No discussion about the greatest fighters in MMA history would be complete without Georges St-Pierre. But who would the former multi-division UFC champion include on his own Mount Rushmore?
We sat down with the BET99.com ambassador in Montreal to get his take, and he led things off with a true OG.
“My number one is Royce Gracie, because I believe he has done things for his time that have never been done,” he said of the legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist.
GSP admitted the sport has evolved considerably since UFC 1, when Gracie first became known to the world, but he believed the Hall of Famer could hold his own against anyone given the same advantages enjoyed by fighters today.
“If you give him the same tools and same technology, maybe he would have done even better,” he said. “Royce Gracie is my inspiration.”
Next up on St-Pierre’s list was a man he was rumored to fight following UFC 223: Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Russian mixed martial artist compiled a perfect 29-0 record during his career and held the UFC Lightweight title for nearly three years from April 2018 to March 2021.
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GSP’s Mount Rushmore also included American flyweight GOAT Demetrius Johnson, whom he called “a perfect fighter,” and Irish sensation Conor McGregor, whom he praised for his popularity and charisma and for “bringing the sport to a bigger audience.”
Although Mount Rushmore only features four figures, St-Pierre couldn’t resist adding a fifth fighter to his list.
“The one guy I would put in a gladiator pit to see who would survive would be Jon Jones,” he said of the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. Jones is presently rehabbing a torn pectoral tendon, but that didn’t stop St-Pierre from daydreaming about a potential showdown between Bones and Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall.
“How would he do with against Tom Aspinall is a big question,” St-Pierre admitted. “It would be interesting if they fight each other: the older generation versus a new generation. But [Jones’] resumé speaks for itself.”
Hungry for more of GSP's takes? Read his UFC 300 picks and predictions ahead of this weekend's heavily-hyped event and learn about the time he nearly fought Floyd Mayweather Jr.
