Issue 184

Dana White picks his ‘Magnificent Seven’ fighting stars and standouts from his time as a front man for the UFC

Matt Hughes: 45-9

• Hughes' famed 'farmer strength’ made him one of the most dominant figures in the history of mixed martial arts, using his top game from a profound wrestling base to dominate opponents on the ground. At one time he held the record for most wins in the UFC – 18 – and claimed the welterweight title two times. Hughes made popular a mixture of wrestling and grappling, the system and style that was followed and copied by many other fighters. Not a trash talker. But appealed to mass America.

Chuck Liddell: 21-8

• Dana’s close friend and the first star of the UFC when the company was acquired by Zuff a in 2001. Liddell with this distinctive Mohawk and powerful hands allied with college wrestling became MMA’s first genuine crossover star. The ‘Iceman’ claimed the light heavyweight title from Randy Couture in 2005 and enjoyed his prime years from then on. The UFC needed a star, and Liddell provided what they needed, his “sprawl and brawl” style become a new development in the sport. Remarkably, he’s making a comeback in November against Tito Ortiz after eight years out.

Georges St Pierre: 26-2

• Dominant welterweight, with a strategy and answer for everything. St Pierre came back after a four-year absence in 2017 and even added the middleweight crown to his resumé. Bisping was probably the only one of the top five or six middleweights against whom St Pierre had a decent chance. Brought the UFC to Canada, and made it a sport talked about in every household.

Anderson Silva: 34-8-0 1NC

• Sublime, gifted artist who will never be removed as one of the greatest finishers from strikes the world will ever see. Dominant middleweight from a Muay Thai fighting background who could dance and befuddle opponents. Many have seen Silva as the greatest fighter of all time. He is arguably the greatest striker of all time.

Ronda Rousey: 12-2

• The first American woman to win a judo medal at the Olympic Games, Rousey became the first woman to fight in the UFC, against Liz Carmouche. Having been against women fighting in the UFC at first, White was won over by the ’Rowdy’ style, the armbar and the attitude. In fact, Rousey revolutionised how women’s MMA would be seen, and was lauded as a pioneer for power women in many walks of life, in business and politics. Rousey’s trash talking and stellar rise saw her picked up by Hollywood directors for Expendables 3 and Fast & Furious 7. After two consecutive defeats in the UFC, Rousey joined the WWE.

Jon Jones: 22-1-0 1NC

• “So much talent, and so much has gone to waste. The thing I hate the most is wasted talent. Jones is the most gifted fighter we’ve ever seen,” White told me this in conversation last year. You could argue that Jones is the best MMA fighter ever. He was the perfect height and build for light heavyweight, the division he dominated, wiping out all-comers. But having served a period of suspension from the sport for doping, he has the opportunity in November to make amends, arguably now up at heavyweight.

Conor McGregor: 21-3

• The outrageous Irishman brought a new level of trash talk and backed it up, banking hundreds of millions of dollars for the UFC. No one since Muhammad Ali has had this feel for the ability to get inside an opponent's head and White has acknowledged that Conor uses "psychological warfare like Muhammad Ali". The featherweight/lightweight champion became a huge global commodity, shifting the paradigm through the second biggest grossing event in combat sports history – an estimated $600 million – when he fought Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match. Style icon. Changed a generation. Brought a new generation to MMA and the UFC.