The next inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame was announced on late Friday evening as former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten will be inducted into the Pioneer Era wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.
UFC President Dana White informed Rutten he would be going into the Hall of Fame during “Inside MMA” on AXS TV.
“We have International Fight Week in Las Vegas in July,” White began. “And on July 11, at the UFC Fan Expo, you will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.”
The Pioneer Era category recognizes great fighters who turned professional before November 17, 2000, when the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were created and widely adopted. All but one of Rutten’s 33 professional MMA bout were fought in the 1990s, with many of his greatest accomplishments taking place in Pancrase, which used hybrid rules, single-round fights and open-handed striking.
“I never expected to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame,” Rutten said afterwards. “I won the UFC heavyweight title, but injuries cut my UFC run short. Most of my big wins were in Japan. I saw the new UFC Hall of Fame format and I thought maybe I could get in eventually as a Contributor because of my years of commentating. But I’m so honored that the UFC recognized what I did as a fighter.”
Rutten joins Contributor Jeff Blatnick and Fight Hughes vs Trigg II in the UFC Hall of Fame’s class of 2015. The final inductee – the Modern Era representative – will be announced tonight during the UFC 187 Prelims on FOX Sports 1.
The UFC Hall of Fame 2015 induction ceremony will take place on July 11 as part of the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas. Fans with tickets to the UFC Fan Expo will be able to attend the UFC Hall of Fame 2015 event for no additional cost. Tickets to the UFC Fan Expo are available at www.ufcfanexpo.com with two-day passes beginning at $60 online and $65 onsite. One-day passes begin at $35 online and $45 onsite. The UFC Hall of Fame ceremony will be streamed live on UFCFightPass.com.