Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre has recently created his UFC Mount Rushmore while he appeared on The Complex Sports Podcast (which is available to stream on Apple).St-Pierre is a former three-time champion in the welterweight category, where he was nominated as the Canadian Athlete of the Year in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively.He has also previously held records for most wins in title bouts as well as the second-longest title streak, defending his title an impressive nine consecutive times; so he is very well educated and well placed to make such an impressive list.Before jumping into St-Pierre's picks, it is worth noting that he selected five fighters rather than the typical four presidents on the real Mount Rushmore, but as it's St-Pierre, we can let him off.Here's who he picked to place on the Mount Rushmore and why he selected them.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
“If you ask me who was the most dominating champion ever, then it’s Khabib Nurmagomedov, because he was undefeated, he probably never lost a round.”
Nurmagomedov’s record: 29-0
Jon Jones
“Faced the most adversity, I got to say Jon Jones is there too.”
Jones’ record: 26-1-1
Anderson Silva
“Who has the most flamboyance? I think Anderson Silva because he had some crazy highlight reels.”
Silva’s Record: 34-11-1
Conor McGregor
"Who has the biggest draw in terms of who raised the bar in terms of pay-per-views and awareness for the sport? Conor McGregor.”
McGregor’s Record: 22-5
Royce Gracie
“Now I am going to go for my personal one. Who changed the game, who was the first one and did something that had never been done before? I think it’s Royce Gracie.”
Gracie’s Record: 15-2-3
Summary
A nice mix of different types of UFC fighters, from the Brazilian flair of Anderson Silva, to the clinical ruthlessness of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Imagine a five-way tournament between these five incredible fighters; the promoters would be having a field-day!
These incredible athletes, I believe, also show a true reflection of the type of characters that occur within the sport. I wonder what Dana White would say about commissioning a UFC Mount Rushmore?