While Justin Gaethje has shared the octagon with the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, ‘The Highlight’ does not have the Dagestani on his MMA GOAT list.
During a recent appearance on the One Night with Stiney podcast, Gaethje was asked to name his MMA Mount Rushmore. While the reigning lightweight champion did reveal his GOAT list, he named not four but five fighters. Gaethje said:
“Mount Rushmore? Oh, that’s such a hard question. How many people do I get? Four? F**k that. Why not six? I can make my own Mount Rushmore. So, Royce Gracie, Anderson Silva, GSP, Jon Jones, obviously.”
However, when the host asked Gaethje whether Nurmagomedov was on his list, he dismissed the idea before naming the fifth and final fighter:
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“No. Not mine, Chuck Liddell. I think that’s it.”
Check out Justin Gaethje’s MMA GOAT list below:
Know the five fighters in Justin Gaethje’s GOAT list
Justin Gaethje’s GOAT list consists of a veritable who’s who of the sport, from pioneering legends to multi-era dominant champions. Meet the five fighters who made the lightweight champion’s list.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu maestro Royce Gracie is arguably one of the most influential figures in MMA. Gracie won three Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments, all during the promotion’s early days when they were open-weight, multi-fight events held in a single night with few rules.
Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva enjoyed one of the most dominant reigns in MMA history, putting together a 16-fight winning streak in the UFC from 2006 to 2012. Silva is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers to have ever competed in the sport.
Former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre is widely regarded as one of the finest ambassadors of the sport and one of the most complete MMA fighters of all time.
Interestingly, the Canadian avenged both the losses he suffered during his career and holds wins over the likes of B.J. Penn, Michael Bisping, Carlos Condit, and Nick Diaz, among others.
Former two-division champion Jon Jones is regarded by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. The youngest champion in the history of the sport, ‘Bones’ claimed his maiden UFC title with a third-round TKO victory over Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua in 2011.
Impressively, Jones’ most recent title fight win came at heavyweight against Stipe Miocic in 2024. He holds wins over multiple bona fide legends of the sport, including Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson, Vitor Belfort, Rashad Evans, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, and Lyoto Machida, among others.
Chuck Liddell, ‘The Iceman’, is among the fighters who helped catapult MMA into the global spectacle it is today. A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Liddell became one of the sport’s biggest stars thanks to his explosive striking and devastating knockout power.
During his legendary run, he strung together seven consecutive wins, all by knockout. His exciting fighting style and larger-than-life personality also helped propel MMA into the mainstream.
Edited by Ujwal Jain
