When discussing the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, many will bring up Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Demetrious Johnson. 

But what do the people who are in the discussion have to say about their peers?

TMZ Sports recently caught up with Anderson Silva in Beverly Hills, CA, asking him for his thoughts on the MMA "GOAT" debate. 

Silva, who had 17 consecutive wins and 10 consecutive title defenses during his reign as UFC middleweight king, gave a clear answer. 

"Demetrious Johnson is the new champion. He's the best one," Silva said. "I have my passion about my sport and I love when people are talking about this, because Demetrious, people need to respect because he's a great fighter. 

“I think Demetrious [is the greatest of all time].”

Johnson, the reigning flyweight champion, broke Silva's UFC record for most consecutive title defenses (11) with a Submission of the Year victory over Ray Borg last October. Johnson's submission came midway through the fifth round in the form of a pop-up slam to armbar that has been dubbed the "Mouse Trap."

You can check out Silva’s full comments below.