Two of the greatest Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters of all time have been named the best athletes of the century.
ESPN released its list of 100 athletes, 25 of each, on Thursday, rounding out its list of the top 100 professional athletes since 2000. Two mixed martial artists made the list: Jon Jones (66th) and Georges St-Pierre (76th). Previous ESPN lists of the 20th century’s sports centuries have had multiple boxers on the list, including Muhammad Ali (3rd) and Joe Louis (11th), but no fighters were selected. Jones and GSP were overtaken by Floyd Mayweather (25th), but the former was ranked higher than Manny Pacquiao (71st) and both were ranked higher than Bernard Hopkins (78th).
Often considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, Jones’ only professional loss came when he was disqualified by Matt Hamill in a bout in which he was dominant. Failed drug tests, criminal conduct and legal issues plagued Jones’ career, but he could have had a much greater career if not for his lengthy hiatus and one major win overturned by a no contest. Jones boasts a record number of UFC light heavyweight title defenses, and in his last bout he dominated Ciryl Gane in just over two minutes to win the vacant heavyweight championship.
Canada’s St-Pierre is also one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. St-Pierre has suffered two losses (both by stoppage) but bounced back with a 3-0 record after losses to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, respectively. “Rush” broke the UFC record for defences of the welterweight title, vacating the belt after nine consecutive attempts due to the pressure of success. He retired in 2013 but returned in 2017 to put Michael Bisping to sleep via rear-naked choke to win the middleweight belt.
