UFC Hall of Fame | |
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Established | November 21, 2003 |
Founder | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
Inductees | Pioneer wing (20) Modern wing (14) Contributors wing (7) Fight wing (9) Forrest Griffin Community Award (5) (55 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.
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]
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]
Image | ISO | Name | Date of Induction | Ref. | Event of Induction | Contributions |
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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 | 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). |
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 | [51] | UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony, 2022 | Supported his local community in Hawaii and raised money for charity work. | ||
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) | 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 | |
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. | ||
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA promotion in the world as of 2023. It produces events worldwide that showcase 11 weight divisions and abides by the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. As of 2022, it had held over 600 events. Dana White has been its president since 2001 and CEO since 2023. Under White's stewardship, it has grown into a global multi-billion-dollar enterprise.
Forrest Griffin is an American retired mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013 and is the Vice President of Athlete Development at the UFC Performance Institute. Griffin, a former Georgia police officer, first rose to prominence after winning the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. In the tournament finals, he defeated Stephan Bonnar, which is widely credited as sparking the success of the UFC.
Stephan Patrick Bonnar was an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. Bonnar competed as a Light Heavyweight in the UFC for most of his career. Bonnar was the runner-up on The Ultimate Fighter 1; his TUF Ultimate Finale loss to Forrest Griffin is widely considered to be the most important fight in the history of the UFC.
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