Joe Rogan Names UFC Icon 'Everyone Forgets' in Greatest Heavyweight of All Time Debate
In all sports, the debate over whom the GOAT is will always be a consistent benchmark conversation. MMA is no different. The heavyweight division arguably sparks discussion over whom the greatest fighter of all time is more than any other division, with some elite names gracing the sport. During the golden years of PRIDE FC, Fedor Emelianenko went 28 fights without a legitimate loss, picking up victories over other legends like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko Cro Cop.
In the modern era, meanwhile, Stipe Miocic is said to be the greatest heavyweight fighter the UFC has ever seen, holding both the record for the most consecutive heavyweight title defences with three under his belt, and the most total defences with four.
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In a recent episode of his podcast, Joe Rogan threw another name into the conversation.
Rogan gave his props to Fabricio Werdum (24-9-1), who is a former UFC heavyweight and two-time ADCC champion. Werdum picked up submission finishes against a number of those legends mentioned previously, including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Fedor Emelianenko, and Cain Velasquez. "I don’t think there’s a real GOAT in heavyweight. Because I think there are times where one guy would have beaten all the other guys. (Velasquez is) in the GOAT category. I would say in heavyweight there’s a GOAT category.
"You’ve got to put Stipe in there because he defended the heavyweight title more than anybody. He beat (Francis) Ngannou when Ngannou was in his prime, got rocked a bunch of times, and came back. So you’ve got to give it to him. He’s always going to be in the GOAT category."
Rogan would go on to give credit to the other legends of the heavyweight division, but reiterated his support for Fabricio Werdum when he said: “Cain, Fedor – of course, Fedor is like the real connoisseur. The real hardcore MMA-heads are like, ‘Fedor is the GOAT.’
"I always say everybody forgets about Fabricio Werdum because Werdum tapped Cain Velasquez, (Rodrigo) ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, and Fedor – and he tapped Fedor when Fedor was ‘Fedor.' When you look at Fabricio Werdum in his prime, he's in that range, man. He beat Cain Velasquez, he beat Mark Hunt with a flying knee to win the title. He beat the best of the best. He beat them all, and he tapped three of the all-time greats."
Werdum has not competed in MMA since a no-contest result against Renan Ferreira in May 2021. His last victory came in July 2020 when he submitted Alexander Gustafsson.
