It's the biggest debate in sport: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi.

It seems as though everything has been tried over the years to separate football's biggest names from individual trophies, international performances, goal-scoring rates and so much more.

But don't worry, we know exactly what you're thinking: what if Messi and Ronaldo just sorted it out the old fashioned way and went hell for leather in a cage? Wait, what?

Ok, ok, so perhaps that's not the answer to deciding the GOAT (greatest of all-time), but it clearly crossed the mind of the team at Bleacher Report regardless.

That's because they've been looking into hilarious ways to pit Ronaldo and Messi up against one another, calling upon the UFC for their latest clash of the superstars.

Ronaldo vs Messi... in UFC?

The idea of Dana White putting two footballing legends into a cage together is certainly hysterical but - spoiler alert - it's simply never going to happen.

That doesn't mean we can't settle for the next best thing, though, and that's creating near replicas of both players on EA Sports UFC.

And Bleacher Report have done a fantastic job with both Ronaldo and Messi looking uncannily like their real counterparts as they made their ring walks in full UFC gear.

Who would emerge victorious in the cage?

Presumably, the match was then allowed to play out as a simulation and while you would expect Ronaldo to emerge victorious with his stronger physic, you'd be mistaken.

Messi quickly tried to find his range with that lethal left foot, landing a headkick within the opening seconds and also exposing Ronaldo's defensive flaws with a series of combinations.

The Barcelona star eventually edged the first round and just as Ronaldo started to creep his way back into the fight, the Portuguese went crashing to the canvas from Messi's right foot.

Somewhere in the world, Pele is having to revise those weak foot comments...

Messi wins by third-round TKO

Nevertheless, Ronaldo got back to his feet and managed to avoid a submission defeat when Messi knocked him down again just seconds later. He saw out the round with a clinch.

But even a few minutes on the stool couldn't allow Ronaldo to regain his composure and after hitting the canvas from a Messi one-two, the referee waved off the fight as a technical knockout.

Celebrating his victory, Messi raised one finger in the air to demonstrate his number one status.

So, there you have it, definitive and unarguable proof that Messi is the best footballer in history... by way of knocking Ronaldo out cold on a video game. 

Ok sure, it's only a bit of fun, but let it serve as a demonstration that Messi vs Ronaldo is so tough to answer that only silly methods give anything in the way of a clear answer.