McGregor in elite group of four as UFC boss White names his MMA Mt Rushmore

Dana White has become the latest combat sports figure to hop on the Mount Rushmore trend, with Conor McGregor making the MMA cut.

White became president of the leading mixed martial arts promotion, UFC, in 2001 and has seen countless fighters step into the octagon in the preceding decades.

Some lasted only a handful of fights, while others went on to enjoy Hall of Fame careers with lengthy title runs or championships in multiple weight divisions.

But only a select few have had impacts that transcended the octagon.

The Mt Rushmore trend involves MMA figures picking their top four fighters, with some choosing based on their overall impact in the sport while others went for their fighting ability.

Based on the four names White picked, it is fair to say his selections were based on their impact rather than ability, although they all were – well, with the exception of one, who still is – tremendous fighters at the peak of their powers.

Given his continual defence of him when it comes to who is the UFC‘s pound-for-pound king, it is no surprise White selected Jon Jones first.

Jones is the UFC heavyweight champion but has not fought since March last year and remains intent on defending his title against Stipe Miocic despite Aspinall’s interim champ status.

Next on White’s Mt Rushmore is female MMA icon Ronda Rousey.

“You have to go with Ronda Rousey,” White told ESPN.

“Women would not be fighting in the UFC if it wasn’t for her.”

Rousey is widely considered a pioneer in women’s MMA and even fought in front of over 56,000 fans at UFC 193 where she was the headline bout.

Georges St-Pierre also earns a mention from White, as does McGregor, who he believed ‘absolutely, positively’ deserved a spot on his Mt Rushmore.

“He accelerated and changed the game globally,” White said.

It’s hard to argue with White’s verdict on McGregor, especially since the Irishman accounts for eight of the UFC’s ten best-selling pay-per-views (PPV) of all time.

3

Although McGregor remains on the UFC roster, he has not fought since he snapped his tibia in his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

He was expected to make his return at UFC 303 in June this year against Michael Chandler but was forced to withdraw due to a broken pinky toe.

White’s Mt Rushmore choices aren’t too dissimilar from those of UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping.

The former UFC middleweight champ also named McGregor and gave Rousey an ‘honourable mention’.

His two other picks consisted of Royce Gracie, who fought in the very first UFC card back in 1993, and Fedor Emelianenko, who never fought in the UFC but is regarded as one of the greatest MMA athletes of all time.

3

Interim heavyweight champ Aspinall was another who played around with his Mt Rushmore.

Like White, Aspinall named St-Pierre and Jones, despite calling out the latter on numerous occasions.

Aspinall also opted for Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired with an unblemished 29-0 record.

Although a fan of Khabib, White had no room for him in his list.

The Brit also named Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson, a legendary flyweight that retired last Saturday.