UFC superstar Conor McGregor made history at UFC 205 by capturing the UFC Lightweight world title, making him the only fighter in UFC history to hold two titles in different divisions simultaneously. The craziest part about that feat? He defeated Eddie Alvarez like it was a walk in the park.
Conor McGregor is a special talent as well as an amazing fighter, that makes no doubt. McGregor’s stock, popularity and influence are currently at an all-time high. It is thus easy for observers to get a tad bit carried away and proclaim he’s the best thing since sliced bread. Well, spoiler: he’s not. He’s not even the current best fighter in the world, pound-for-pound. And that’s fine!
The Irishman still has a lot of room for progress. Let’s have a look at 3 fighters Conor McGregor has yet to surpass when it comes to pound-for-pound rankings.
3) Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious Johnson is the first and only UFC Flyweight champ. He is only 30-year-old, yet he has already defended his title a whopping 8 times in a deep division. UFC commentator Joe Rogan considers him the most well-rounded fighter in the UFC roster today and I would tend to agree with him. If you’re a technique freak and looking over a special talent to watch perform inside the Octagon then look no further than Demetrious Johnson.
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2) Jon Jones
Jon ‘Bones’ Jones is a special fighter. Jones is the youngest champ in UFC history; he won the Light Heavyweight title at just 23 years of age by utterly dismantling MMA legend Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and has defended it 8 times since then. Jones has beaten a plethora of great fighters including ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier. If you don’t take into account his 2009 ‘loss’ against Matt Hamill Jon Jones has yet to lose in his pro MMA career.
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1) Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz is the former UFC Bantamweight champion of the world and the former WEC Bantamweight champ. The thing about Cruz is, he is a revolutionary fighter. Often called the ‘Mayweather of MMA’ by fans because of his mind-blowing striking defense skills, Cruz exhibits such elite and original striking that even world-class fighters are outright puzzled by it. And he’s a wrestler to begin with.
Cruz has only suffered defeat twice; once at the hands of Urijah Faber, though he avenged that loss twice, and once to the newly crowned champion, Cody Garbrandt. The most amazing part about Cruz’s career? He accomplished all those things while having gone through multiple knee injuries that would likely have been career-ending for most fighters. Yet he came back stronger, every time.
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