Former UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva included one of the most unstoppable forces in his MMA Mount Rushmore.
In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, Silva, who’s widely considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, had a slightly different take when debating the four greatest fighters of all time.
The likes of Royce Gracie, Fedor Emelianenko, and Chuck Liddell tend to make most people’s lists due to their impact and accolades in the sport and while one of those names made Silva’s cut, he included three others that he thinks have changed the game.
Check out Silva’s MMA Mount Rushmore in the list below.
B.J. Penn
“Well, there are lots of different fighters I respect, but if we’re talking about the best, I would say B.J. Penn,” Silva said. “What the guy did, he’s amazing, what he did for the sport.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov
“Khabib, Khabib is a beast, he’s so amazing,” Silva said. “He changed, how you say, his wrestling, his pressure, how he fight, he changed the game.”
Royce Gracie
“I would also say Royce Gracie – he started everything,” Silva said. “Without him there would be nothing. None of this, no UFC, nothing.”
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
My best friend ‘Minotauro’ as well,” Silva said. “He’s my master. He gave me my black belt in jiu-jitsu.”