July 18, 2024; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship introduces Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The final day of the RNC featured a keynote address by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Mandatory Credit: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY

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Dana White Reveals His Greatest Welterweight Of All Time Pick; And Fans Can’t Believe It’s Not GSP!

The welterweight division has produced some of the UFC’s most legendary champions. Georges St-Pierre dominated the weight class for over six years with nine title defenses. Matt Hughes built a Hall of Fame career crushing opponents with his wrestling. Robbie Lawler won fans over with his violent wars and championship heart. More recently, fighters like Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards, and Belal Muhammad have carried the torch forward. The 170-pound division consistently delivers incredible talent and memorable fights across every era. Most fans consider GSP the clear welterweight GOAT given his record-breaking title reign and technical brilliance. But Dana White apparently disagrees with that consensus.

During recent behind-the-scenes footage for the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, Dana White reveals his greatest welterweight of all time pick, and fans can’t believe it’s not GSP.

Dana White Makes A Case For Kamaru Usman Over GSP

The UFC president shocked everyone by naming Kamaru Usman (21-4) as the division’s GOAT instead of Georges St-Pierre. White even said he would debate anyone who disagreed with his controversial opinion. It’s a bold take considering GSP’s legendary status, and the statement immediately sparked heated discussions across social media about welterweight rankings.

“You heard all the things that I said about you with your ’30 percent’ comment, and now I’m sitting here today, and I’ll fuc***g whoever wants to debate it with me, that you [Usman] are the greatest welterweight of all-time.”

The “30 percent” comment White referenced goes back to when Usman was rising through the welterweight ranks. After a pretty underwhelming performance, Usman claimed he was only operating at 30 percent capacity. That statement rubbed White the wrong way at the time and led to one of his famous public tirades against the Nigerian fighter.

But clearly White’s opinion changed dramatically once Usman captured the welterweight title and went on his dominant championship run. Usman defended the belt five times against elite competition including Jorge Masvidal twice and Colby Covington twice in some of the promotion’s most memorable fights.

Why Georges St-Pierre Still Has The Stronger Argument

Despite Dana White’s passionate defense of Kamaru Usman, the numbers favor Georges St-Pierre pretty significantly. GSP holds the record for most welterweight title defenses with nine, which is nearly double what Usman accomplished. St-Pierre’s reign lasted over six years and he defeated legends like Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Josh Koscheck, and Carlos Condit.

Georges St. Pierre
-Never ducked anyone
-Faced the toughest competition in his division
-Dominated people with wrestling
-Made wrestling entertaining
-Could adapt to any fighting style
-Won the title at middleweight while being at a size disadvantage

Truly the MMA GOAT pic.twitter.com/IznxttkZiQ
— Dima (@dimathepetrfan) June 21, 2025

His technical mastery of both striking and wrestling revolutionized the sport and influenced an entire generation of fighters. GSP also retired as champion and returned years later to win the middleweight title, proving his greatness transcended weight classes.

Dana White’s opinion about Kamaru Usman being the welterweight GOAT won’t change the consensus among most MMA fans and analysts. Georges St-Pierre’s combination of longevity, dominance and technical brilliance gives him the edge in virtually every meaningful category. But White isn’t completely wrong to praise Usman’s accomplishments either. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ delivered incredible performances against elite competition during his reign. The welterweight division’s rich history means these debates will continue forever, and that, maybe, is a good thing for the sport!

(Image Credit: Jasper Colt – Imagn Images)

Dana White

Georges St-Pierre

Kamaru Usman

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!