If Patricio Pitbull wins third belt is he the new MMA GOAT?

Michael Jordan. Tom Brady. Lionel Messi. Wayne Gretzky. Muhammad Ali.

The greatest of all time is what those athletes are in their respective sports due to the accolades accomplished throughout their careers and the impact that still affects current and incoming generations. Patricio Pitbull (35-5) has his sights on making history by being crowned a third championship title in three different weight divisions if he defeats the bantamweight champ, Sergio Pettis (22-5).

The former double champ and current featherweight champ will be cutting the most weight in his career by trying to make 135 pounds for the first time. He typically fights at featherweight and lightweight and is known to be the utmost professional by making weight. And he proved that trend continues when he came under the 135-pound limit on Thursday.

If Pitbull does become the first triple champion in any major MMA promotion, does that make him the current MMA GOAT?

The feat if reached would be a phenomenal accomplishment that will have eyes on him, but the answer is simply no on MMA GOAT status. Respectfully, even if he goes on to compete in another division and win a fourth belt what holds him back is the name recognition in his competition and how he is defeating these opponents.

It would be correct to say that Pitbull would solidify his name as the Bellator MMA GOAT if he has the bantamweight championship around his waist this Friday night. In his eight title defenses at bantamweight and lone championship win in lightweight, the most renowned names he has defeated are- Michael Chandler and AJ KcKee. In another promotion where he would have fought and possibly defeated marquee names like Alex Volkanovksi, Max Holloway, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, and Yair Rodriguez then there's an argument to be had, but even then it's a stretch to even name him as the greatest featherweight of all time.

Pitbull is an outstanding fighter who strives for new challenges to reach history and will have his name ingrained in MMA forever, but to accomplish MMA GOAT stature Bellator would have had to and must pursue high-caliber fighters who are known to the MMA masses that can challenge. One of the main reasons he is cutting an extra 10 pounds and taking on this challenge is because of the weight the name Sergio Pettis holds. If the bantamweight champion were to be someone that was an up-and-coming prospect with little to no name recognition yet, Pitbull challenging for the belt wouldn't be in his plans.

Bellator 297: Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero takes place on Friday, June 16, 2023, live from Wintrust Arean in Chicago, IL. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.