UFC Hall of Fame

The UFC Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors mixed martial artists and MMA personalities, established and maintained by the U.S.-based mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In addition to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the UFC Hall of Fame recognizes accomplishments from Pride Fighting Championships, World Extreme Cagefighting and Strikeforce; all of which are former mixed martial arts promotions that have been bought-out by the UFC and its parent corporations.

UFC Hall of Fame
EstablishedNovember 21, 2003
FounderUltimate Fighting Championship
Inductees17 pioneers
8 modern-era
7 contributors
6 Fights
(41 total inductees)
(3 double inductees)
WebsiteUFC Hall of Fame

History

It was officially established on November 21, 2003 at UFC 45 with its home being Las Vegas, and the first inductees being inaugural UFC competitors Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock.[1]

In 2015, the UFC announced a significant reboot of its Hall of Fame. The Hall was split into four categories, or wings, and a new class of legends would henceforth be inducted every July at a gala event during the UFC's annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas.[2]

The wings are:[3]

  • Modern Wing – celebrating champions who made their pro-debuts in the age of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which went into effect at UFC 28, November 28, 2000.
  • Pioneers Wing – commemorating the original innovators of MMA, who turned professional before the advent of the Unified Rules.
  • Fight Wing – recognizing the greatest, most memorable, and historically important bouts.
  • Contributors Wing – recognizing outstanding contributions outside of active competition.

The new Hall of Fame was a passion project of former UFC executive Anthony Evans, who pitched UFC President Dana White on the four-wing structure several times before finally getting White's permission in 2015.[4]

It was also announced in 2015 the UFC would create a physical hall, but as of 2022, that has yet to materialize.[3]

Inductees

Pioneers wing
Image ISO Name Date of Induction Ref. Event of Induction UFC recognized accolades
Royce Gracie November 21, 2003 [5] UFC 45 UFC 1 Tournament Winner, UFC 2 Tournament Winner and UFC 4 Tournament Winner.
Ken Shamrock November 21, 2003 [6] UFC 45 One-time UFC Superfight Champion, two UFC Superfight Championship defenses, UFC 3 Tournament Finalist, one-time Pancrase Openweight Champion, one Pancrase Openweight Championship defense and King of Pancrase Tournament Winner.
Dan Severn April 16, 2005 [7] UFC 52 One-time UFC Superfight Champion, UFC 5 Tournament Winner and Ultimate Ultimate 1995 Tournament Winner.
Randy Couture June 24, 2006 [8] The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock Finale Three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, three UFC Heavyweight Championship defenses, two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, one-time Interim UFC Light Heavyweight champion and UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament Champion. First fighter to hold two UFC championship titles in two different divisions.
Mark Coleman March 1, 2008 [9] UFC 82 One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion (first Heavyweight Champion in UFC history), UFC 10 Tournament Champion, UFC 11 Tournament Champion and Pride Grand Prix 2000 Finals Tournament Champion.
Chuck Liddell July 11, 2009 [10] UFC 100 One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and four UFC Light Heavyweight Championship defenses.
Matt Hughes May 29, 2010 [11] UFC 114 Two-time UFC Welterweight Champion and seven UFC Welterweight Championship defenses.
Tito Ortiz July 7, 2012 [12] UFC 148 One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and five UFC Light Heavyweight Championship defenses.
Pat Miletich July 5, 2014 [13] UFC 175 One-time UFC Welterweight Champion (first Welterweight Champion in UFC history), four UFC Welterweight Championship defenses and UFC 16 Welterweight Tournament Winner: later opened Miletich Fighting Systems and became a successful trainer.
Bas Rutten July 11, 2015 [14] UFC 189 One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, one-time Pancrase Openweight Champion, and two Pancrase Openweight Championship defenses.
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira July 10, 2016 [15] UFC Fan Expo One-time Pride Heavyweight Champion, one-time Interim Pride Heavyweight Champion and one-time Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Don Frye July 10, 2016 [16] UFC Fan Expo UFC 8 Tournament Winner, UFC 10 Tournament Finalist and UFC Ultimate Ultimate 1996 Tournament Winner.
Maurice Smith July 6, 2017 [17] UFC Fan Expo One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, one UFC Heavyweight Championship defense, one-time Extreme Fighting Heavyweight Championship and one Extreme Fighting Heavyweight Championship defense.
Kazushi Sakuraba July 6, 2017 [18] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2017 UFC Japan Heavyweight Tournament Winner, most submission wins in Pride FC history, competed in longest fight in Pride FC history, and first fighter to defeat Royce Gracie.
Matt Serra July 5, 2018 [19] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018 One-time UFC Welterweight Champion, The Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament Winner and first fighter to win both a The Ultimate Fighter Tournament and UFC Championship
Rich Franklin July 5, 2019 [20] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2019 One-time UFC Middleweight Champion, two UFC Middleweight Championship defenses.
Kevin Randleman September 23, 2021 [21] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2020 One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, one UFC Heavyweight Championship defense.

Modern wing
Image ISO Name Date of Induction Ref. Event of Induction UFC recognized accolades
Forrest Griffin July 6, 2013 [22] UFC 162 One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter 1: Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner.
B.J. Penn July 11, 2015 [23] UFC 189 One-time UFC Welterweight Champion, one-time UFC Lightweight Champion with three UFC Lightweight Championship defenses, and UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Co-Champion.
Urijah Faber July 6, 2017 [24] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2017 One-time WEC Featherweight Champion with five WEC Featherweight Championship defenses. First bantamweight inductee.
Ronda Rousey July 5, 2018 [25] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018 First Women's UFC Champion, UFC Bantamweight Champion from 2012–2015 with 6 defenses. First female inductee, second bantamweight inductee.
Michael Bisping July 5, 2019 [26] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2019 One-Time UFC Middleweight Champion with one UFC Middleweight Championship defense, The Ultimate Fighter 3 Light Heavyweight winner, first inductee from England
 Rashad Evans July 5, 2019 [27] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2019 One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter 2 Heavyweight Winner.
 Georges St-Pierre September 23, 2021 [21] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2020 Three-time former UFC Welterweight Champion with 9 defenses, One-time UFC Middleweight Champion, first inductee from Canada
 Khabib Nurmagomedov TBD [28] TBD One-time UFC Lightweight Champion with 3 defenses, retired undefeated, first inductee from Russia


Contributors wing
Image ISO Name Date of Induction Ref. Event of Induction Contributions
Charles Lewis Jr.
(Mask)		 July 11, 2009 [10] UFC 100 Founded the first major mixed martial arts clothing line Tapout.
Jeff Blatnick July 11, 2015 [29] UFC 189 Commentator, UFC commissioner and was instrumental in helping the UFC get regulated by athletic commissions.
Bob Meyrowitz July 10, 2016 [30] UFC Fan Expo UFC co-creator and owner from UFC 6 until it was sold to Zuffa in January 2001.
Joe Silva July 6, 2017 [31] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2017 UFC matchmaker from 1997 to 2016.
Bruce Connal July 5, 2018 [32] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018 UFC television producer from 1997-2018.
Art Davie July 5, 2018 [33] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018 UFC co-creator, co-owner from UFC 1 to UFC 5 and first UFC matchmaker.
Marc Ratner September 23, 2021 [21] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2020 Former Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, current Vice President of Regulatory Affairs of UFC and credited to legalized MMA in all 50 states and abroad.

Fight wing
Fight Date of Induction Ref. Event of Induction Notes
Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar I July 6, 2013 [22] UFC 162 Regarded as one of the greatest fights in UFC history. Marked a turning point for the UFC in terms of its journey to mainstream acceptance of MMA as a popular, legitimate sport. Forrest Griffin def. Stephan Bonnar by unanimous decision at The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale.
Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II July 11, 2015 [29] UFC 189 For the UFC Welterweight Championship. Matt Hughes def. Frank Trigg by submission in Round 1 at UFC 52.
Mark Coleman vs. Pete Williams July 10, 2016 [34] UFC Fan Expo Pete Williams def. Mark Coleman by head-kick KO, the second head-kick KO in UFC history after Gordeau vs Tuli (UFC 1) at UFC 17. One of the biggest upsets in early UFC history.
Maurício Rua vs. Dan Henderson July 5, 2018 [35] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018 Dan Henderson def. Maurício Rua by unanimous decision in a back-and-forth fight at UFC 139. Second five-round non-title fight in UFC history and first to go the distance.
Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida July 5, 2019 [36] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2019 Diego Sanchez def. Clay Guida by split decision in a three round, back-and-forth fight in the lightweight division at The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale.
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson I September 23, 2021 [37] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2020 Jon Jones def. Alexander Gustafsson by unanimous decision in closely fought five-round fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 165. Fight of the Night.
Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi TBD [38] TBD Cub Swanson def. Dooho Choi by unanimous decision in a three round, back-and-forth fight in the featherweight division at UFC 206. Fight of the Night. Fight of the Year (2016)

References
  1. "Zuffa Creates "Hall of Fame" with Shamrock, Gracie Charters". Sherdog.com. 2003-11-05. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
  2. Meltzer, Dave (2015-05-05). "UFC revamping its Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  3. Harris, Scott. "UFC Hall of Fame: UFC Officials Announce New System for Induction". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  4. Dundas, Chad. "Talking UFC Hall of Fame's evolution with longtime staffer Ant Evans". The Athletic. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  5. "UFC HALL OF FAME | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  6. "UFC HALL OF FAME | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  7. "UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn Retires from MMA at 54-Years of Age | MMAWeekly.com". 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  8. "UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, girlfriend Mindy Robinson injured in ATV accident at Arizona ranch". au.finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  9. "Mark Coleman Set for UFC Hall of Fame Induction at UFC 82". MMA Junkie. 2008-02-20. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  10. Wagner, Adam (2009-07-12). "Chuck Liddell and Charles 'Mask' Lewis inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  11. "– MATT HUGHES INDUCTED INTO UFC HALL OF FAME | MMAWeekly.com". 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  12. Doyle, Dave (2012-07-07). "Emotional Tito Ortiz Inducted Into UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  13. "Engineer Lisa Poyneer inducted into Women's Hall of Fame". Physics Today. 2010-04-15. doi:10.1063/pt.4.1373. ISSN 1945-0699.
  14. Doyle, Dave (2015-05-23). "Rutten named to UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  15. Burke, Tim (2016-05-16). "Big Nog to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  16. "MMA legend Don Frye set for induction into UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Junkie. 2016-06-05. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  17. "Former heavyweight champ Maurice Smith joins 2017 UFC Hall of Fame class". MMA Junkie. 2017-04-23. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  18. Meltzer, Dave (2017-06-04). "UFC announces Kazushi Sakuraba for 2017 Hall of Fame class". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  19. Hiergesell, Dan (2018-04-21). "Serra To Be Inducted Into UFC Hall Of Fame This July". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  20. Raimondi, Marc (2019-04-13). "Rich Franklin to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  21. Martin, Damon (2021-09-24). "Georges St-Pierre, Kevin Randleman, Jon Jones and more honored during UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  22. Doyle, Dave (2013-07-06). "Griffin, Bonnar inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  23. "B.J. Penn joins the UFC Hall of Fame class of 2015". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  24. "Urijah Faber joins UFC Hall of Fame class of 2017". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  25. Chiappetta, Mike (2018-07-06). "Ronda Rousey inducted Into UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  26. "After paying in blood his entire career, Michael Bisping is a UFC Hall of Famer". MMA Junkie. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  27. "Rashad Evans to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Junkie. 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  28. Anderson, Jay (2022-03-05). "Khabib Nurmagomedov Announced As UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Inductee". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  29. Meltzer, Dave (2015-05-20). "UFC announces half of 2015 Hall of Fame class". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  30. Doyle, Dave (2016-06-01). "Bob Meyrowitz named to UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  31. Meltzer, Dave (2017-05-14). "Longtime matchmaker Joe Silva to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  32. Meshew, Jed (2018-04-08). "Longtime producer Bruce Connal to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  33. Alexander, Mookie (2018-05-01). "UFC co-founder Art Davie to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  34. "1998 Fight Between Pete Williams and Mark Coleman To Be Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame | MMAWeekly.com". 2016-06-16. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  35. Raimondi, Marc (2018-05-12). "Dan Henderson vs. 'Shogun' Rua I to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  36. Alexander, Mookie (2019-06-09). "Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida earns spot in UFC Hall of Fame". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  37. "Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 1 to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame 'Fight Wing'". MMA Junkie. 2020-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  38. "Cub Swanson vs Dooho Choi to be Inducted Into 2022 UFC Hall of Fame". UFC – Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.