UFC Hall of Fame

Commentary on the UFC Hall of Fame - Who's Next by MMA Blaster

The UFC is the only mixed martial arts organization with a Hall of Fame. As of now, the members of the hall include Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman, Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz. The late, Charles "Mask" Lewis was inducted as a contributor to the sport.

(Dan Severn Pictured)

Tito Ortiz (16-11-1, 15-11-1 UFC) (LHW belt holder) is the latest entrant into the Hall.  Ortiz kept the UFC in the limelight during the dark ages, winning the LHW belt after Frank Shamrock left the UFC. He defended the belt five straight times, a mark just tied by Jon Jones. Victories over Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, 3X Ken Shamrock, Jerry Bohlander, Ryan Bader, Evan Tanner, Yuki Kondo, Vladimir Matyushenko, Wanderlei Silva and a split with Guy Mezger anchor his resume.

Hall of famer Chuck Liddell's UFC career came to a crashing halt at the hands of Rich Franklin at UFC 115, marking his 3rd straight loss.  However, Liddell will always be remembered for his epic knockouts of his opposition.  The Iceman notched UFC wins over Kevin Randleman, Vitor Belfort, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva and owns Pride wins over Guy Mezger and Alistair Overeem.

9X UFC champ Matt Hughes (45-8, 18-5 UFC) was another recent entrant. Hughes, known for his wrestling, submissions and ground game, is the most dominant 170 pounder in the history of the UFC. Hughes holds victories over Frank Trigg, Georges St. Pierre, Carlos Newton, Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Sean Sherk, Hayato Sakurai and split with BJ Penn.

My hope would be that the UFC would look at inducting Don Frye and Pat Miletich into the Hall of Fame next. Each is long overdue, especially considering what they have accomplished inside and outside the UFC. Bad blood was definitely created when each joined the IFL as coaches, but I believe that has passed.

Don Frye (20-9, 9-1 UFC)(UFC 8, UU96 belts)- Plowed through the competition in UFC 8 to win the belt. Won the UU96 and UFC 8 title's in a epic fashion defeating Tank Abbott and Gary Goodridge, respectively. Runner-up at UFC 10.  Was an innovator with solid stand-up with excellent take down defense. 


Pat Miletich (29-7, 8-2 UFC)(UFC 16 Lightweight tourney winner, WW belt holder)- Won two bouts to take UFC 16. Won a slim decision over Mikey Burnett to take the WW belt. Defended 4 times before losing to Carlos Newton. Other wins over John Alessio and Shonie Carter. Bigger impact may be in the UFC champions he has trained over the years.

Locks for the Hall of Fame:

1. Georges St. Pierre (24-2, 18-2 UFC)(WW belt holder)- Currently, Georges has looked unbeatable during his 9 fight win that has spanned four years. GSP has TKO's over BJ Penn and Matt Serra, while submitting Matt Hughes and taking decisions over Dan Hardy, Jake Shields, Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck. Other victories over Sean Sherk, Josh Koscheck, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Frank Trigg, Jay Hieron and Karo Parisyan.


2. Anderson Silva (33-4, 16-0 UFC)(MW belt holder)- Has crushed all comers while rarely getting touched in his matches. Worked over James Irvin, Stephen Bonnar and Forrest Griffin in the first round at 205. Won the belt in his second UFC fight over Rich Franklin and has defended eight more times. Victories over Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin 2X, Nate Marquardt, Travis Lutter, Thales Leites, Demian Maia and Chris Leben.


3. Rich Franklin (29-7, 13-5 UFC) (MW belt holder)- Won MW belt from Evan Tanner and defended twice. Victories over Yushin Okami, Jason MacDonald, Ken Shamrock and Evan Tanner 2X. More recent wins over Chuck Liddell, Travis Lutter and Matt Hamill with a close decision loss to Dan Henderson. Was crunched twice by Anderson Silva at 185. Defeated Wanderlei Silva at a 195 pound catch-weight then was TKO'd by Vitor Belfort.


4. BJ Penn (16-9-2, 12-8-2 UFC)(LW and WW belt holder)- Won the LW belt over Joe Stevenson and then defended against Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez as the most dominating 155 in UFC history. Won WW belt from Matt Hughes in a great fight, recently scored a KO over Hughes. Victories over Din Thomas, Matt Serra, Caol Uno and split with Jens Pulver. Two of his losses are to GSP at 170.


5.  Jon Jones (18-1, 12-1 UFC)(LHW belt holder)- In 5 years, Jones has gone from JUCO wrestling champion to the greatest 205 pounder to ever fight in the UFC.  He has dominated all foes, looking vulnerable only on one occasion when Vitor Belfort had an armbar briefly locked in.  Jones has won over Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson and recently Chael Sonnen despite a dislocated and gnarly toe injury.

6. Forrest Griffin (19-7, 10-5 UFC, LHW belt holder)- Two back to back victories over the number one light heavyweights in Shogun Rua and Rampage Jackson. Won a decision in one of the sports biggest fights over Stephen Bonnar in the 1st Ultimate Fighter.  Lost the LHW belt to Rashad Evans, then was crushed by Anderson Silva. He rebounded with a victories over Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin. Dana White has stated that Griffin will be inducted to the Hall of Fame in short order.

Former champs who are close:

1. Frank Mir (16-7, 14-7 UFC)(HW belt holder)- Biggest win by far was the arm break of Tim Sylvia for the HW title and then the knee bar come from behind win over Brock Lesnar. His most recent wn was an arm breaking victory over Antonio Noguira for the interim belt following his stint coaching TUF.  Other wins over Pete Williams, Tank Abbott, Roy Nelson, Cro Cop, Cheick Kongo and Roberto Traven.

2. Rashad Evans (18-3-1, 13-3-1 UFC, LHW belt holder)- Won the LHW belt over Forrest Griffin, but then was KO'd by Lyoto Machida in brutal fashion in first defense.  Has since rebounded with wins over Thiago Silva, Rampage Jackson and Tito Ortiz. Defeated Sean Salmon with a nasty high kick. KO'd Chuck Liddell and Jason Lambert. Decision victories over Dan Henderson, Micheal Bisping, Stephan Bonnar and Brad Imes for the TUF 2 HW belt.

3.  Lyoto Machida (19-3, 11-3 UFC)(LHW belt holder)- Won LHW belt with brutal KO of Rashad Evans, took a controversial decision win in first defense over Shogun Rua, before being KO'd in the rematch.  Brilliant kick to the face of Randy Couture for KO win in last fight.

4.  Vitor Belfort (23-10, 12-6 UFC)(HW tourney/LHW belt holder)- A big draw in the early days of the UFC when he won a 4 man tournament at UFC 12 TKO'ing Tra Telligman and Scott Ferrozzo in 2 minutes in total.  He defeated Randy Couture for the LHW belt via cut.  He blitzkrieged Wanderlei Silva for a 44 second KO.  Other wins over Anthony Johnson, Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin and Tank Abbott.

5. Tim Sylvia (31-9, 9-4 UFC) (HW belt holder)- Won HW belt over Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 41, reclaimed at UFC 59 over Arlovski defending twice. Other victories include Brandon Vera, Jeff Monson, Gan McGee and Assuerio Silva. He has gone 1-2 since leaving the UFC, losing in 36 seconds to Fedor Emelianenko, then in 9 seconds to Ray Mercer.

6. Andrei Arlovski (19-10, 10-4 UFC)(HW belt holder)- Won HW belt from Tim Sylvia with an achilles lock. Defended twice against Justin Eilers and a 15 second KO of Paul Buentello. Other victories over Vladimir Matyushenko, Marcio Cruz, Ian Freeman, Fabricio Werdum and Jake O'Brien. His contract expired after the O'Brien fight and the UFC shunned him to the under card. After KO'ing Roy Nelson in Elite XC, he has really fallen off the radar losing four straight.

Too bad - Frank Shamrock (23-10, 5-0 UFC)(LHW, then called MW belt)- Entered the UFC winning the MW belt (now LHW) over Olympic Gold medalist Kevin Jackson (4-2) with an arm bar in 16 seconds. He then slammed undefeated Igor Zinoviev (4-1) into retirement in 22 seconds in his first title defense.

Shamrock then submitted Jeremy Horn with a kneebar and John Lober submitted to punches in his next two defenses. Shamrock defended the belt once more in one of the best fights in MMA history against Tito Ortiz. The UFC has a rocky relationship with Frank, after his retirement as he fought and comments with rival Strikeforce and was a coach in the IFL.

Maybe - Evan Tanner (32-8, 11-6 UFC) (MW belt holder)- Wins over Robbie Lawler, Homer Moore, Phil Baroni 2X and David Terrell (MW belt). Unfortunately, Evan Tanner has passed away. With 17 total fights in the UFC and a title, I think Tanner deserves a spot.

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UFC Hall of Fame - Who's Next?

UFC Hall of Fame - Who's Next by MMA Blaster

The UFC is the only mixed martial arts organization with a Hall of Fame. As of now, the members of the hall include Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman, Matt Hughes, Pat Miletich, BJ Penn, Forrest Griffin, Stephen Bonnar and Tito Ortiz. The late Charles "Mask" Lewis and Jeff Blatnick have been inducted as contributors to the sport. The fight Matt Hughes v. Frank Trigg 2 is reckognized as well.

Bas Rutten (28-4, 2-0 UFC) will next be inducted as a pioneer of the sport. Rutten was a beast in Pancrase and won the UFC heavyweight title and defended once. My hope would be that the UFC would look at inducting Don Frye, Kazushi Sakuraba and Frank Shamrock as the next group of pioneers. Georges St. Pierre is an obvious choice to come next.

Don Frye (20-9, 9-1 UFC)(UFC 8, UU96 belts)- Won the UU96 and UFC 8 title's in a epic fashion defeating Tank Abbott and Gary Goodridge, respectively. One of the most epic brawls in MMA history at Pride 21 against Takayama following a split decision win over Ken Shamrock at Pride 19. One of the first with devastating boxing and a solid wrestling base.



Guaranteed inducted upon retirement:

1. Georges St. Pierre (25-2, 19-2 UFC)(WW belt holder)- GSP has TKO's over BJ Penn and Matt Serra, while submitting Matt Hughes and taking decisions over Carlos Condit, Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck.


2. Anderson Silva (33-6, 16-2 UFC)(MW belt holder)- A recent failed drug test for steroids has put a major black eye over the legacy of Silva. Last three bouts have been two devastating losses to Chris Wiedman and having his win over Nick Diaz overturned. TKO's over Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt. Submission wins over Dan Henderson and Sonnen.


3. Rich Franklin (25-5, 12-4 UFC) (MW belt holder)- Won MW belt from Evan Tanner and defended twice. Victories over Yushin Okami, Jason MacDonald, Ken Shamrock and Evan Tanner 2X. Recent wins over Travis Lutter and Matt Hamill with a close decision loss to Dan Henderson. Was crunched twice by Anderson Silva at 185. Defeated Wanderlei Silva at a 195 pound catch-weight then was TKO'd by Vitor Belfort.



4. Andrei Arlovski (25-10, 14-4 UFC)(HW belt holder)- Won HW belt from Tim Sylvia with an achilles lock. Defended twice against Justin Eilers and a 15 second KO of Paul Buentello. Other victories over Vladimir Matyushenko, Marcio Cruz, Ian Freeman, Fabricio Werdum and Jake O'Brien. His contract expired after the O'Brien fight and the UFC shunned him to the undercard. After beating Roy Nelson in Affliction, he got KO'd by Fedor and Rogers, then dropped a decision to Bigfoot Silva. But Arlovski has risen from the ashes, notching big victories over Brendan Schaub, Bigfoot Silva, Travis Browne and Frank Mir.



5. Evan Tanner (32-8, 11-6 UFC) (MW belt holder)- Wins over Robbie Lawler, Homer Moore, Phil Baroni 2X and David Terrell (MW belt). Unfortunately, Evan Tanner has passed away. With 17 total fights in the UFC and a title, I think Tanner deserves a spot. If Tank Abbott gets in with his 8 wins out of 18 in the UFC, Tanner should with his 11 wins in 17 fights in the UFC.


6. Frank Mir (18-10, 16-10 UFC)(HW belt holder)- Biggest win by far was the arm break of Tim Sylvia for the HW title. Victories over Brock Lesnar, Antonio Noguira, Pete Williams, Tank Abbott, Antoni Hardonk, Cheick Kongo and Roberto Traven. Has some big losses and recent big KO wins over Todd Duffee and Bigfoot Silva.

7. Rashad Evans (19-3-1, 14-3-1 UFC, LHW belt holder)- Won the LHW belt over Forrest Griffin, but then was KO'd by Lyoto Machida, but  rebounded with a win over Rampage Jackson. Defeated Sean Salmon with a nasty high kick. KO'd Chuck Liddell, Chael Sonnen and Jason Lambert. Decision victories over Michael Bisping, Stephan Bonnar and Brad Imes for the TUF 2 HW belt.

Pioneer- Frank Shamrock (23-10, 5-0 UFC)(LHW, then called MW belt)- Entered the UFC winning the MW belt (now LHW) over Olympic Gold medalist Kevin Jackson (4-2) with an arm bar in 16 seconds. He then slammed undefeated Igor Zinoviev (4-1) into retirement in 22 seconds in his first title defense. He beat Jeremy Horn and John Lober in his next two defenses. Shamrock defended the belt once more in one of the best fights in MMA history against Tito Ortiz (15-5).
*The UFC would have to let him have another fight, I don't see it happening.

Dana White said he would put in:

Tank Abbott (11-14, 8-10 UFC)- His selection would be more to do with popularity and helping build the UFC in the early days. His best performances were at UFC 6 and UU96. At UFC 6, Tank delivered a highlight real KO of John Matua 20 seconds in, rising up the crowd. In his second fight, Tank crushed the "Polar Bear" Paul Varelens in the first reving the crowd into a fury. Oleg Taktarov then beat Tank in the final. In UU96 he crushed Cal Worsham in an intense flurry in the first round then KO'd Steve Nelmark at 1:03 in his second fight. He almost beat Don Frye in the final after a big punch to the face, but lost. Other notable wins were against Hugo Duarte and Steve Jennum.

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Don Frye - MMA Legend

By the MMA Blaster



Don Frye (19-6, 9-1 UFC) is a true MMA legend. Every time he steps into the arena he brings an aggressive fire with him. He is probably best known to the internet community for the fight with Yoshihiro Takayama at Pride 21, when the two fighters punched each other hockey style in a wild fury with Frye coming out on top.

Frye was a wrestling standout at Arizona State University (ASU) where he learned under assistant coach Dan Severn. Frye would help train Severn for UU95, and Severn returned the favor to Don at UFC 8. Don won UFC 8 with three wins including a great one over Gary Goodridge in the final. Don also won the UU96 tournament, which included a crazy one minute and 22 second match against Tank Abbott for the title.

His 9-1 record in the UFC and the part he played in elevating the status of MMA in the United States should earn him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame. He was 11-1 before taking a break in 1997. He returned in September of 2001 winning after being eye gouged by Gilbert Yvel.

In his next fight he defeated kickboxing legend Cyril Abidi. He continued to fight in K1 and Pride in addition to being a coach in the IFL. His Dear Don segments for the IFL are classic, one is included below the highlight reel. Last January, Don won a fight in the No Limits organization against Bryan Pardoe (12-10) by way of a :47 second knockout.

*In Don's first MMA match at UFC 8, Don KO'd 410 pound Thomas Ramirez in 8 seconds.

Yamma Pit Fighting

I am intrigued by this new fight league that alleges "On the street it's against the law, in the pit it is the law". This is due to what they claim is a fighting surface that is revolutionary, and my love for the tournament. The card has been changing quite a bit keeping Yamma alive on internet forums. The whole promotion has overtones of "Bloodsport", and I wonder if Chong Li and Frank Dux will be battling it out.

Oleg Taktarov (221.2) vs. Mark Kerr (266.2)- Mark Kerr emerged as the late replacement for what was originally Don Frye. Oleg looks to earn his second straight win since his comeback. Kerr is looking to build on his 2 fight win streak since his comeback from his own personal demons.

Patrick Smith (240) vs. Eric " Butterbean" Esch (416.2)- Originally Pat Smith was scheduled as a replacement for Don Frye but that changed as he replaced mma veteren Gary Goodridge. Pat Smith should try to keep the Bean moving as he weighed in a a fat 416 pounds. We'll see what strategy Smith employs.

8 Man Heavyweight Tourney: Rumored that fights will be one round of five minutes and athletes will be inspected by a doc before the fight.

I have ranked them according to my rankings:

1. Ricco Rodriguez (27-8)(264)- The former UFC heavyweight champ recently lost a split decision to Junior Silva. He was also on Celebrity Rehab (although I don't know when it was filmed. He is a substitute for Rex Richards (4-1) and hopefully will lay everything on the line for these short matches. He looked a little chunky at the weigh-ins at

2. Travis Wiuff (49-11)(242)- Currently on a five fight win streak all by early stoppages, after fighting 9 times in 2007. Normally fights at 205, so will be giving up some pounds. Most impressive record and experience(UFC, IFL, Pride) out of the group, and should get the #1 Seed. Travis occasionally fights at 205, so I was surprised at the 242 pound weight.

3. Chris Tuchscherer (11-0)(264)- The North Dakota prospect is one of the biggest in the group stepping in around 260-265. The undefeated fighter only fought twice in 2007 and recently in 2008, winning against Travis Fulton.
**I wouldn't be surprised if Fulton appeared in this tourney.

4. Tony Sylvester (10-1)(263)- At 6'3" 263 with ponytail, he will be one of the big boys. He has a victory over Sherman Pendergarst and 7 in a row stretching back to June of 2006.

5. George Bush (5-0)(231)- Only fought once in 2007, and not yet in 2008. Has one victory over a fighter with an above 500 record. Stated in a Sherdog story that he did not know anything about the fighting surface and that he may face Sherman Pendergarst in the first round.

6. Marcelo "Pato" Pereira (Not on Sherdog, 5-0 MMAJunkie article)(4-1 Yamma)(219)- I'm guessing his name was misspeled on the website. MMAJunkie has stated he is a world class grappler and BJJ Blackbelt. He came in as the lightest fighter, a tall 219 pounds.

7. Sherman Pendergarst (10-8)(265)- Sherman is an experienced fighter having appeared in the UFC losing to Antoni Hardonk. He is (1-4) in his last 5 fights however. He looked a little soft at weigh-ins.

8. Alexey Oleynik (6-3 under Oleinik Sherdog)(4-3 Yamma)(220)- 3 submissions in a row in a Polish MMA tournament since a Bodog loss to Chael Sonnen. Mostly competes at 205.

Announced match ups with MMA Blaster Seeds with weights:

(1) Ricco Rodriguez(264.6) vs. (5) George Bush (231.6)
(2) Travis Wiuff (242.8) vs. (6) Marcelo Pereira (219.4)
(3) Chris Tuscherer (264) vs. (4) Tony Sylvester (262.8)
(7) Sherman Pendergarst (264.6) vs. (8) Alexey Oleinik (220.2)

Alternate Bouts
Antwain Britt (228.2) vs. Bryan Vetell (266)
Lamont Lister (212.6) vs. Oleg Savitsky (199.4)

Standby Alternate
Ron Waterman (264.4)

MMA Blaster on MMA Junkie Part 2

"TUF" HEAVYWEIGHTS NEEDED

If there is one constant rule in MMA, it's that a good heavyweight fighter is hard to find. That's why the UFC should cultivate its own talent with the six-week training course and tournament better known as "The Ultimate Fighter." The obvious obstacle is finding quality competitors, and the twist would be to go international. Advertise it as U.S. vs. World. Get the eight U.S. big boys by sniping some ex-IFL and EliteXC talent, fighters from YAMMA Pit Fighting's eight-man tournament, and tryouts. Internationally, find the fighters from top camps in Russia, Brazil, Australia, Holland, France, UK, Japan and Canada. The dynamic in the house and gaps in cultures would be unlike any other season. For coaches, rather than a six-month layoff for top fighters, go old school. For the U.S., Dan Severn, Don Frye or Mo Smith. For World, Marco Ruas, Pedro Rizzo or Oleg Taktarov.