UFC 144 Fight Card: Where Does Frankie Edgar Rank Among the Lightweight Greats?

Frankie Edgar makes a solid case for being the greatest lightweight of all time.

Before Edgar defends his championship against Benson Henderson at UFC 144 tonight, one must consider how good of a champion Edgar really is.

Edgar has beaten a who's who in the lightweight division, but has he done enough to be considered as the greatest lightweight in the history of MMA?

These are the greatest lightweights in the history of the sport.

5. Shinya Aoki

Notable Victories: Joachim Hansen (twice), Gesias Cavalcante, Eddie Alvarez, Caol Uno, Mizuto Hirota and George Sotiropoulos

Record: 30-5

Shinya Aoki is one of the greatest jiu-jitsu practitioners in MMA history.

If he gets a hold of you on the ground, it's tap or snap. He has 18 submission victories in his career, and he's wowed fans with his brilliant submission skills.

Even though he didn't fight in the UFC, when you consider the greatest lightweights of all time, Aoki has to be in the conversation.

4. Jens Pulver

Notable wins: Joe Stevenson, Caol Uno, B.J. Penn, Dennis Hallman

Record: 25-16

Jens Pulver was a pioneer for the UFC's lightweight division. He was the UFC's first-ever lightweight champion, and for a smaller guy, he had dynamite in his hands.

In fact, 14 of his 25 career wins have come by way of KO or TKO. Pulver's most impressive victory has to be his decision victory over B.J. Penn in their first fight back in 2002.

As he got older, he moved on to fight at featherweight in the WEC, where he had the company's biggest fight of all time against Urjiah Faber.

3. Takanori Gomi

Notable wins: Jens Pulver, Charles Bennett, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Hayato Sakurai, Marcus Aurelio

Record: 32-8

Takanori Gomi is legendary for his fights in PRIDE.

His highlight-reel knockouts are some of the best in MMA history, and there was a point in time that the MMA community disputed over whether B.J. Penn or Gomi was the greatest lightweight in the world.

While Penn ultimately put those debates to rest, Gomi will always be remembered for his knockout power that he displayed in PRIDE.

2. B.J. Penn

Notable wins: Caol Uno, Takanori Gomi, Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson, Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian

Record: 16-8

B.J. Penn will always be a crowd favorite for the way he fought in the UFC.

All Penn did was "scrap," and he scrapped his way to the top and beat the best of the best to get there.

Penn's legacy will be remembered for fighting bigger opponents such as Georges St-Pierre and Lyoto Machida, and ruling the lightweight division with an iron fist until Frankie Edgar came along.

Penn is a legend of the sport, and he will always be considered as one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the Octagon.

1. Frankie Edgar

Notable wins: B.J. Penn (twice), Gray Maynard, Tyson Griffin, Hermes Franca, Sean Sherk

Record: 14-1-1

Let's look at the facts.

Frankie Edgar has just as many title defenses as B.J. Penn with three, and he's beaten him twice in his MMA career. So how can this guy not be considered as the greatest lightweight in the history of the sport?

Not only did he run through opponents like Penn and Sean Sherk, but he'll always be remembered for the heart he displayed in his comeback performances against Gray Maynard.

Just look at this video that UFC president Dana White tweeted the other day, and it captures his most recent performance perfectly.

Face the facts: Edgar is the greatest lightweight of all time.