC 65 in 2006, suffered a stunning upset knockout by Matt Serra in 2007, then reclaimed the belt and never lost again, defending it nine consecutive times against a murderer's row that included B.J. Penn, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, Jake Shields and Nick Diaz. Famous for tailoring a specific game plan to every opponent — wrestling strikers and out-striking wrestlers — he combined an elite jab with suffocating top control. After a four-year hiatus he returned at UFC 217 in 2017 to submit middleweight champion Michael Bisping, becoming a two-division titleholder, then retired on top. His run of 13 title-fight wins stood as a record and his professionalism reshaped the sport.
The case for José Aldo
The greatest featherweight of all time, Aldo went undefeated for roughly a decade — an 18-fight win streak from 2005 to 2015 — while reigning as WEC and then inaugural UFC featherweight champion. His leg kicks were the most feared in the sport, memorably crumpling Urijah Faber and reducing opponents to hobbling targets, and he paired them with sharp boxing and elite takedown defense. He defended the featherweight crown repeatedly against the division's best before Conor McGregor stunned him with a 13-second knockout at UFC 194 in 2015, one of the most shocking moments in MMA history. He rebuilt himself as a top bantamweight contender in his thirties, challenging for that title too, and retired from MMA around 31-8. For pure divisional dominance over a sustained period, few careers rival his prime.