UFC Hall of Fame
UFC Hall of Fame | |
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Established | November 21, 2003 |
Founder | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
Inductees | 17 pioneers 7 modern-era 7 contributors 6 Fights (40 total inductees) (3 double inductees) |
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. 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.
History
It was officially established in Las Vegas on November 21, 2003 at UFC 45 with the inaugural inductees being UFC Originals 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 new wings are: Modern Era Wing – for fighters who turned professional after the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were introduced at UFC 28. The Pioneer Era Wing – for fighters who turned professional before the Unified Rules of MMA were introduced at UFC 28. The Contributors Wing – for non-participants who made significant contributions to the sport outside of competition. The Fight Wing – honoring specific legendary bouts.
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.[3]
It was also announced in 2015 the UFC would create a physical Hall, but as of 2020, that has not happened.
Since 2015, the UFC Hall of Fame has somewhat gained in prominence and credibility. The company has inducted several more legends who were not on the best of terms with the UFC, including Don Frye and UFC co-creator Art Davie.
Inductees
Pioneer wing
Name | Date of Induction (event) |
UFC recognized accolades | |
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November 21, 2003 (UFC 45) | UFC 1 Tournament Winner, UFC 2 Tournament Winner and UFC 4 Tournament Winner. |
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November 21, 2003 (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. |
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April 16, 2005 (UFC 52) | One-time UFC Superfight Champion, UFC 5 Tournament Winner and Ultimate Ultimate 1995 Tournament Winner. |
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June 24, 2006 (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. |
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March 1, 2008 (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. |
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July 11, 2009 (UFC 100) | One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and four UFC Light Heavyweight Championship defenses. |
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May 29, 2010 (UFC 114) | Two-time UFC Welterweight Champion and seven UFC Welterweight Championship defenses. |
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July 7, 2012 (UFC 148) | One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and five UFC Light Heavyweight Championship defenses. |
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July 5, 2014 (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. |
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July 11, 2015 (UFC 189) | One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, one-time Pancrase Openweight Champion, and two Pancrase Openweight Championship defenses. |
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July 10, 2016 (UFC Fan Expo) | One-time Pride Heavyweight Champion, one-time Interim Pride Heavyweight Champion and one-time Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. | |
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July 10, 2016 (UFC Fan Expo) | UFC 8 Tournament Winner, UFC 10 Tournament Finalist and UFC Ultimate Ultimate 1996 Tournament Winner. |
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July 6, 2017 (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. |
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July 6, 2017 (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. |
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July 5, 2018 (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 |
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July 5, 2019 (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2019) | One-time UFC Middleweight Champion, two UFC Middleweight Championship defenses. |
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Date TBD (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2020) | One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, one UFC Heavyweight Championship defense. |
Modern-era wing
Name | Date of Induction (event) |
UFC recognized accolades | |
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July 6, 2013 (UFC 162) | One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter 1: Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner. |
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July 11, 2015 (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. |
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July 6, 2017 (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2017) | One-time WEC Featherweight Champion with five WEC Featherweight Championship defenses. First bantamweight inductee. |
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July 5, 2018 (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. |
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July 5, 2019 (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 |
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July 5, 2019 (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2019) | One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter 2 Heavyweight Winner. |
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Date TBD (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2020) | Three-time former UFC Welterweight Champion with 9 defenses, One-time UFC Middleweight Champion, first inductee from Canada |
Contributors
Name | Date of Induction (event) |
Contributions | |
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Charles Lewis Jr. (Mask) |
July 11, 2009 (UFC 100) | Founded the first major mixed martial arts clothing line Tapout. |
Jeff Blatnick | July 11, 2015 (UFC 189) | Commentator, UFC commissioner and was instrumental in helping the UFC get regulated by athletic commissions. | |
Bob Meyrowitz | July 10, 2016 (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 (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2017) | UFC matchmaker from 1997 to 2016. | |
Bruce Connal | July 5, 2018 (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018) | UFC television producer from 1997-2018. | |
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Art Davie | July 5, 2018 (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018) | UFC co-creator, co-owner from UFC 1 to UFC 5 and first UFC matchmaker. |
Marc Ratner | Date TBD (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. |
Fights
Fight | Date of Induction (event) |
Notes |
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Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar I | July 6, 2013 | Regarded as the 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 | 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 | 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 I[4] | July 5, 2018 (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony) | 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 (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony) | 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 | Date TBD (UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony) | 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. |
References
- ^ "Zuffa Creates "Hall of Fame" with Shamrock, Gracie Charters". Sherdog.com. 2003-11-05. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (2015-05-05). "UFC revamping its Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ^ Dundas, Chad. "Talking UFC Hall of Fame's evolution with longtime staffer Ant Evans". The Athletic. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ^ "The Fight - Henderson vs. Shogun I". UFC. Retrieved 2018-05-14.