UFC legend Conor McGregor has no room for Jon Jones or Georges St-Pierre on his ‘MMA Mount Rushmore’.
‘Notorious’ was the latest person tasked with creating his own ‘Mount Rushmore’, naming the four most important figures in the history of his sport.
McGregor hasn’t fought in years – but he’s still the biggest combat sports starZuffa LLC via Getty
UFC president Dana White recently picked McGregor, Jones, St-Pierre and Ronda Rousey as the four faces most worthy of being carved into the side of a mountain – like U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in South Dakota.
Speaking to The Schmo, McGregor agreed with two of those – himself and Rousey – but completed the set with Royce Gracie and Chuck Liddell.
Gracie was the winner of UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4 back in the nineties and popularised Brazilian jiu-jitsu, revolutionising the way MMA was contested and becoming the first inductee to the UFC Hall of Fame.
Liddell, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, is another Hall of Famer, widely credited for bring MMA into the American mainstream in the early 2000s.
As for McGregor and Rousey, they are arguably the two most famous UFC fighters in history.
Global superstar Rousey was part of the company’s first female fight at UFC 157 and successfully defended her bantamweight title six times.
McGregor, meanwhile, was the UFC’s first-ever dual-weight champion and transcended the sport with his unique character.
Despite being inactive due to injury since 2021, the Irishman has been involved in all five of the UFC’s highest-grossing fights, as well as eight of the top ten.
Meanwhile, McGregor also disagreed with White when asked to name his top pound-for-pound UFC fighter in the world right now.
White has previously said that anybody who does not believe heavyweight champion Jones is the pound-for-pound king knows ‘nothing about fighting’.
Jones has held the proper heavyweight title since March 2023 – but he hasn’t defended it due to a serious injuryAFP
But McGregor thinks light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has moved in front, following a stunning 2024 most recently capped off with a brutal win over Khalil Rountree Jr.
McGregor said: “2024 has been Alex Pereira’s year, and no one can deny that.
“If we go by competition alone – forget belts – he’s had four fights this year and four knockouts.
“His most impressive one was the most recent. I’d put Alex as number one.”
Ex-middleweight champion Pereira could become the UFC’s first ever three-weight champion if he fights Jones in the near future.
And McGregor admits that is the bout he wants to see most.
The 36-year-old added: “That’s a dangerous style for Jon, but it’s a decent matchup because Alex isn’t so big.
“Jon is new to the heavyweight division. He had a nice win against Ciryl Gane, but he’s still untested at heavyweight.
“I’m sure, in the back of his mind, Jon knows some of these guys are big.
“Alex is a solid matchup, but still a dangerous one. At its core, it’s probably even more dangerous.
“I’d be very excited to see that bout take place, for sure.”
