The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a cut-throat business. Only the strong survive inside the octagon and no one gets a free ride to a contract. With thousands of fighters trying to get into the biggest company in MMA, spots aren’t given, their earned. The percentage of fighters that get into the UFC and last is very low and Dana White, the figurehead of the company doesn’t take lightly the need to keep the sport respectable.
Since the resurrection of popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 9, 2005 (The Ultimate Fighter Finale) with Stephen Bonner against Forrest Griffin, the UFC has risen to the top of Mixed Martial Arts. With a decorated history of events and specials, the company has added a Hall of Fame to further legitimize itself from the competition.
The Hall of Fame was created on November 21, 2003 with the induction of two of the most prominent figures in the company, Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock. There have been eight Hall of Fame inductees in total since 2003. The focus will be on those eight and a few potential inductees that may lead the way in future years.
Royce Gracie (November 21, 2003-UFC 45)
Photo Credit: Peter Gordon via Wikipedia
The first fighter to put Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on the map. Gracie won the first UFC Tournament at UFC 1 against Gerard Gordeau by way of Rear Naked Choke submission at 1:44 in the contest. Gordeau tapped several times before the ref stopped the match. Gracie went on to become the first recognized fighter in the UFC. He fought his last official UFC fight against fellow Hall of Famer Matt Hughes at UFC 60 on May 27, 2006. Matt Hughes won the match by TKO (Technical Knock Out) via punches to end Gracie’s UFC career.
Ken Shamrock (November 21, 2003-UFC 45)
The “World’s Most Dangerous Man”. Shamrock defeated Pat Smith in the first round of UFC 1 and challenged Royce Gracie in the second round on November 12th, 1993. Gracie choked out Shamrock in less than a minute and advanced to win the tournament that year. Shamrock went on to Pancrase fighting and did well there. He returned to the UFC on September 9, 1994 by beating Felix Mitchell and advanced until an injury forced him out of the finals. Shamrock fought many high profile fights in his UFC career including Rich Franklin, Dan Severn, and his most hated rival Tito Ortiz. The Shamrock- Ortiz Trilogy put him on the map, even though he lost all three fights. His last fight in the UFC was October 10, 2006 at UFC Fight Night 6 against none other than Tito Ortiz. Shamrock’s induction into the Hall of Fame cemented a legacy for Shamrock and at the same time gave the Hall of Fame validity. Shamrock was a great addition to the UFC and his actions inside the octagon made him the “World’s Most Dangerous Man”.
Dan “The Beast” Severn (April 16, 2005 – UFC 52)
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Dan Severn was a greco-roman wrestling machine. Debuting at UFC 4 on December 16, 1994, Severn tore through two opponents to get to fellow Hall of Famer (see a pattern here?) Royce Gracie in the finals. The two fighters fought for over fifteen minutes straight before Gracie caught Severn in a triangle choke to win the tournament. Severn went on to win the UFC 5 tournament, the 1995 Ultimate Ultimate tournament, and the 1996 Superfight tournament. He returned at UFC 27 and lost to Pedro Rizzo due to kicks. After the Rizzo fight, Severn never returned to the UFC, but he cemented his place in MMA history by winning one hundred and one fights and only losing nineteen in his career. On April 16, 2005, Severn was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Dan Severn is truly a “beast” in the eyes of UFC fans.
Randy Couture (June 24, 2006 – The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock Finale)
Photo Credit: David Shankbone via Wikipedia
The man with two nicknames, Randy “The Natural” Couture and “Captain America” Randy Couture has been a working mans fighter. He won the UFC Heavyweight title on December 21, 1997 at UFC Japan, won the UFC Heavyweight Championship for the second time on November 17, 2000, won the Light heavyweight title on June 6, 2003 at UFC 43 to become the first person to win two titles in separate divisions, won the Light Heavyweight championship on August 21, 2004 at UFC 49, and won the Heavyweight title for the last time on March 3, 2007 at UFC 68. His arch rival throughout his prime years in the UFC was “Iceman” Chuck Lidell. These two guys helped get each other into the Hall of Fame by having the best fights in the main events at this important time.
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