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Dominick Reyes respectfully expressed his opinion on why Daniel Cormier would not be a part of his Mount Rushmore of the UFC light heavyweight division, despite being one of the most dominant fighters in the division's history.
During his recent appearance on the Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry podcast, Reyes gave his picks for the Mount Rushmore of the division:
"So... [the GOAT of the division] is Jon [Jones]. I'm going to put Forrest [Griffin] up there because of what he did for the sport and the division in general. Chuck [Liddell], you've got to go Chuck. [Chuck Liddell's iconic post-fight celebration] was my celebration in football... Then, I'm going to have to go Randy [Couture] and Tito [Ortiz] as kind of interchangeable."
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When podcast co-hosts Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo inquired why he did not include Cormier in the list, Reyes responded:
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"I see those guys as changing the landscape of the sport, though, too. I feel like Cormier is a great fighter, don't get me wrong. But it was a different time when he won [the light heavyweight title]... I have great respect for Daniel. I'm saying in all time... It's my list, and it's opinion-based."
Check out Dominick Reyes' comments below (32:02):
For context, Mount Rushmore is a sculpture carved into the face of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. The sculpture features heads of United States presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. It represents the nation's foundation, expansion, development and preservation of the United States.
The concept of Mount Rushmore has been adopted in sports to acknowledge athletes whose achievements and contributions extend beyond mere competitive dominance, taking into account their impact on expanding the sport's footprint.
A closer look at Dominick Reyes' Mount Rushmore of the light heavyweight division
Jon Jones, the first fighter on Dominick Reyes' Mount Rushmore of the light heavyweight division, reigned as champion for the better part of a decade in two separate title reigns and has defeated several generations of elite competitors.
Meanwhile, Chuck Liddell is a pioneering figure in MMA. Liddell played a significant role in bringing the UFC to the mainstream with his iconic knockouts and charismatic personality in the 2000s.
Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture, contemporaries of Liddell, also hold a similar position in the history and commanded a fan base that helped the UFC remain afloat during challenging times.
Forrest Griffin, who belonged to the generation of fighters that ruled the division after Liddell, Ortiz and Couture's era, is largely credited for delivering one of the most-watched UFC fights of all time.
Griffin and Stephan Bonnar faced off in a legendary battle during The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale. The back-and-forth contest became pivotal in helping the UFC survive and achieve commercial success.
UFC CEO Dana White later dubbed it as "the most important fight in UFC history", with Griffin winning by unanimous decision. Both fighters earned UFC contracts, and Griffin later went on to become the light heavyweight champion.
