ESPN just named its Top 10 men’s MMA fighters of the 21st century.
Not surprisingly, reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was No. 1, followed by former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre (No. 2) and ex-middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva (No. 3). It’s worth noting that both Jones and Silva were popped for performance-enhancing drugs during their respective careers while St-Pierre remained squeaky clean.
Must have been one of those Canadian loopholes.
One glaring omission is former UFC two-division titleholder Conor McGregor. While “Notorious” certainly has the star power — and box office draw — to make him one of the most celebrated fighters of his generation, his record inside the Octagon over the last several years is nothing to brag about. McGregor, who recently turned 36, is just 1-3 at lightweight and coming off back-to-back losses to longtime rival Dustin Poirier.
Here’s the Top 10 MMA fighters of the 21st century, according to ESPN:
1. Jon Jones
2. Georges St-Pierre
3. Anderson Silva
4. Demetrious Johnson
5. Khabib Nurmagomedov
6. Fedor Emelianenko
7. Randy Couture
8. Chuck Liddell
9. BJ Penn
10. Kamaru Usman
Expect that list to ruffle a few feathers.
Former PRIDE FC heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko, is the only fighter among the Top 10 to never compete for UFC. Probably because Va-Dummy dropped the ball when it came time to put pen to paper. As for the rest of the lineup, only Jones (No. 1) and Usman (No. 10) are still competing inside the Octagon and as of this writing, are currently awaiting their next assignment.