Anderson Silva didn’t get much support on this GOAT vote.
Not many debates are as subjective and split because the conversation surrounding who stands as the best fighter in MMA history.
Former UFC heavyweight and light-weight heavyweight champion Jon Jones consistently gets the nod, but a portion of fans rule each him and middleweight legend Silva out resulting from their failed drug tests.
Some put lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov within the running, while others imagine he retired prematurely.
Heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko often gets included, but plenty use the incontrovertible fact that he never competed within the UFC to remove from his profession.
Conor McGregor’s achievement of becoming the primary simultaneous two-division UFC champion puts him in the combo, however the absence of a single successful title defense on his résumé is a major mark against him.
That’s just a few of a large group of GOAT contenders, but where do nearly all of fans lean? The Bloody Elbow readers have spoken, and the outcomes are eye-opening…
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Anderson Silva gets shock sixth place finish as Jon Jones battles Georges St-Pierre for MMA’s GOAT crown
MMA fans have been voting in a poll as a part of TalkingPoints on Bloody Elbow. Over 1,000 readers had their say when asked to offer their pick for the best fighter in history.
Nine legends were included within the vote: Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Amanda Nunes, Georges St-Pierre, Daniel Cormier, Fedor Emelianenko, Demetrious Johnson, and Conor McGregor.
The result at the highest of the order was unsurprising, with ‘Bones’ and ‘Rush’ battling it out. 34.62 percent of the 1,011 voting fans ultimately gave Jones the nod, crowning him the GOAT over St-Pierre, who collected 24.83 percent of the share.
When creating MMA Mount Rushmore, many list ‘The Spider’ because the third man within the order, but there was no place for him in the highest three. Actually, Silva finished down in sixth place with lower than five percent of the votes.
The Brazilian was beaten by Nurmagomedov, who finished third with 12.66 percent, and Johnson. Many think the flyweight legend is unfairly missed resulting from his division, but 10.29 percent selected him as their GOAT.
| MMA GOAT contender | Percentage of Bloody Elbow fan vote |
| Jon Jones | 34.62% |
| Georges St-Pierre | 24.83% |
| Khabib Nurmagomedov | 12.66% |
| Demetrious Johnson | 10.29% |
| Fedor Emelianenko | 8.11% |
| Anderson Silva | 4.95% |
| Amanda Nunes | 2.08% |
| Conor McGregor | 1.98% |
| Daniel Cormier | 0.49% |
Also coming above Silva was the one contender on the list to have never fought contained in the Octagon. Bloody Elbow readers recently crowned Emelianenko the heavyweight GOAT over the likes of Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez, and Brock Lesnar, and eight.11 percent think he also holds the game’s overall crown.
Silva was in a position to accumulate more votes than Amanda Nunes, Conor McGregor, and Daniel Cormier, who rounded out the leads to that order.
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Paddy Pimblett or Justin Gaethje? Vote in the subsequent Bloody Elbow poll ahead of UFC 324
Fans can become involved in the subsequent Bloody Elbow poll, and it surrounds the UFC’s first major event of 2026.
A fight between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje will kick off the promotion’s latest partnership with Paramount, because the pair of lightweight stars headline UFC 324 with interim gold on the road.
They’ll close out a card that also features the likes of former champions Sean O’Malley, Rose Namajunas, and Deiveson Figueiredo, in addition to top contenders Derrick Lewis, Arnold Allen, and Umar Nurmagomedov.
Who’re you backing to go away Las Vegas as interim UFC lightweight champion? Have your say below!
Who comes out on top at UFC 324: Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett?
Just one man can secure the interim lightweight title on January 24.
That fight will mark the one championship bout on the cardboard after Kayla Harrison withdrew from UFC 324 resulting from a major neck injury.
Consequently, her highly anticipated clash with the returning Nunes has been postponed until later within the 12 months.
Join the controversy; share your insight. Use the comment button on the underside left to have your say