Anderson Silva Reveals His MMA Mount Rushmore: Khabib Nurmagomedov and BJ Penn Make the List

Published 07/24/2021, 11:16 PM EDT

The UFC is the world’s most popular MMA platform. The main reason for that is the plethora of outstanding fighters that have competed for the company. One such UFC legend is Anderson Silva, ‘The Spider’, a former UFC middleweight champion, holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days.

Silva along with Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, and Khabib Nurmagomedov is considered one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time. During a recent interview with Give Me Sport, they asked the fighter to name his UFC’s Mount Rushmore.

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Therefore, it was interesting to hear the former UFC champion’s views on his UFC’s Mt. Rushmore. He said, “Well, there’s lots of different fighters I respect, but if we’re talking about the best, I would say BJ Penn. What the guy did, he’s amazing, what he did for the sport.”

“Khabib, Khabib is a beast, he’s so amazing. He changed, how you say, his wrestling, his pressure, how he fights, he changed the game.”

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“I would also say Royce Gracie – he started everything. Without him, there would be nothing. None of this, no UFC, nothing. My best friend ‘Minotauro’ as well. He’s my master. He gave me my black belt in jiu-jitsu.”

It surprised many people that Silva did not include the likes of Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones. However, ‘The Spider’ clearly believes that fighters like B. J. Penn and Nurmagomedov have done more to deserve a spot on his Mt. Rushmore.

What’s next for Anderson Silva?

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Anderson Silva recently returned to action for the first time since his UFC Vegas 12 loss to Uriah Hall. The fighter competed against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 19, 2021, in a boxing match. In what was Silva’s first boxing match after 16 years, ‘The Spider’ won the bout via Split decision.

Ever since then, many people have been speculating as to what the fighter does next. After his last fight, Silva had said that he would love to return to action soon. Hence, we might see the MMA legend compete in another boxing match before the end of the year.

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What is your UFC Mount Rushmore? What do you make of Silva’s Mount Rushmore? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Paras Pande is a UFC author at EssentiallySports who is pursuing his graduation in Journalism and Mass Communication. An ardent follower of the UFC, he has been covering the sport for 2 years now. Before joining the team at EssentiallySports, Paras gained expertise as an MMA writer whilst working with Sportskeeda.

Anderson Silva Reveals His MMA Mount Rushmore: Khabib Nurmagomedov and BJ Penn Make the List

What’s next for Anderson Silva?

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