Dana White, predictably, named Jon Jones first as he was asked to list his Mount Rushmore of MMA fighters.
The UFC boss has been around the sport since UFC 30 in February of 2001, and has seen multiple generations of the sport. As such, he is likely one of the best placed to pick 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 currently. But he also has affinity for other fighters, whom he named on his list when asked by ESPN MMA earlier this year.
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Dana White names 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 fashion that “You’ve got to go with Jon Jones.”
Further to Jones, he added: “You’ve got to go with Ronda Rousey because women would not be fighting in the UFC if it were not for her. You would have to put GSP in there as well, and absolutely, positively, Conor McGregor. He elevated and changed the game globally.”
While a list of the best fighters in history would have to include Jones and Georges St-Pierre, it’s clear that White is also taking into account cultural impact. None of the five people who defeated McGregor and Rousey in the UFC are named on the list, despite having great careers.
The Irishman had lost before coming into the promotion, but his big defeats on the main stage have come against Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier, as well as the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Russian lands on most people’s all time great list, although he retired young.
Meanwhile, Rousey was defeated by Holly Holm, a Hall of Fame boxer, and Amanda Nunes. The latter went on to generational success, winning two world titles and defending regularly against all comers, but doesn’t make White’s list.
Notable names are omitted from Dana White’s MMA Mount Rushmore
There are a number of big names that don’t make it on White’s list. For one, Jones is the only fighter who is even slightly active who made the grade, with McGregor out for almost four years and Rousey and St-Pierre long since retired.
He also opted not to include any of his old school favorites such as Chuck Liddell or even Anderson Silva, leading fans on social media to brand him a “casual” in comments. They also repeatedly called for Nurmagomedov’s inclusion.
However, White has previously explained why he doesn’t view the Russian as an all-time great in the same way others do. Back in 2022, he told fans during a GQ segment: “It’s so hard. Obviously he’s talented enough [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 about Jon, it’s hard not to call him the GOAT.
“Believe me when I tell you I’ve tried to convince Khabib to come out of retirement. We’ll see what happens over the next couple of years. But I feel like he left in his prime. I mean, look at what he did to Justin Gaethje right before he retired.”