DANA WHITE has named his picks for the five greatest fighters in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Mixed martial arts‘ premier promotion celebrates its 30th birthday on November 12 – an incredible milestone considering it wasn’t that long ago that the sport was frowned upon.
GETTYDana White is the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship[/caption]
The 54-year-old has been the face of the promotion for 22 yearsGETTY
GettyWhite ranks Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history[/caption]
Some of the sport’s most iconic and influential figures have come and gone during that time – many of whom have already been honoured with inductions into the Hall of Fame.
White has been at the helm of the UFC ship for 22 of the promotion’s 30-year run and has helped transform them into a global powerhouse with his unique brand of promotion.
The veteran promoter has seen some of the greatest fighters in the brief history of the sport come and go during his reign, so much so he’s struggled to choose the five best combatants to ever compete in the octagon.
During an appearance on the HotBoxin’ with Mike Tyson podcast, the 54-year-old said: “You gotta have Ronda Rousey, know what I mean?
“You gotta have Amanda Nunes, greatest female fighter of all time. There’s just so many, it’s hard to pick five.
“Kamaru Usman has got to be in there, Chuck Liddell in his time, Royce [Gracie] in his era and in his time, it’s hard to just pick five.
“If you look at the different generations, they took the sport to another level.
“Matt Hughes would have to make the list. There’s so many people, it’s tough to pick.”
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White is no stranger to being asked to give his opinion on the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
He told The Schmo in 2020: “I mean if you talk about a Mount Rushmore, where their heads are carved in stone forever, you have to go Royce Gracie, no brainer, you have to do that.
“Amanda Nunes, it has to be Amanda Nunes the greatest female fighter ever.
“The other two are tough. I would have to go with Jon Jones. The guy’s never been beaten.
“What is more amazing about him going undefeated, which is incredibly amazing because very few people do in this sport, is the things he’s done to himself outside the octagon and he still hasn’t been beat.
GETTYDana White ranks the legendary iconic Royce Gracie as one of the greatest of all time[/caption]
“The number four on Mount Rushmore, I guess you have to go with Chuck Liddell.
“At the point in time, he was the biggest star ever.
“It’s almost a coin flip between Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin.”
MMA’s top promotion resumes pay-per-view action next Saturday with UFC 292 in Boston.
The card will be headlined by Aljamain Sterling’s fourth defence of the bantamweight title against fan favourite Sean O’Malley.