As UFC 306 headliners Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili look to etch their names alongside MMA greats, at what’s sure to be a jam-packed UFC 306 main event at the Sphere in Las Vegas, president Dana White wanted to remind folks who he has sat atop the mountain.
White appeared on ESPN’s First Take on Monday ahead of UFC 306 (also known as Noche UFC) on Saturday and revealed his Mount Rushmore of fighters which consisted of Canadian Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor.
St-Pierre, a Montreal native, is undoubtedly the greatest fighter to compete in the UFC from north of the border. During his nearly two-decade career in MMA, “GSP” amassed a 26-2 record while becoming just the fourth fighter in UFC history to win titles in multiple divisions.
He won the welterweight championship on three occasions (once as an interim title) before retiring as the belt-holder in 2013. He would then make his return in 2017 and defeat Michael Bisping via submission to capture the Middleweight title before retiring again weeks later.
Meanwhile, White has never been shy in his praise of Jones. He often refers to the reigning heavyweight champ as the pound-for-pound best fighter both currently and all-time.
Amongst his accomplishments under the banner, Jones was the youngest champion in UFC history at age 23 and holds the record for most wins, title defences and longest win streak in light heavyweight history.
He terrorized the 205-pound division for most of his career, holding the division title from 2011-15 and then again from 2018-20, as well as holding the interim title in 2016.
Following a three-year hiatus from MMA, the 37-year-old made his return to the octagon in 2023, defeating then-champion Ciryl Gane to claim the heavyweight belt for the first time in his career. He know holds a 27-1 record all-time.
Rousey, the UFC’s inaugural bantamweight champion, also made White’s list. And there’s little to dispute with that selection considering she was the first female fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, previously holding the record for most title defences (6) by a female as well.
Since retiring from MMA in 2016, she has transitioned into WWE. “Rowdy” made her pro wrestling debut with the promotion in 2018 and has held world titles on three occasions. She is the only woman to be a champion in both the UFC and WWE and also the lone woman to headline a pay-per-view event for both companies.
McGregor is a fighter White credited as someone who “elevated and changed the game globally” when including the Irishman on his list.
The former two-division champion was known not only for his blockbuster skills but his undeniable ability to draw a crowd, having headlined the five highest-selling UFC pay-per-view events all-time. His fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov drew 2.4 million PPV buys, the most ever for an MMA event.
Aside from his antics, his accolades as a fighter were also impressive. He was the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes (featherweight and lightweight) simultaneously. He holds a 22-6 record as a pro with 19 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Of the four fighters listed by White, only two remain active currently… sort of. Jones was set to take on former heavyweight title holder Stipe Miocic in Nov. 2023 but had to bow out due to an injury.
McGregor was set to fight Michael Chandler back in June in what many expected to be the fight of the year, but he too got hurt while in training camp and the bout was cancelled.
Neither has had a re-scheduled or new fight announced since.
While fans wait for Jones and McGregor to make their much-anticipated returns to a UFC cage, they can still enjoy UFC 306 at the Sphere, which White says will be “where sports and entertainment truly come together for the first time ever,” per First Take.
Aside from bantamweight champion O’Malley defending his belt against No. 1 contender Dvalishvili, the co-main will also feature a title fight. Women’s flyweight champ Alexa Grasso will be taking on top-ranked contender Valentia Shevchenko.
