Does Jon Jones deserve to be featured on the MMA Mount Rushmore? Well, Dana White surely believes that he does. After all, he has greatly hyped the undisputed heavyweight champion as the number 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. However, this has attracted quite a bit of heat towards him. 

You must have been wondering about the opinions of other big guns in the MMA realm. Well, if that’s the case, you have arrived at the right place. The former MMA star Matt Brown has revealed his insights on Jon Jones’ presence in MMA Rushmore during an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports‘ Andrew Whitelaw.

The ES representative pointed out the fire that the UFC CEO has been receiving for naming Jones as a face for Mt Rushmore. While many believed that Jones was indeed a great addition, Brown had just one simple condition. He pointed his fingers at the heavyweight champion’s PED allegations. The former mixed martial artist said, “Okay, so, I’ve seen this question. You know, a lot of people tweeting about their Mt Rushmore. So, you’re referring to Jon Jones. First, okay, if you take away any PED stuff, Jon Jones is obviously number 1. If you wanna factor that in, then it’s a different question.”

The UFC CEO has repeatedly lifted the heavyweight champion up high. According to him, Jones was on an undefeated spree with the single defeat coming from a DQ due to an illegal 12-to-6 elbow. He put forth the numbers that proved Jones’ superiority in the Octagon. On top of that, he is already a champion in two different weight classes in the UFC. Whenever someone says P4P #1, Dana White shouts back ‘Jon Jones’. And that’s exactly what happened during an instance at the Sphere.

While the world bashed the UFC boss for his decision, Jones swooped in to thank White and then defend him. He pointed out that White simply put forth his favorite fighters. But Brown’s opinion was indeed dependent on Jones’ PED troubles. Considering that particular part of the story, Brown dismissed Jon Jones as a worthy fighter to go on top of Mt Rushmore. So, who does the former UFC welterweight fighter put on the mountain? Let’s hear it from him.

Matt Brown snubs Jon Jones for Royce Gracie as a face on MMA Mt. Rushmore

Since Brown was asked about his opinion on the Mt Rushmore faces, he was forced to put ‘Bones’ away from it. Instead, he pulled one of the pioneers of mixed martial arts to the list. He said, “Now, we talk about Mt Rushmore, I look at it completely differently. I look at it as like the icons of the sport. And if you leave Royce Gracie off the list, I think you’re… It’s a ridiculous list, right? Now, if you’re talking about the greats, it’s different. I mean, Royce Gracie, he wasn’t the greatest fighter, right? But there is no question. He should absolutely be on Mount Rushmore. I don’t think that’s even debatable.”

Gracie found his place in the world of mixed martial arts as he garnered all the attention to himself with his BJJ skills during the early ages of UFC. Entering the Hall of Fame in 2003, Gracie became one of the star attractions of the UFC. Apart from Gracie, ‘The Immortal’ named Ronda Rousey as one of the prospects to go up on Mt Rushmore. After all, she was the one who inspired many females into the world of martial arts. 

The third fighter who deserved to go on top of Mt Rushmore was Conor McGregor. It was indeed because of the way the Irish star has changed the world of MMA. And the final face would be that of Chuck Liddell. Brown believed that the sport went through a special period when Liddell competed in the UFC.

Do you agree with Brown’s take? Do you think there should be someone else who needs to go on top of Mt Rushmore? Let us know what you know in the comments down below.