UFC President Dana White’s ‘Mount Rushmore’ includes Jones and Liddell, but there is NO Conor McGregor – The US Sun

DANA WHITE has named the four fighters he believes would be worthy of gracing a UFC version of Mount Rushmore.

The American National Memorial sculpture in the Black Hills region of South Dakota features the carved heads of former Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

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Promoter White was asked which of his past or current stars deserved credit for Rushmore from the UFC.

Speaking on the Schmozone podcast in 2020, he said: “I mean, if you’re talking about a Mount Rushmore where their heads are forever set in stone, you have to go to Royce Gracie, don’t worry, you have to do that.

“Amanda Nunes, it has to be Amanda Nunes, the greatest fighter of all time.

“The other two are tough. I would have to go with Jon Jones. The guy has never been hit.

“What’s even more amazing is that he remains undefeated, which is incredibly amazing because very few people do in this sport are the things he’s done to himself outside of the octagon and he still hasn’t been beaten .

“The number four on Mount Rushmore, I think you have to go with Chuck Liddell. At that point, he was the biggest star of all time.

“It’s almost a coinflip between Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin.”

Gracie was the UFC’s first champion after winning its inaugural tournament in 1993 and became a pioneer of jiu-jitsu in MMA.

Former light heavyweight champion Liddell became the promotion’s leading star a decade later, famed for his knockout power and popularity with fans.

Jones took over as the division’s new king in 2011, while also becoming the UFC’s youngest-ever champion. He has bested all competitors with a mix of unique hitting and dominant wrestling.

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His only official loss was a disqualification to Matt Hamill in 2009, something White ignores.

Jones’ next move is an impending move to heavyweight, having left the light heavyweight belt to move up.

Nunes is the current bantamweight and featherweight queen, with wins over Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, Miesha Tate and Valentina Shevchenko.

White was asked why legendary couple Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre weren’t on his list.

And while acknowledging the tough decision, he replied: “If you look at what Anderson Silva did for Brazil and GSP for Canada, those guys had an impact on a whole country that’s very massive and very strong.”

But what about no Khabib Nurmagomedov with his perfect 29-0 record?

Or what about Conor McGregor, who brought the sport into the mainstream?

Needless to say, some fans weren’t as convinced in the comments of White’s picks.

One said: “An MMA Rushmore without APS? Your opinion is disqualified.”

Another wrote: “I don’t like this list. If he wants to pioneer with Gracie and Liddell, how doesn’t he use McGregor or Rousey? But if he wants to be the greatest of all time, how doesn’t he mention GSP or Silva? two different criteria.

One added, “A casual fan would field a better rushmore of MMA legends than Dana White.”

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