The UFC Hall of Fame is where all of the greatest fighters to have ever competed in the Octagon are gathered, from pioneers like Royce Gracie, to dominant champions like Matt Hughes. Only a few fighters will ever get the honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame, but there are several fighters that I think will all make it eventually, and I hope you feel the same. So, for your consideration, here are ten fighters that I think will be immortalized sooner or later by this huge honor.
1. Georges “Rush” St. Pierre
GSP is hands down the best Welterweight of all time, with twelve successful championship bout wins, and in his prime was considered by many to be the best fighter of all time. His Hall of Fame credentials include being the longest reigning Welterweight champion ever, having the second most UFC wins ever, and beating the who’s who of the Welterweight division, including big names like Hall of Famers B.J. Penn and Matt Hughes, former champions Sean Sherk and Johny Hendricks, and superstars like Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit. Not only has he beaten everyone worth beating, but he retired his title due to injuries, and finished on top of the division. When it comes to Hall of Fame talks, you can’t have the conversation without mentioning the Canadian superstar that is GSP.
2. Anderson “The Spider” Silva
I don’t think there’s anybody on the planet that doesn’t think Anderson Silva deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame, at this point it’s just a question of when. He is the longest reigning champion ever, defended the belt more times straight than any other fighter in the UFC, and has beaten pretty much everybody in devastating fashion. He’s beaten former champ Rich Franklin for the title, former Strikeforce champion Nate Marquardt, legend Dan Henderson, Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin, and former champ Vitor Belfort. The Spider will always be recognized as one of the greatest fighters ever, and will no doubt end up in the Hall of Fame.
3. Michael “The Count” Bisping
Michael Bisping is a controversial figure in the MMA world, but his accomplishments can’t be overlooked. Not only is he the current champion of a killer division that contains the likes of Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, and of course, Anderson Silva, but he is extremely accomplished in the UFC. He won The Ultimate Fighter Season 3, has the most wins in UFC history, is tied for the most fights in UFC history, and has beaten the likes of former WEC champion Brian Stann, former Strikeforce champion Cung Le, former Middleweight champions Anderson Silva and Luke Rockhold, and most recently the legend Dan Henderson. While Bisping’s championship run may be just starting, in my opinion, he’s already cemented his legacy enough to be considered one of the greatest of all time.
4. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson
One of my personal favorite fighters of all time, we all know that when Mighty Mouse fights, he delivers. He is the most dominant current champion, creeping up on Anderson Silva’s record for the most straight title defenses ever, and has beaten pretty much everyone in the Flyweight division. He is far from done, but when he is, I think that Johnson will be immortalized by this gracious honor.
5. Jon “Bones” Jones
No matter what your opinion of him is, Jones is widely viewed as the best fighter ever. He’s just practically unbeatable, and only lost his belt due to criminal charges. However, that shouldn’t take away from his fighting accomplishments. He has the third most title defenses ever, is the youngest champion ever, and has beaten literally everyone worth beating in his division, most of whom were champions themselves at one point. Jon Jones will go down as possibly the greatest fighter ever, and is certainly worthy of being mentioned among other UFC Hall of Famers.
6. Frankie “The Answer” Edgar
Frankie will always be known as one of the greatest Lightweights of all time, and has several accomplishments that could put him in the Hall of Fame. He has the most combined Octagon time in UFC History, has beaten Hall of Famer B.J. Penn three times, and has racked up wins over former WEC champ Urijah Faber and former UFC champ Sean Sherk. He is a huge pioneer for MMA in New York, and often comes up in talks about future Hall of Famers.
7. Conor “The Notorious” McGregor
After each one of McGregor’s major accomplishments, people try to make excuses as to why he’s not a legitimate fighter. However, when you look at the cold hard facts, McGregor has already made some huge accomplishments that could land him in the Hall of Fame eventually. Obviously he’s the first person to hold two UFC belts at the same time, but he also finished Jose Aldo Jr., who hasn’t been beaten in over ten years, in thirteen seconds. He continues to add more and more to his resume, but as things stand, he’s already one of the best we’ve seen compete in the Octagon.
8. Miesha “Cupcake” Tate
With Miesha announcing her retirement this year at UFC 205, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a shoe-in for the 2017 Hall of Fame induction. She is a major pioneer in women’s MMA, and has held a belt in both Strikeforce and the UFC. Tate is the reason women are fighting in the UFC right now, because Dana White seeing her not tap out against Ronda Rousey impressed him so much. It wasn’t Rousey’s submission, it was Tate’s will that made women able to compete at the highest level, and she will always be able to say that she is the reason for women to be able to fight in the UFC.
9. Dan “Hendo” Henderson
Dan Henderson is hands down the most decorated UFC fighter that has never won a UFC title. However, he did win the UFC 17 tournament, as well as the 2005 Pride Grand tournament, and owns two Pride belts and a Strikeforce belt, not to mention the lengthy list of legends he has beaten. Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Shogun Rua twice, and the greatest Heavyweight of all time, Fedor Emelianenko. He is a career Middleweight, but he’s held titles at Welterweight and Light Heavyweight, and went all the way up to Heavyweight to beat the greatest Heavyweight of all time in his own weight class. Hendo is truly one of the greatest to ever compete, and will go down as one of the greatest of all time.
10. Urijah “The California Kid” Faber
If Urijah Faber were to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he would be the first fighter to be there without winning a UFC title or tournament (excluding Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr. of course, who never competed in the UFC), but I think that he is still good enough to be recognized here. He did hold the WEC Featherweight title, which the UFC bought and merged with, and holds several records in the Bantamweight division. With him announcing his retirement fight for the end of the year, this is truly the end of a legend who has fought the best, and despite the lack of titles, he is a major pioneer in the lower weight classes.
