Morning Report | Royce Gracie gives his MMA Mount Rushmore

Royce Gracie, the pioneer who brought MMA to mainstream audiences through the early UFC, recently sat down with Georges St-Pierre on his podcast to discuss his personal Mount Rushmore of MMA. In a revealing moment, Gracie chose to honor those he felt truly shaped the sport rather than crown himself, ultimately leaving himself off the list.

Gracie placed his father, Helio Gracie, at the top of his Mount Rushmore. Helio, who adapted judo and catch wrestling into Brazilian jiu-jitsu, revolutionized combat sports by developing a defensive grappling system and then proving its effectiveness through challenge matches—a blueprint that would directly inspire the format of the early UFC. "He's the one that developed the defensive style, the whole how to defend yourself," Royce explained, crediting his father with essentially creating modern MMA's foundational grappling philosophy.

Beyond Helio, Royce rounded out his list with three contemporary legends widely regarded as among the sport's all-time greats: Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Jon Jones. Notably, Royce bypassed early UFC champions, instead selecting fighters whose careers spanned the sport's modern era and defined championship-level competition across decades.

Despite stepping away from competition in 2016 after a 20-fight career spanning the UFC, Pride, and other promotions, Royce remains an engaged student of MMA. He won three of the first four UFC tournaments and became an inaugural Hall of Famer, cementing his legacy as one of combat sports' most transformative figures. When asked about current fighters, Gracie expressed admiration for Charles Oliveira, praising the Brazilian's attitude, representation, and fighting style as embodying the values he cherishes in the sport.