Dana White predictably named Jon Jones first when asked to name his Mount Rushmore of MMA fighters.
The UFC boss has been in the sport since UFC 30 in February 2001 and has seen multiple generations of the sport. As such, he is probably one of the best placed to make a list of the best and most impactful MMA fighters in history.
He is infamous for his insistence that Jones is the greatest fighter, pound for pound, of all time and even right now. But he also has an affinity for other fighters, which he mentioned on his list earlier this year when asked by ESPN MMA.
Dana White calls his MMA Mount Rushmore
During a segment as part of the promotion for UFC 306, which won Bloody Elbow's Event of the Year for 2024, Dana White was asked to name his Mount Rushmore of MMA fighters. He told ESPN in a jokingly intense manner, “You have to go with Jon Jones.”
Commenting on Jones, he added: “You have to pick Ronda Rousey because without her women wouldn't fight in the UFC. You should put GSP in there too, and absolutely, positively, Conor McGregor. He has elevated and changed the game worldwide.”
While Jones and Georges St-Pierre should be on a list of the best fighters in history, it's clear White is also considering the cultural impact. None of the five people who defeated McGregor and Rousey in the UFC are on the list, despite having great careers.
The Irishman had lost before joining the promotion, but his big defeats on the main stage came against Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier, as well as the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Russian is on most people's all-time top lists, even though he retired young.
Meanwhile, Rousey was defeated by Holly Holm, a Hall of Fame boxer, and Amanda Nunes. The latter enjoyed generational success, winning two world titles and regularly defending against everyone, but is not on White's list.
Notable names left out of Dana White's MMA Mount Rushmore
There are some big names that are not on the White list. First off, Jones is the only fighter even remotely active who has made it, with McGregor out for almost four years and Rousey and St-Pierre long retired.
He also opted not to include any of his old school favorites like Chuck Liddell or even Anderson Silva, leading fans on social media to label him a “casual” in the comments. They also repeatedly called for Nurmagomedov's capture.
However, White has previously explained why he doesn't consider the Russian an all-time great in the same way as others. In 2022, he told fans during a GQ segment: “It's so hard. It's clear he has plenty of talent [to be in the GOAT discussion.
“Who knows what he could accomplish, but he retired too early. I mean, Jon Jones is probably going to fight at heavyweight this year [he did and is still the champion of the division]. Whatever you think of Jon, it's hard not to call him the GOAT.
“Believe me when I tell you that I tried to convince Khabib to retire. We'll see what happens over the next few years. But I feel like he left on his best. I mean, look what he did to Justin Gaethje right before he retired.”
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