Conor McGregor became the first UFC fighter ever to hold two titles in different weight divisions simultaneously following his second round knockout of Eddie Alvarez. And after the historical accomplishment, which also led to UFC 205 breaking all of the company’s records, retired UFC fighter Chael Sonnen said on ESPN that the Irishman should be seen as the greatest fighter in the history of MMA.
“I think Conor needs to be recognized as the greatest fighter to have ever done it,” Sonnen said. “Conor does exactly what he said he’d do. It reminds me of the Babe. He used to walk out to the mound and he’s say where he’d put the ball, and nobody else had to courage to actually try to do it. Conor McGregor said I will put you away in less than two rounds. For the third straight time, he has called his own shot.”
That’s high praise for McGregor, who has only been in the UFC for three years, albeit three years in which he ran through the featherweight division, which included a 13-second knockout of former champion Jose Aldo, dished out a spectacular performance in the promotion’s biggest event ever, and became the sport’s biggest star in history.
But Sonnen is not alone in putting McGregor’s name along with MMA’s greats. Retired fighter, and current FOX analyst Brian Stann puts the Irishman just slightly below Sonnen’s claim.
“For me personally, GSP is the best of all-time—in body of work, and in duration of excellence. But Conor would go down top three, possibly even number two to me if he were to stop right now,” Stann told fellow retired UFC fighter and Fox analyst Kenny Florian.
Apart from his accomplishments inside the Octagon, McGregor has also become the biggest draw in MMA, headlining four of the five biggest events in UFC history.
