UFC Hall of Fame

UFC Hall of Fame
EstablishedNovember 21, 2003
FounderUltimate Fighting Championship
InducteesPioneer wing (20)
Modern wing (14)
Contributors wing (7)
Fight wing (9)
Forrest Griffin Community Award (5)
(55 total inductees)
WebsiteUFC 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.

History

[edit]

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]

  • Pioneer Wing – commemorating the original innovators of MMA, who competed in professional bouts before the adoption of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which went into effect at UFC 28, November 28, 2000.
  • Modern Wing – celebrating fighters who made their pro-debuts in the age of the Unified Rules.
  • Contributors Wing – recognizing outstanding contributions outside of active competition.
  • Fight Wing – recognizing the greatest, most memorable, and historically important bouts.
  • Forrest Griffin Community Award – recognizing athletes for their volunteer and charity work and the impact their efforts have on the community.

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]

The UFC Hall of Fame is located in the UFC Performance Institute on the walls of the first and second floor staircase.[5]

Inductees

[edit]

Pioneer wing

[edit]
Image ISO Name Date of Induction Ref. Event of Induction UFC recognized accolades
Brazil Royce Gracie November 21, 2003 [6] UFC 45 UFC 1 Tournament Winner
UFC 2 Tournament Winner
UFC 4 Tournament Winner
Most tournament wins in UFC history (3).
United States Ken Shamrock November 21, 2003 [6] UFC 45 One-time UFC Superfight Champion with two defenses.
United States Dan Severn April 16, 2005 [7] UFC 52 One-time UFC Superfight Champion
UFC 5 Tournament Winner
Ultimate Ultimate 1995 Tournament Winner.
United States Randy Couture June 24, 2006 [8] The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock Finale Three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion with three defenses
Two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
One-time Interim UFC Light Heavyweight champion
UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament Winner
Most title reigns in UFC history (6 (5 undisputed, 1 interim))
Oldest champion in UFC history (45 years, 147 days)
First champion to hold titles in two different divisions.
United States Mark Coleman March 1, 2008 [9] UFC 82 Inaugural and one-time UFC Heavyweight Champion
UFC 10 Tournament Winner
UFC 11 Tournament Winner
2000 Pride Openweight Grand Prix Winner.
United States Chuck Liddell July 11, 2009 [10] UFC 100 One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with four defenses.
United States Matt Hughes May 29, 2010 [11] UFC 114 Two-time UFC Welterweight Champion with seven defenses.
United States Tito Ortiz July 7, 2012 [12] UFC 148 One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with five defenses.
United States Pat Miletich July 5, 2014 [13] UFC 175 Inaugural and one-time UFC Welterweight Champion with four defenses
UFC 16 Welterweight Tournament Winner.
Netherlands Bas Rutten July 11, 2015 [14] UFC 189 One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Brazil Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira July 10, 2016 [15] UFC Fan Expo One-time Pride Heavyweight Champion
One-time Interim Pride Heavyweight Champion
One-time Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion.
United States Don Frye July 10, 2016 [16] UFC Fan Expo UFC 8 Tournament Winner
Ultimate Ultimate 1996 Tournament Winner.
United States Maurice Smith July 6, 2017 [17] UFC Fan Expo One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion with one defense.
Japan Kazushi Sakuraba July 6, 2017 [18] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2017 UFC Japan Heavyweight Tournament Winner.
United States Matt Serra July 5, 2018 [19] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018 One-time UFC Welterweight Champion
The Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament Winner.
United States Rich Franklin July 5, 2019 [20] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2019 One-time UFC Middleweight Champion with two defenses.
United States Kevin Randleman September 23, 2021 [21] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2020 Posthumous inductee.
One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion with one defense.
United States Jens Pulver July 6, 2023 [22] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2023 Inaugural and one-time UFC Lightweight Champion with two defenses.
Brazil Anderson Silva July 6, 2023 [23] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2023 One-time UFC Middleweight Champion with ten defenses
Most consecutive wins in UFC history (16)
Longest single title reign in UFC history (2.457 days)
Most finishes in title bouts in UFC history (9)
Most Knockout of the Night bonuses in UFC history (7).
Brazil Wanderlei Silva June 27, 2024 [24] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2024 One-time Pride FC Middleweight Champion with four defenses
2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Winner
Longest single title reign in Pride FC history (1.939 days)
Most wins in Pride FC history (22)
Longest undefeated streak in Pride FC history (20)
Most knockouts in Pride FC history (15)
Most wins in title bouts in Pride FC history (5)
Most consecutive successful title defenses in Pride FC history (4)
Most knockouts (19) and knockdowns (27) in Zuffa, LLC (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) history.

Modern wing

[edit]
Image ISO Name Date of Induction Ref. Event of Induction UFC recognized accolades
United States Forrest Griffin July 6, 2013 [25] UFC 162 One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
The Ultimate Fighter 1 Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner.
United States B.J. Penn July 11, 2015 [26] UFC 189 One-time UFC Welterweight Champion
One-time UFC Lightweight Champion with three defenses
UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Co-Champion.
United States Urijah Faber July 6, 2017 [27] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2017 One-time WEC Featherweight Champion with five defenses
Four-time UFC Bantamweight Championship challenger.
United States Ronda Rousey July 5, 2018 [28] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018 Inaugural and one-time UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion with six defenses
One-time Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion with one defense.
England Michael Bisping July 5, 2019 [29] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2019 One-time UFC Middleweight Champion with one defense
The Ultimate Fighter 3 Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner.
United States Rashad Evans July 5, 2019 [30] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2019 One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
The Ultimate Fighter 2 Heavyweight Tournament Winner
Canada Georges St-Pierre September 23, 2021 [21] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2020 One-time UFC Middleweight Champion
Two-time UFC Welterweight Champion with nine defenses
One-time Interim UFC Welterweight Champion.
Russia Khabib Nurmagomedov June 30, 2022 [31] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2022 One-time UFC Lightweight Champion with three defenses
Headlined the highest-selling UFC pay-per-view event at UFC 229 with 2.4 million PPV buys.[32]
United States Daniel Cormier June 30, 2022 [33] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2022 One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion with one defense
One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with three defenses
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Winner.
Brazil José Aldo July 6, 2023 [34] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2023 Inaugural and two-time UFC Featherweight Champion with seven defenses
One-time Interim UFC Featherweight Champion
One-time WEC Featherweight Champion with two defenses.
United States Donald Cerrone July 6, 2023 [35] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2023 One-time UFC Lightweight Championship challenger
Two-time WEC Lightweight Championship challenger
One-time Interim WEC Lightweight Championship challenger
Most knockdowns in UFC history (20).
Brazil Maurício Rua June 27, 2024 [36] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2024 One-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Winner
Poland Joanna Jędrzejczyk June 27, 2024 [37] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2024 One-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion with five defenses.
United States Frankie Edgar June 27, 2024 [38] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2024 One-time UFC Lightweight Champion with three defenses.

Contributors wing

[edit]
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 [39] UFC 189 Commentator, UFC commissioner and was instrumental in helping the UFC get regulated by athletic commissions.
Bob Meyrowitz July 10, 2016 [40] 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 [41] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2017 UFC matchmaker from 1997 to 2016.
Bruce Connal July 5, 2018 [42] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018 UFC television producer from 1997 to 2018.
Art Davie July 5, 2018 [43] 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

[edit]
Fight Date of Induction Ref. Event of Induction Notes
Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar I July 6, 2013 [25] 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 [39] UFC 189 For the UFC Welterweight Championship. Matt Hughes def. Frank Trigg by submission in Round 1 at UFC 52. Submission of the Year (2005).
Mark Coleman vs. Pete Williams July 10, 2016 [44] 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 [45] 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. Fight of the Night. Fight of the Year (2011).
Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida July 5, 2019 [46] 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 [47] 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. Fight of the Year (2013).
Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi June 30, 2022 [48] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2022 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).
Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald II July 6, 2023 [49] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2023 Robbie Lawler def. Rory MacDonald by technical knockout in the fifth round, MacDonald had been ahead 39-37 on all three judges scorecards. This fight was for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 189. Fight of the Night. Fight of the Year (2015).
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen I June 27, 2024 [50] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2024 Anderson Silva def. Chael Sonnen in the fifth round by triangle-armbar submission after being controlled on the ground for the majority of the fight. This fight was for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 117. Fight of the Night. Fight of the Year (2010).

Forrest Griffin Community Award

[edit]
Image ISO Name Date of Induction Ref. Event of Induction Community contributions
United States Dustin Poirier September 23, 2021 [21] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2020 Founded The Good Fight Foundation and supported other charity work in his hometown of Lafayette.
United States Max Holloway June 30, 2022 [51] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2022 Supported his local community in Hawaii and raised money for charity work.
Georgia (country) Giga Chikadze June 30, 2022 [52] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2022 Founded The Knockout Cancer Foundation and raised funds for families who needed financial support.

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (pictured) 		Brazil Nogueira Brothers
(Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and Antônio Rogério Nogueira) 		July 6, 2023 [53] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2023 Giving back to their communities in Brazil and have made a positive impact on the lives of thousands of kids throughout the country
United States Beneil Dariush June 27, 2024 [54] UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2024 Partnered with the Shlama Foundation to raise funds and awareness. Helped fund two orphanages in Haiti in partnership with Promise Child Ministries.

References

[edit]
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