5 UFC fighters who deserve to follow Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov into the 2022 Hall of Fame class
The UFC recently announced the induction of former champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022. Both fighters will take their place in the Modern Wing alongside legends like Ronda Rousey and Georges St-Pierre.
The Modern Wing was created in 2015 when the organization decided to split up the Hall of Fame into different categories. Other categories include Pioneer Wing, Fight Wing, and Contributor's Wing. This was done to ensure fairness in the induction of fighters and other individuals involved in propelling the promotion to the top.
While both 'The Eagle' and 'DC' are very much deserving, the announcement of their induction has ignited discussions concerning other candidates who deserve the same honor.
With that in mind, here are five fighters who deserve to follow the two legends into the 2022 class of the Hall of Fame:
#5. Junior dos Santos - former UFC heavyweight champion
Junior dos Santos started his UFC career in 2008 with a knockout of top contender Fabricio Werdum. The stellar knockout also earned him his first Knockout of the Year award. From here on, he went on to stay undefeated for nine consecutive fights - the longest win streak in the history of the UFC heavyweight division.
Does Junior Dos Santos deserve a place in the UFC Hall of Fame now that his octagon tenure is over?
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His dream run inside the octagon led him to contest for the heavyweight title against Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1. Thanks to dos Santos ' knockout of Velasquez, the fight lasted for a little over a minute. He became the first Brazilian to win the heavyweight title in the promotion.
Another of his memorable performances was against Stipe Miocic in 2014. The five-round back and forth registered 212 significant strikes on target, with dos Santos landing 123. The fight eventually went the distance, and 'Cigano' was announced the winner via unanimous decision.
He holds the record for the most knockdowns landed by a heavyweight fighter in the promotion. Additionally, dos Santos has the second-most KO wins in the division, with ten wins by a knockout.
The 38-year-old left the Zuffa-owned promotion in 2021 with a record of 21-9, bringing an end to a twelve-year-long career in the octagon. He is currently signed to Eagle FC and will make his promotional debut against Yorgan De Castro.