EXCLUSIVE
Brad Pickett paid homage to the fighters who have put British MMA on the map.
'One Punch' is an incredibly influential figure in the rise of the sport in the British Isles.
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During an iconic career stretching from 2004 to 2017, Pickett established himself as one of the finest British MMA fighters to ever lace up a pair of gloves.
Competing from flyweight (125lbs) all the way up to lightweight (155lbs), he enjoyed many successes including beating all-time great Demetrious Johnson, winning the Cage Rage featherweight title and stringing together a 14-fight run with the UFC.
But when asked for his British MMA Mount Rushmore, Pickett humbly chose not to include himself.
"Leon Edwards has defended the UFC title the most so he would make his way on there but in terms of British MMA pioneers, there are three names," he told talkSPORT.com.
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"The first is Dan Hardy who did really well with bringing eyes to UK MMA by landing that title shot against Georges St-Pierre and showing the toughness and resilience to take him to a decision.
"And the other is Michael Bisping, who is right at the top for me as the first Brit to win a UFC title. Then my number four would be Paul 'Semtex' Daley.
"He has fought so many people and he's been around for such a long time.
"A lot of people don't know UK MMA, they only know UK UFC and most of his achievements are outside of the UFC.
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"He is such a phenomenal striker and did great things in Cage Rage in the UK and Strikeforce in America.
"Outside of those names, Tom Aspinall will probably be on there at some stage as well but he is still very young in his career at the moment."
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Edwards and Bisping are nailed-on picks for any British MMA Mount Rushmore as the only two fighters to have won a full UFC title.
Bisping famously blasted out Luke Rockhold to snatch the UFC middleweight strap from his brash rival on 17 days' notice in 2016.
Meanwhile, Edwards - the current reigning and defending UFC welterweight champion - won his belt against Kamaru Usman via a last-gasp head knockout two years ago.
UFC referee Marc Goddard reveals why he'll never oversee a Leon Edwards fight
Hardy is also a deserving additive having been the first mixed martial artist from Great Britain to compete for a UFC title when he earned a shot at St-Pierre's welterweight title in 2010.
Hardy wasn't able to beat the Canadian legend but his gutsy display proved that British MMA fighters can compete at the highest level of the sport.
The fourth fighter on Pickett's list, Daley, may be seen as a surprise pick for some fans considering his brief stint in the sport's premier promotion.
But it is what he achieved outside of the UFC that makes him a worthy contender.
Daley was banned from the UFC for life by company president Dana White after sucker-punching Josh Koschek in the immediate aftermath of his fourth fight with the promotion.
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Following the incident, White said: “I don’t care if (Daley) fights in every show all over the world and becomes the best, and everybody thinks he is the pound-for-pound best in the world. he will never fight in the UFC again.”
In the years that followed his ousting from the UFC, Daley beat several notable names including Jorge Masvidal, Lorenz Larkin and Erick Silva and competed for the Strikeforce welterweight title.