Former UFC welterweight title contender and current MMA analyst Dan Hardy recently shared his personal Mt. Rushmore of European MMA.
Hardy is one of the best European-born-and-trained MMA fighters of all time, and someone who is highly respected in the fight game, so his list is certainly worth taking a closer look at. Hardy spoke to MMAMania.com’s Shakiel Mahjouri in a recent interview about the fighters who he would put at the top of his Mt. Rushmore. Check out his comments below.
“Oh, wow. Are we saying European, so including Russia? You’ll need to have Fedor (Emelianenko) on there. It would also be very difficult not to put Khabib up there after what he’s done. You’ve got to think McGregor would be on there as well. I would have to say probably Michael Bisping, maybe? Alexander Gustafsson is a good shout, but I would say Michael Bisping probably for his overall impact in the sport and the time invested in the UFC. That’s a good question though. I’m only limited to four, I could add a few more to it,” Hardy said.
“There are a lot of people I’d prioritize over me. The likes of Ian Freeman with his amazing win against Frank Mir in London at UFC 38. Mark Weir held the fastest knockout (record) for a long time in the UFC. If we’re looking into Europe there’s Alexander Gustafsson, obviously. Joanna Jedrzejczyk, I feel like she has very much been a European pioneer for female fighters. Rosi Sexton is another fighter. A former Cage Warriors champion and UFC fighter, she’s just a standout individual. There are a lot of fighters that have paved the way. I played a very small role. I pay homage to all the people who came before me, for sure.”
Do you agree with Dan Hardy and his Mt. Rushmore of Europe’s greatest MMA fighters?