CONOR McGREGOR has named his top five MMA fighters of all time – and included stars from the WWE and Hollywood.
McGregor was probed with the question during a live stream for Duelbits.
Conor McGregor has named his top five MMA fighters of all time[/caption]
He responded: “Top five MMA GOATS? Rickson Gracie, Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Chuck Liddell.
“How many is that? Three, four? Four? The OGs. Bas Rutten. Bas Rutten. Europe’s own.
“Europe’s first is Bas Rutten. What a man Bas Rutten is.”
McGregor named some of the most iconic names in MMA history as SunSport helps break down what makes them so legendary.
Rickson Gracie
A member of the iconic Gracie family renowned for revolutionising jiu-jitsu to modern day MMA.
Gracie never fought in the UFC – unlike his relatives – but did compile an undefeated 11-0 record.
He stopped competing in 2000 but continues to teach jiu-jitsu to this day.
Rickson Gracie helped revolutionise jiu-jitsu to modern day MMA[/caption]
Royce Gracie
Gracie – half-brother to Rickson – was the first UFC champion of all time winning the tournament in 1993 with THREE fights in one night.
He was also a trailblazer for jiu-jitsu in modern day MMA and went on to have 20 professional bouts.
His last was in 2016 but his legacy as the first UFC champ of all time makes him a true pioneer of the sport.
Royce Gracie was the first UFC champ of all time[/caption]
Ken Shamrock
Shamrock also competed at UFC 1 but was defeated by eventual winner Gracie.
He had memorable bouts against the likes of Bas Rutten and Tito Ortiz while also rematching Gracie over the years.
Shamrock crossed over to UFC too in the late 1990s and held Intercontinental championship while facing the likes of The Rock and Steve Austin.
Chuck Liddell
The Iceman was the UFC’s top pay-per-view stars in the early 2000s and had a huge hand in helping it become a mainstream sport.
His famous fight with Ortiz and Randy Couture helped shoot MMA to new heights as he reigned as UFC champ.
Liddell’s influence on helping the UFC break into the mainstream market makes him one of the most important fighters in MMA history.
Chuck Liddell was a huge PPV star in the 2000s[/caption]
Bas Rutten
The Dutch-American kickboxer was also around in the early days of MMA’s after the UFC’s first event.
He crossed over from kickboxing to MMA and fought all comers – even sometimes without weight classes involved.
After retiring from MMA – the man nicknamed The Handsome One – moved into acting featuring in several Hollywood movies.
Bas Rutten moved into acting after MMA retirement[/caption]
