Preparing for an ultimate comeback to the Octagon, Israel Adesanya appears to be ready for his clash against Nasserine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia. The former two-time UFC middleweight champion has been on a two-fight losing streak and is fighting his first non-title fight since 2019. For the middleweight division, this fight marks the return of the boogeyman, and for Adesanya, it’s an opportunity to prove that he is worthy of regaining his status. Well, ahead of his clash, the former champ has come forward to give his choice for MMA’s Mount Rushmore.

While having a conversation with the media at the pre-fight press conference, the reporters asked the fighters about their choice of the greatest fighters, who have influenced the sport, to which Israel Adesanya stated that it would certainly be Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and more, “Mount Rushmore, I’ll give you, again, Demetrious [Johnson], Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, I’ll say Conor [McGregor] because of the impact he had in the game, and I want to put GSP [Georges St-Pierre] up there as well just cause of the champion he was in and out of the Octagon. But again, that can switch.”

Well, most of the names on the list shouldn’t surprise anyone, but Adesanya later explained that he chose them based on the fact that they had the most impact on him. Later in the conversation, when a reporter asked why he excluded Khabib Nurmagomedov from the list, Adesanya emphasized that Khabib is one of the greatest.

“Khabib, he’s one of the greatest. Yeah, of course. Like I mentioned yesterday, Chuck Liddell and Khabib is another guy who’s one of the greatest of all time. He’s never lost in the game. Even now, as a coach, he’s unreal. I’ve heard he’s crazy in the gym,” said Israel Adesanya.  According to the former champ, he took the decision because of the fact that these fighters have changed the dynamics of the game.

Regardless, when asked about the P4P status of the UFC, Israel quashed every online beef with Jon Jones and chose the heavyweight champion above Islam Makhachev.

Israel Adesanya tunes in with Dana White as he chooses Jon Jones above Islam Makhachev

Israel Adesanya claimed that his MMA Mount Rushmore changes from time to time but what remains constant is his administration for Jon Jones. When a reporter asked the fighter about the P4P debate, Adesanya claimed that every mouth should just confess that Jon Jones is the original P4P goat which cannot be dethroned for now.

“F-ck… Jon Jones walks out of the room, I don’t know. I think Jon Jones is the guy because again, longevity, what I’m saying, longevity. Staying on top for this long, I had a long reign as a champ, and he’s done it now in two weight classes. So, it’ll be hard to deny him as the greatest of all time. But yeah, ask Dana [White]. Dana will tell you,” said Israel Adesanya.

Standing at the #3rd position in the P4P rankings, Jon Jones has always claimed that he is the real P4P king. It must be noted that if Jon Jones defeats Tom Aspinall, then the rankings might change. Regardless, what’s your take on Israel Adesanya’s Mount Rushmore? State your thoughts in the comments below.