From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Honors mixed martial artists and MMA personalities
UFC Hall of Fame
Established November 21, 2003 Founder
Ultimate Fighting Championship Inductees Pioneer wing (20) Modern wing (12) Contributors wing (7) Fight wing (8) Forrest Griffin Community Award (4) (51 total inductees) Website
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.
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 fighters 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.
Pioneer Wing – commemorating the original innovators of MMA, who competed in professional bouts before the adoption of the Unified Rules.
Fight Wing – recognizing the greatest, most memorable, and historically important bouts.
Contributors Wing – recognizing outstanding contributions outside of active competition.
Forrest Griffin Community Award – recognizing a UFC athlete 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
Pioneer wing
Image
ISO
Name
Date of Induction
Ref.
Event of Induction
UFC recognized accolades
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)
Highest submissions per win percentage in UFC history (90.91%)
First fighter to reach 10 fights in UFC history .
Ken Shamrock
November 21, 2003
[6]
UFC 45
One-time
UFC Superfight Champion with two defenses.
Dan Severn
April 16, 2005
[7]
UFC 52
One-time
UFC Superfight Champion
UFC 5
Tournament Winner
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 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)
Most PPV Main Events in UFC history (18)
First champion to hold titles in two different divisions .
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 .
Chuck Liddell
July 11, 2009
[10]
UFC 100
One-time
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with four defenses.
Matt Hughes
May 29, 2010
[11]
UFC 114
Two-time
UFC Welterweight Champion with seven defenses.
Tito Ortiz
July 7, 2012
[12]
UFC 148
One-time
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with five defenses
First fighter to reach 20 fights in UFC history .
Pat Miletich
July 5, 2014
[13]
UFC 175
Inaugural and one-time
UFC Welterweight Champion with four defenses
UFC 16
Welterweight Tournament Winner .
Bas Rutten
July 11, 2015
[14]
UFC 189
One-time
UFC Heavyweight Champion .
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 .
Don Frye
July 10, 2016
[16]
UFC Fan Expo
UFC 8
Tournament Winner
Ultimate Ultimate 1996
Tournament Winner .
Maurice Smith
July 6, 2017
[17]
UFC Fan Expo
One-time
UFC Heavyweight Champion with one defense.
Kazushi Sakuraba
July 6, 2017
[18]
UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2017
UFC Japan
Heavyweight Tournament Winner Won the longest fight in
Pride FC history (90:00).
Matt Serra
July 5, 2018
[19]
UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018
One-time
UFC Welterweight Champion
The Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament Winner 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 with two defenses.
Kevin Randleman
September 23, 2021
[21]
UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2020
One-time
UFC Heavyweight Champion with one defense.
Jens Pulver
July 6, 2023
[22]
UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2023
Inaugural and one-time
UFC Lightweight Champion with two defenses.
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 knockouts in title bouts in UFC history (7)
Most knockdowns in title bouts in UFC history (10)
Most Knockout of the Night bonuses in UFC history (7).
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
Image
ISO
Name
Date of Induction
Ref.
Event of Induction
UFC recognized accolades
Forrest Griffin
July 6, 2013
[25]
UFC 162
One-time
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
The Ultimate Fighter 1 Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner .
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 .
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.
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 First
Women's UFC Champion .
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 .
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
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 .
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]
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 .
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.
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 Second most
post-fight bonus awards in UFC history (18) Most
knockdowns in UFC history (20).
Frankie Edgar
June 27, 2024
[36]
UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2024
One-time
UFC Lightweight Champion with three defenses.
Joanna Jędrzejczyk
June 27, 2024
[37]
UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2024
One-time
UFC Women's Strawweight Champion with five defenses.
Longest win streak in the UFC Women's Strawweight division (8).
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
[38]
UFC 189
Commentator, UFC commissioner and was instrumental in helping the UFC get regulated by athletic commissions.
Bob Meyrowitz
July 10, 2016
[39]
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
[40]
UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2017
UFC matchmaker from 1997 to 2016.
Bruce Connal
July 5, 2018
[41]
UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2018
UFC television producer from 1997 to 2018.
Art Davie
July 5, 2018
[42]
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
[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
[38]
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
[43]
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
[44]
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
[45]
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
[46]
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
June 30, 2022
[47]
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
[48]
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.
Anderson Silva
vs.
Chael Sonnen I
June 27, 2024
[49]
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.
Image
ISO
Name
Date of Induction
Ref.
Event of Induction
Community contributions
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 .
Max Holloway
June 30, 2022
[50]
UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2022
Supported his local community in
Hawaii and raised money for charity work.
Giga Chikadze
June 30, 2022
[50]
UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2022
Founded The Knockout Cancer Foundation and raised funds for families who needed financial support.
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (pictured)
Nogueira Brothers (
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and
Antônio Rogério Nogueira )
July 6, 2023
[50]
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
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External links
By year General info Executives Lists
Pioneer Wing Modern-Era Wing Contributors Fights Forrest Griffin Community Award