Dana White unveiled his UFC ‘Mount Rushmore,’ with Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov conspicuously absent from the list.
During an appearance on an edition of The Schmozone podcast two years ago, the UFC president discussed the top four MMA fighters in history.
White also discussed his issues with DAZN and The Athletic.
And the Schmo asked White, who has been in command of the UFC for the better part of two decades, which of the UFC’s past or present stars deserved to be immortalized on a UFC Mount Rushmore.
The famous MMA promoter chose Royce Gracie, Jon Jones, Chuck Liddell, and Amanda Nunes.
However, he confessed that it was a tie between Liddell and Forrest Griffin.
“I mean if you talk about a Mount Rushmore, where their heads are carved in stone forever, you have to go Royce Gracie, no brainer, you have to do that.
“Amanda Nunes, it has to be Amanda Nunes the greatest female fighter ever.
“The other two are tough. I would have to go with Jon Jones. The guy’s never been beaten.
“What is more amazing about him going undefeated, which is incredibly amazing because very few people do it in this sport, is the things he’s done to himself outside the octagon and he still hasn’t been beat.
“Believe me, I have battled to get that thing overturned, and it’s almost impossible to do.”
“Jake Paul is looking to fight somebody, fight Anderson Silva,” – Dana White on the Jake Paul topic
McGregor and Nurmagomedov weren’t the only notable omissions, with Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre being ignored despite competing for the top spot in the official pound-for-pound rankings.
Silva, 42, recently chastised the UFC for its treatment of competitors, alleging that the organization tries to “use you and then kick you out.”
On the other hand, White argues that he has no idea where any of this is coming from and that nothing could be further from the truth.
“Anderson Silva, what the f*** is Anderson Silva talking about?” he remarked at the UFC 274 news conference.
“When have any of you ever heard me talk negative, except for the fight in Abu Dhabi, about Anderson Silva? Never. I’ve never talked bad about Anderson Silva.
“Not only that, we let the guy fight through his contract, he lost seven of his last eight, or eight of his last nine fight, and always treated him with – I don’t know where the hell this is coming from, from him that then I started trying to make is so he couldn’t make money after.
“I said, ‘Jake Paul is looking to fight somebody, fight Anderson Silva, that guy’s out there, he’s available, he’s 47 years old.’ It’s baffling to me.”
