5 most surprising inductees into the UFC Hall of Fame
This weekend saw the announcement that two former UFC champions, Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov will become the latest entries into the promotion’s Hall of Fame later this year.
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The UFC Hall of Fame is filled with huge names and big stars, meaning that Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier will be in excellent company, but there are also a number of surprising entrants.
Some of these entrants are lesser-known by casual fans, while others are surprising due to their volatile relationship with the promotion’s brass, particularly Dana White. However, at this point, nobody can take away their accomplishments.
Here are five surprising entrants into the UFC’s Hall of Fame.
#5. Bas Rutten – former UFC heavyweight champion
Okay, so it’s safe to say that Bas Rutten is a genuine legend in the world of MMA. After starting off as a kickboxer and a widely-renowned doorman in his native Netherlands, ‘El Guapo’ went onto huge success both in the ring and cage during his initial seven-year run in the sport.
However, while Rutten claimed the UFC heavyweight title during his time with the promotion, whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame is another matter entirely. The Dutchman in fact had just two fights inside the octagon, literally at the tail end of his career.
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Sure, those fights ended in victories for him. However, while he knocked out Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in a classic highlight-reel moment, his win over Kevin Randleman, which gave him the heavyweight title, remains one of the most questionable decisions in MMA history.
Rutten was essentially grounded and battered by ‘The Monster’ for the majority of the 21-minute fight. Quite how two of the three judges decided to give the nod to the Dutchman based on a handful of admittedly decent elbows from the bottom is still anyone’s guess.
‘El Guapo’ also failed to make any defenses of his title, vacating it for a potential run at 205 pounds that was eventually curtailed by injuries before it began.
Given that fighters such as Frank Shamrock and Jens Pulver, both of whom made multiple defenses of their titles, haven’t made it into the Hall of Fame yet, it should probably come as a surprise to see Rutten’s name there, despite his popularity with longtime fans.