Georges St-Pierre has named his UFC Mount Rushmore, with Conor McGregor making the cut in his selections.
St-Pierre, former three-time welterweight champion, named five fighters as opposed to the typical four and formed an impressive list when providing his verdict on The Complex Sports Podcast.
Explaining his reasoning for McGregor's inclusion, he said:
"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 most recent UFC bout did not go according to plan at UFC 257 during his rematch with Dustin Poirier.
Despite the disappointment of this loss, the 32-year-old delivered an honest assessment of his performance.
"It’s what I get for picking this bout and opponent as a precursor to a boxing match against Pacman," he said. "I deserved to get the legs kicked off me going in with this thinking. This is not the game to play around with."
St-Pierre's UFC Mount Rushmore was completed by Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Royce Gracie.
Discussing the reasons behind his other picks, the Canadian said:
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
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.”
St-Pierre enjoyed a highly successful career in the sport and was named Canadian Athlete of the Year in 2008, 2009 and for a third time in 2010.
