Robert Whittaker explains why he ranks Ilia Topuria above Jose Aldo

Alexander Volkanovski has put together a string of memorable showings inside the Octagon and will likely need another one to get past Diego Lopes again.

If he’s able to produce his first title defense of his second reign, Volkanovski will tie the record for the most title fight wins at featherweight with eight.

After moving over from WEC, Jose Aldo became the UFC’s first 145-pound champion, where he went on to defend his belt seven times and also claim an interim title.

The top two places in Chris Weidman’s top five greatest featherweights on Friday’s weigh-in show were filled by Aldo and Volkanovski, with the Brazilian just ahead in first place.

“I feel like he has to be at the top of my list, almost tippy top because of the work he did. I understand that [his run was short] but he dismantled great after great and then moved up a weight class and dismantled another great. I feel like you can’t disregard that. I feel like you can’t disregard the fact that he knocked out Volk and Max [Holloway].”

When asked why he believes Volkanovski belongs at #1, Whittaker acknowledged there is some bias in all of his rankings.

Jose Aldo’s record raises questions in Featherweight GOAT debate

Deciding where Ilia Topuria fits into the featherweight GOAT conversation isn’t easy, but as Robert Whittaker pointed out, even in a short run, he did knock off two of the division’s top names.

If there’s one thing that hurts Jose Aldo’s standing in the debate, it’s his record against other fighters in the conversation. While he remains one of the sport’s legends and holds the record for most title defenses at 145 pounds, some key results go against him.

While Aldo does hold records for title defenses and remains a legendary figure in MMA history, there are some blemishes on his resume when it comes to head-to-head matchups with other GOAT candidates.

Aldo never managed to avenge those defeats, which stands out even more when compared to what Volkanovski and Holloway achieved during their respective primes.