The UFC Hall of Fame and it's to be candidates

Who do you think will make it into the UFCs hall of fame, who do you hope to see and hope not to see?

For me, Aldo and Jones are almost givens at this point. Faber and Edgar have already earned it, no questions.asked. GSP, of course of course and Anderson if he hasn't already. I think Junior Dos Santos.most likely carves a place out for himself too, Machida possibly too.

I sincerely hope guys like Shogun and Vitor do not make it. Anyone who's failed a drug test shouldn't be allowed and Shoguns MMA accomplishments and UFC accomplishments are.not the same and, no winning a title doesn't make you automatically included. 

Who am I forgetting and who do you think?

We've had quite a few of these and the main consensus is usually that  the UFC HoF is bogus and that as long as Stephan Bonnar is in there basically any fighter with a win in the UFC can justify his place.

* Edited at 11.30.2014, 5:18 AM ET *

Most fighters were never in a fight as important as Griffin-Bonnar. 

And why shouldn't Shogun be in there? He won the title by KOing Machida, previously thought to be invincible. Then he had one of the greatest fights of all time with Hendo. 

@Pillory, then induct the fight as a HoF fight ... Stephan Bonnar isn't a deservable HoFer just because he was in the right place at the right time ... neither his athletic achievements nor his contribution to the sport are anything HoF worthy.

He was in the fight that gave the sport a boost, sure thing, so create a proper HoF where fights and moments are noted, don't stick a fighter in there because he had a good fight that one time.

^THIS

The UFC HoF is a joke for inducting Stephan Bonnar. Look at the other big sport Hall of Fames (I'll use the Basketball Hall of Fame as an example), the 1992 "Dream Team" is in there, but not everyone individually. Even if you don't want to go that route of inducting teams (in this case fights/events) then do what the Hockey Hall of Fame does and have exhibits (if the UFC actually gets a HoF building) - the Summit Series of 1972 is there - as a important moment in international hockey.

No one is going to doubt that Griffin/Bonnar is the most important fight in UFC history, but if all you need to do is be apart of an important single fight/event then with that mentality everyone on the UFC 100 card should be in there - it is the UFC's biggest PPV event after all. Let's get Tom Lawlor in the HoF!

* Edited at 11.30.2014, 6:56 AM ET *

Don Frye and Marco Ruas.

Personally, I'd like to see the UFC Hall of Fame have pretty restrictive standards.  Of the 12 people currently in:

Stephan Bonnar - Nope.  Sure, recognize the Griffin-Bonnar fight, but Bonnar doesn't warrant inclusion on his own.

Mark Coleman - Borderline.  I'd tend to say no.

Randy Couture - Another borderline, but first multiple weight division champ, etc. puts him over the top, so I'd tend to say yes.

Royce Gracie - No brainer.  No Royce, No UFC, so he's in.

Forrest Griffin - Again borderline, but First TUF, Bonnar-Griffin and winning the belt puts him in, at least to me.

Matt Hughes - No brainer.  Best welterweight not named GSP, long time champ.

Charles "Mask" Lewis - Nope.  Contributed to rise of UFC and MMA in general, but probably not enough to merit inclusion as a full member.  Memorialize him in some other way.

Chuck Liddell - No brainer.  Longtime champ and face of the UFC.  Along with Griffin-Bonnar, helped pull the UFC out of the dark days.

Pat Miletich - Borderline.  Being first welterweight champ, when combined with his coaching puts him in, in my opinion.
 
Tito Ortiz - Borderline.  Being longtime champ, Trilogy with Shamrock and the Liddell fights are positives, but the really bad record at the end of his career and his antics the past several years overshadows that in my mind, so I'd say no.

Dan Severn - Being a pioneer counts, so yes.

Ken Shamrock - Second only to Royce as important to getting the whole thing started, so yes.

So, if I was running things, there would be 8 of the 12 still in.  But then Dana never asked me.

Of future fighter inductees, only GSP and Anderson Silva are automatic to me.

BJ Penn, Shogun (although more for MMA as a whole than for his UFC career), Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin very probable, and deserving.

Pioneers I think are deserving: Bas Rutten, Don Frye.

There's a weird category where their fighting careers in and out of the UFC made them likely at one point, but images have been tarnished enough that they don't get in.  In my mind, the aforementioned Tito would fall here, as would Wanderlei Silva. Rampage Jackson is teetering on the line.  If he retired today, I'd say yes, but he could easily do something in the meantime to keep him out.

Then, there are two I'd like to see in the hall eventually who are not fighters.  First, Dana White.  Love him or hate him, he saved the UFC and likely the sport. I think he's put in by the Fertittas the day he retires from actively running things.  Second, Big John McCarthy.  He's not as good as he once was, but for a long time he was the gold standard for refereeing, and a big contributor in making the Unified Rules and getting the sport sanctioned.  Borderline in this category would be Art Davie and Rorion Gracie.

Then there are fighters who are well on their way, but are too early in their careers to tell for sure.  Jose Aldo, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, Frankie Edgar and a few others are very probable.

Just my opinions.  Personally, I'd like to see some formalized selection committee that is independent of the UFC corporate structure, instead of just who Dana and the Fertittas happen to like.

* Edited at 11.30.2014, 10:27 AM ET *

 

ok hear me out on this one before lashing out on me and bringing up his record and giving me thumbs downs for days.....

 

I think that Tank Abbott should be inducted and here's why.

back in the early days of UFC when these no time limit matches like Shamrock/ Gracie ll and other fights like that were really just boring fights Tank came along and was really the first guy to start knocking guys out and in devastating fashion. The way that he was knocking guys out was the way that we all expected this new "tournament" where different fighters with different styles were fighting.

In truth back then we expected that but the sport was dominated by grapplers.  now I know now that he all know what BJJ is and can appreciate what "guard" is and "dominant position" but back then when we watched it 99% of us never heard of BJJ before, never thought that a wrestler of all sports could dominate against guys who could punch and kick.

if you never watched these early fights back in the early nineties when they actually happened and are now looking back through old DVD's and records then you can keep your comments to yourself.

if you DID watch the UFC ever since 1993 and can tell me that the tournament where this "bar brawler" came in and started knocking guys out in seconds that that wasn't the best UFC to date at that time then you are probably lying to yourself.

 

 

 

other honorable mentions are

Bas Ruten

Frank Shamrock

Chael sonnen (way in the future after the drug stuff clears) ( he really was the first fighter to really self promote a fight and have mic skills, this deserves mention)

 

Randy Couture is a 5 time UFC champion, he is not borderline, that's ridiculous.  Ortiz was the biggest star in the sport and it could be argued he helped keep the UFC afloat during trying times, so he isn't borderline either.

Severn is a lock, but not Coleman?  Both were pioneers, Coleman pioneered ground and pound and was the first UFC heavyweight champion, which he won by beating Severn.  

I wouldnt mind seeing Tank in there, he was one of the pioneers and he probably brought over some wrestling fans. not to the degree Brock or Shamrock did but he might have helped.

Tank Abbott does not belong in the UFC Hall of Fame.  He was successful in the UFC during a time when it was far from a legitimate sport, and anytime he fought a legitimate athlete he lost.  When he was given a title shot against Maurice Smith he was badly outclassed and quit.  Vitor Belfort Destroyed him.  Dan Severn beat him easily.  When the Ferttitas brought him back in the early 2000's he lost every fight, badly. Tank Abbott can be in the bar brawler hall of fame with Kimbo Slice.

The only way Tank Abbott name should enter the UFC Hall of Fame is being mention on a plague about the origins of the UFC gloves 

* Edited at 11.30.2014, 12:16 PM ET *

sorry to get you the thumbs down too cutwag but the close minded haters are out.

jodybanman is clearly one of those guys I talked about that looks at records only.

I never once said he was a legitimate fighter nor did I say he was the best back then.  what I said was that what he brought to the sport needed to be recognized. When the sport was going south and turning quite frankly boring. and where guys generally won by submission or a long boring decision he came out and knocked guys out and he was the first person to do this consistently.

 

yes actual athletes that actually trained eventually came out and were able to easily pick him apart. the question is would the sport have still been around for them to come into head it not been for him and had it still been long 30 minute draw decisions????? as did Tito in his Time Tank helped out the UFC in a short but very important time of need and those who can't even recognize that in the slightest... I don't even know what to say

 

* Edited at 11.30.2014, 12:22 PM ET *

@jodybanman thank you for setting the record straight about Randy Couture. To say that guy is "borderline HOF" is totally absurd. He has some of the most impressive credentials of any fighter. 

I agree that guys like Bonnar shouldn't be in but his fight with Forrest should be. Hopefully at some point there will be a vote for guys to make it in. Give guys who have been covering MMA a long time a vote. Just make sure to exclude anyone from ESPN or bleacher report. Also have a handful of sane fighters to cast a vote as well. 

A few guys I'm wondering if they will make it in.....Kenny Florian, Cowboy Cerrone, Rashad Evans and JDS. Could make a case for and against all of them. 

As I said, I favor a pretty restrictive Hall.  Other than for a handful of the very earliest pioneers, the totality of a career enters into my criteria.  That's why five-time champ Couture isn't automatic in my opinion.  Too many losses, albeit to generally top competition.  I'd put him in for that, but he's not at the same level as a Royce Gracie or a Matt Hughes, where no real thought is required.  That's the same reason I'd leave Coleman out.  Too many losses, and not quite as significant as Severn or Couture. He just didn't quite rise to my admittedly high threshold for inclusion.  Tito would have been an automatic if he had retired in 2006.  After that his career became enough of a joke that his negatives outweighed his positives in my mind.

As far as Tank Abbott, I personally wouldn't even seriously consider him.  He had a brief period of popularity and success, but quickly became irrelevant. Plus the image he projected did more harm to the sport than good, before and during the John McCain "human ****fighting" days when so many states were trying to ban MMA.

The Hall of Fame has to be for men who truly impacted the sport. Guys who people feared were truly invincible. Perhaps guys who set records. Silva, for example, should be a shoe-in. I think Jones should be as well, one day. Griffin belongs in there easy. GSP, definitely. Is Matt Hughes in already? I'm fairly certain he is, but if he is not, then he belongs in there. Guys whose names are associated with the sport. Couture and Liddell are both very well known by the general public, so guys like that. I cannot really specify, which is why I'm not on the board of people who decide things at the UFC

Having a restrictive Hall is fine but even in the most restrictive Hall's Randy is in. If you just look at his record yeah it's far from the best but being a 5 time world champ in two different weight classes (3 time HW- 2 time LHW) kinda makes up for that.....and like you stated Randy fought the best of the best. BJ Penn has a crappy record too but I would put him in the same boat as Randy.