George Washington would be horrified if he could see us now. Not because of modern politics or the internet, but because we’ve taken the idea of Mount Rushmore – a respectful homage to great heroes – and used it in a sport where men in board shorts fight each other for fame, money, and the occasional energy drink sponsorship. Welcome to The Mount Rushmore of Who the Fook Are These Guys?
Of course, the phrase itself came from a young Irish poet named Conor McGregor who stepped in front of an audience of UFC fans in 2016 and said, “Who the fook is that guy?” This transformed the sport forever. It wasn’t simply talk. It was a prophecy. Because years later, when MMA fans argue about who should go on their own version of Mount Rushmore, the answer is almost never simple. Every fighter is either overrated, underappreciated, suspended, retired, unretired, or currently running a whiskey brand.
But there is something real behind the memes and chaos. The sport has changed from smokey dojos and VHS recordings to venues all over the world and deals worth billions of dollars. In the middle of the mayhem and the chokes, the real creators of MMA
The Circus That Built the Stage
There is no denying that Conor McGregor has had a lasting impact. He might not be the best fighter ever, but he is the greatest showman. Before his fists did, his mouth sold fights. He was the first person to make MMA popular with the general public. At a dinner party, he made it okay, even cool, to care about cage fighting.
Then came the new wave: the Khamzats, the Paddies, and the Sean O’Malleys. They thrive in the chaos that McGregor made, and even though they may never leave the same legacy, they are part of an extensive tradition of entertainment that keeps MMA alive in the age of algorithms.
When you take away the noise – the trash talk, the press conferences, and the Instagram flexes – you’re left with the question that every fan eventually asks: Who actually belongs on MMA’s Mount Rushmore?
Jon Jones – The Flawed King
Jon Jones is always the first and last name that comes up in talks about MMA greatness. He knows everything there is to know about the cage. The youngest person to ever win a UFC title. The guy who took down legends without even breaking a sweat. He felt like a fighter from the future because of his range, timing, and combat IQ.
But Jones’s story is like something out of Shakespeare’s plays when he’s not in the cage. There have been suspensions, arrests, and scandals throughout his career that make it impossible to celebrate his greatness without a sigh. Even with all the chaos, his accomplishments speak louder than his shortcomings. No matter what you think of him, he will always be on the mountain. Greatness, after all, is rarely clean.
Anderson Silva – The Artist
Where Jones was chaos wrapped in brilliance, Anderson Silva was pure poetry.
Silva was literally untouchable at his best. He moved in a way that seemed scripted, drawing opponents into a trap they couldn’t even see coming. Silva made MMA look like an art form, from his famous front-kick knockout of Vitor Belfort to his win over of Forrest Griffin.
His creativity, not just his power, is what made him genuinely great. He fought like he was making a work of art, taking chances that no one else would. He used the Octagon as his canvas and his opponents as his muse.
Silva’s power lasted even after his long rule came to an end. “The Spider” is a big part of every striker’s style who fights loose, confident, and fluid. His legacy isn’t just the number of wins he had; it’s also the multitude of rivals who wanted to copy his style.
Georges St-Pierre – The Perfect Martial Artist
GSP was a two-division champion and one of the best welterweights ever. He personified the essential values of martial arts: respect, intelligence, and growth. He wasn’t the loudest or most showy fighter, but he was the best all-around fighter ever.
Every fight was a masterclass in preparation. GSP studied his opponents with almost scientific accuracy, coming up with plans that took away their strengths and showed their flaws. His wrestling, striking, and cardio were all top-notch, but his intellectual game was the best.
GSP is different from a lot of previous greats because of how he acted outside the cage. No scandals, no trash talk, and no excuses. He left the sport at the top, came back years later to win another title, and then retired again, this time on his own terms. He was at ease in a sport that was full of mayhem.
Khabib Nurmagomedov – The Unbroken Will
And then there’s Khabib, the immovable force from Dagestan.
Khabib didn’t simply beat people; he ruled them. He was always putting pressure on his opponents, controlling them, and going at a speed that made them give up. It wasn’t fancy, but it was perfect. Khabib hardly ever lost a round, let alone a fight, against top-level opponents.
How he left is what really matters in his legacy. Khabib stepped down at the height of his power, at 29-0, undefeated, and without any challengers. He kept a promise he made to his mother. In doing so, he preserved something rare in combat sports: purity.
He became a symbol of what martial arts used to symbolise: family, faith, and humility.
From Meme to Monument
Certainly, we started with “Who the fook are these guys?”, a line that came from being fearless and bold. But the truth is, these are the guys.
The people who made the sport real. The people who did the work before it was popular. The people who showed that MMA isn’t simply blood and violence; it’s evolution, philosophy, and, at its best, art.
The modern circus of viral callouts and influencer bouts will come and go. But these names? They’re carved deeper than granite.
Even after all the titles, records, and highlight reels, the debate over MMA’s true GOAT still goes on. Greatness isn’t just about wins or belts; it’s about impact, evolution, and how each fighter changed the sport in their own way. Some fans point to GSP’s precision, others to Silva’s creativity, Jones’s dominance, or Khabib’s discipline.
Maybe that’s the point. MMA’s Mount Rushmore isn’t set in stone; it’s rewritten with every new era and every new fighter who dares to chase greatness.
