Two New Members to be Inducted into UFC Hall of Fame at UFC 100
Chuck Liddell
The UFC will induct two new members into its hall of fame at the UFC Fan Expo on July 10th in Las Vegas immediately following UFC President Dana White’s keynote address. The promotion’s historic UFC 100 event is scheduled to take place following day at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
MMA Fanhouse’s Mike Chiappetta speculates that Chuck Liddell and Charles “Mask” Lewis are most likely to be inducted into the exclusive club, with other potential inductees including Matt Hughes and Evan Tanner.
Currently, the promotion’s hall of fame has five members: Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman, and Dan Severn. Coleman was the most-recent inductee, joining the hall of fame last March at UFC 82 when he also announced his UFC return.
For the latest UFC 100 news check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC 100 archive.
Tags: Charles "Mask" Lewis, Chuck Liddell, Evan Tanner, Matt Hughes
Loading ...
Chuck is obvious. Lewis is an interesting choice. I think Tanner should be in before Lewis personally. Hughes is a shoe in of course, but I’d like to see them wait for his retirement first.
well i hope they induct matt hughes as soon as possible, but i know they will wait until he retires which might be the time of UFC 100, if he loses to Serra; if he wins theres no telling what he’ll do
at least they aint talking bout tank abbott
No kidding! There’s about ten fighters I’d put in before Abbott! Fry, Belfort, Varlenz…
Lewis is an interesting choice, but at the same time I understand it because of all that he did for the sport. The other three all make sense, but I wonder if Tanner would have gotten in had he not died tragically. Obviously I don’t think he would have gotten in at this time if he were still alive, but yeah, just not sure.
Why isnt Don Frye in there?
I could be wrong, but I think he had some not nice things to say about the UFC at some point, they don’t like it when people do that.
I guess but that was in the SEG days, was weird how he declared retirement from UFC only after Ultimate Ultimate
I think out of respect tanner should go in, however I doubt it will happen. Tanner wasnt the most gifted or skilled, or “exciting” guy, but he worked very hard and never quit. I thought big john would be inducted, espically at 100 considering it is a “celebration” of the past, present and future of the UFC. I always knew it was a big fight when big john was the ref. he is the best ref I have seen, herb dean is right behind.
to me future members of the hall are rich franklin, matt hughes, anderson silva, gsp, maybe bj, maybe dan henderson, maybe wanderlei. I say maybe on hendo and wandy because they havent done a lot of damage in the ufc, yet if you look at their mma resumes they are no brainers to go in. since it is the ufc hall of fame we are talking about, that makes me say maybe. I say maybe on bj because he is talented, yet his complaining and attitude are not hall of fame worthy in my eyes.
What I said about Frye above, applies to Big John, and I know Big John had some not nice things to say about the UFC.
bigchris2328,
I’m not quite sure if Wanderlei or Henderson will get in because like you pointed out, they have not done a whole lot in the UFC, but their MMA carrers, overall are well deserving of Hall Of Fame recognition. I’m glad to see Chuck getting in even though i feel he had at least one more knockoput win in him. Mask is a good choice because he did do alot for the sport…..a lot of kids and adults now and days are very familiar with Tapout,and people not so much educated with MMA automatically assume that Tapout is a UFC thing, with that being said Tapout can be credited with bringing more fans to the UFC through their clothing line which has blown up in popularity. Evan Tanner whoever, i agree with Justin that if he hadn’t died so tragically might have been considered to get it. Matt Hughes will get in, but they should wait till he calls it quits because he has stated he has a few more fights in him and would like to make another run at the title. Big John would have problably been considered, but he did negatively criticise the UFC.
correcting what i said,
tanner might not have gotten in if he were still here was what i meant to say
I personally feel the UFC should put Evan Tanner in. He did hold a championship at one point in his carrer,(i’m not saying every guy who has held a title deserves to get in), but considering his tragic passing and the fact that he has fought other champions(Tito Ortiz,Rich Franklin twice), i feel the guy deserves that honor. He was a really tough fighter who brought it every single time, you can’t really say that about just any fighter.
Matt Hughes should IMO get the win against Serra, retire and go in the Hall Of Fame with Liddell. That would be nice to watch considering they both dominated their weight classes for a long time in the same era.
i agree with you on big john and all the others
i hope bj stays out though
but i bet wanderlei will make it in because even though he came here from pride in 200? he also fought in the old days around UFC 20-30’s
all in all i hope he makes it
another guy to consider making the hall is minotauro and possibly frank mir
(later tim sylvia) hes a BIG maybe, i think his reputation got chopped down a little bit after drug charges, but i understand his “excuse” the drugs were supposed to make him cut up and make is figure look better
which i agree with because he is flabby lol
but ya
nice analysis
Yeah Wanderlei fought in the UFC at Ultimate Brazil, UFC 20, and UFC 25 before a long stint in PRIDE. He went 1-2 in his UFC career at that time, so even then he didn’t do much in the UFC.
i think tanner should be inducted because of what he did…
he was self trained using videos to learn skills… he didnt have trainers and dietitions etc etc… while his death was tragic he was intending to come back and fight more proving you can do it by yourself…
and on that merit alone he deserves to be in the HoF
Chuck Liddell is a clear cut HOF’er, no doubt about that….
Charles Lewis Jr. aka “Mask” has helped the sport of MMA greatly and was a personal friend of the brothers Fertitta and Dana White so perhaps that is the reason why i guess? Also I believe that I had seen somewhere that PunkAss said something to the effect of: that ZUFFA was going to do a major tibute for Mask… I could be wrong I can’t remember rightnow..
Evan Tanner, perhaps could be, I know that a majority of “hardcore” fans would like for ZUFFA to put him in, I found Evan extremely entertaining and a “tough as nails” kinda guy.. His personal story is really great and I was and always have been a fan of Tanner’s I hope that ZUFFA does a special something for the man (more so than a 60sec tribute, ya know)
Hughes is most likely going in once he retires..
I wonder with Chuck if he will announce his retirement @ UFC 100 (137), or if he will take the thought process of taking a year off and train then come back for a final fight (last fight on his contract)?
I think it’s poetic. Chuck “The Iceman” Lidell, the most popular MMA fighter ever in the biggest MMA organization ever, who just lost, and now is pretty much done, going to be Inducted into the Hall of Fame @ UFC 100?!?! Dude, retire, and go out in a good way. It’s like, his retirement was meant to be. It’s UFC 100 dude, it’s “Chuck Lidell”, seriously **** your contract and a “last fight” and retire already dude.
Liddell getting inducted is a no brainer at all. I still don’t think we’ve seen his last fight though. Regardless of whether it’s good for his career or not, he’s a born fighter and will get in there because it’s what he loves to do.
Mask would be an interesting inductee. He’s done a ton for the sport, but he’s not a fighter. I believe the guy deserves tribute, without a doubt. But should he be inducted for this? He would be the first non-fighter. Wierd.
yeah i dig that about dudes like lidell, they just want to go out there and fight cuz that’s what they love to do. I just thought the setting, time and occasion would be fitting for the biggest ufc star ever to retire.
FIGS,
yeah dude i understand where you’re coming from. He isn’t a fighter and that would be kind of wierd. but then again, not really. I’m sure when “goldy” , rogan, buffer and dana are done doing what they do, that they will probably be inducted in the hall of fame. I think it makes sense to have people who are not just fighters in the hall of fame because there are a lot of these “famous” dudes who do a whole lot for the ufc.
Other possible canidates for the Hall(in no specific order)
Pat Miletich
Jens Pulver
Tito Ortiz: (although i doubt it will happen for obvious reasons, but the guy does deserve it, he defended his title 5 times if i’m not mistaken and was the face of the sport for a while)
Oleg Taktarov
Matt Hughes
Big John Mcarthy(also doubt it, but he’s the best ref ever)
Pat Miletich (tho I really enjoy him) won’t get in, due to his alliance with WAMMA o ya F~WAMMA
Pulver, I doubt it honestly I’m a huge fan but reality with him fighting in every org (IFL, PRIDE, Shooto, IFC, EC, HOOKnSHOOT,UCC, UFO, UW) after his fame in the UFC (1st stint).. He is great tho..
Ortiz well I dunno possibly ya
Taktarov I doubt due to the beatings he took in the early UFC’s doesn’t really make him HOF worthy but he was great forsure wow Oleg brought it
BJM should be but his mouth got in the way imo
Good point on Miletech! He doesn’t get mentioned a lot and you rarely see him discussed with the hall of fame. But if you combine his actual fighting with his training and the impact that has had on the sport, he really deserves it. Just go through the list of champions he’s trained!
Liddell and Hughes are glaringly obvious shoe-ins for the hall and nobody can really argue that.
Lewis and Tanner, however, is a very very slippery slope. I will try and be as sensitive as I can. I don’t exactly beleive that a tragic death should put you on the fast track into the Hall of Fame. I am just as big a fan of Tanner as the next guy, no doubt about it. But the truth is had he not died tragically in the dessert, he would not be considered. His MMA career is simply not enough to warrant a HOF entry. Should Pat Tillman be enshrined in the NFL HOF? Again, its a very dicey situation, but similar to Tanners’s. I do not think he should based on his career in the NFL. Is he a hero? Absolutely! A role model? Absolutely! But in my opinion, the hall of fame is more performance-based and I don’t think a tragic death should play a role in the majoroty of these cases. Lewis’s situation is a little different becasue he did make a humongous impact on the UFC and MMA in general. I am on the fence with him because of the impact he made, regardless of how he died. With Tanner, however, I think the only reason we are having this conversation is because of his tragic, sudden death. I am all in favor of tributes, dedications, and all types of homage to these great guys who died unexpectedly, but I personally don’t feel it should help a guy’s case for the Hall of Fame.
Mask should and deserves to be in the Hall: He cofounded Tapout which sponsores many fighters and helps the sport grow each day…how?, Loads of people including kids and adults alike who are not educated in MMA buy Tapout clothing, and in most parts brings interest to these pople about MMA, and most of theses casual fans assume that MMA is only the UFC and they begin to tune in and eventually become bigger fans. Tapout is a huge part of MMA because if you ask anyone on the street about their MMA knowledge, 9 times out of 10 they will include some remark about tapout.
When it comes to Evan Tanner, sure he hasn’t had the career of a Liddell or Hughes, but he was a champion and did fight other champions such as Ortiz and Franklin, yeah if he were still alive we would most likely not be having this discussion, but given the circumstances and his somewhat above average career, he’s not a first ballad, but is worthy of the Hall. And not any guy who passes gets a free ride into the Hall…Justin Eilers.
tanner isnt your typical fighter, as was stated above he taught himself his skills and became a champ. he never gave up in a fight like some fighters do(bj penn). I see why he should get in, and why he shouldnt. I also mentioned rich franklin as a possible Hall of famer. I remeber when he owned 185 before silva got there, remeber when he was considered unbeatable? he has suffered very few losses, 2 to silva (future ufc hall of famer), machida(could very well be the next champion and have a long string of title defenses at 205), hendo(future mma hall of famer), and maybe will lose to wandy(future mma hall of famer and certified monster back in pride). 5 losses to the best of the best in mma, thats a hall of fame fighter in my eyes.
to the point that goldberg, rogan and dana will be inducted into the hall of fame, I see rogan for sure because he knows his mma and the guy is a blackbelt who will kick ass to get in(just kidding just because he has knowledge doesnt qualify him but he should go in based on his contributions to the sport) goldberg, sure for his contributions and as far as dana going in when hes done… he will die (I am not making a threat or anything, just saying) before he is done with the sport. the UFC is pretty much his baby and I do not see him ever giving up his position. he will be like al davis of the raiders, doing his thing well into his depends years, just hopefully he does it with sanity whereas al davis is a lunatic.
Watch the jabs at bj, please. I’m starting to notice a bit of a trend towards regularly bashing him.
I personally would like to see mask and chuck in this year…….I would like to see evan in there too but imho just because he died doesnt mean he should be inducted …i say give it a year or two …theres more deserving canadites right now
I don’t know if Mask would get inducted to the Hall of Fame and I don’t know if Tanner will. It’s horrible that they passed away but if they weren’t going to get inducted, then they shouldn’t be.
I think the UFC should keep the HOF for the Elite of the Elite ( fighters only ), the arguable bests of certain era’s.
So far, I think they are on that track.
If they start inducting guys like Mask and Tanner, then it will open up a ton of other arguments on who deserves it….etc
Just my opinion…….
Evan Tanner… the people that are arguing that if he hadn’t passed away he wouldn’t be considered right now are completely correct. If he were still competing we would be waiting for his career to play out. But once he retired (whether dead or not) he would be a legitimate hall of famer. He fought the best in the sport on a regular basis and always gave a great challenge and showing even when he lost. On top of that, he was a great spokesman for the sport. Yes there have been other better fighters, but few had his longevity in the UFC and truly personified the UFC. In that respect he is up there with Chuck and Randy.
Another name not getting mentioned a lot… When is Tito going to get considered for the hall?
Oh I am pretty sure Tito is right there with Big John and Don Frye in terms of guys, whether they may or may not be worthy of the Hall, will not be put in, simply on account of bickering and feuding with the UFC.
But I think Tito is a very interesting option. He has some big big wins over guys listed in this thread such and Wanderlei, Tanner, and then also guys like Forrest and Vitor Belfort. I think there is an argument that he impacted and had the same degree of success that Chuck Liddell has had, and we all call Chuck a shoe-in HOFer. In fact, Tito sucessfully defended the 205 title more times than Chuck did. I’m not comparing the two because Chuck owns Tito, but on paper I think Tito is a HOFer. And yes, I feel dirty for saying it. Very dirty!
But again, he is not getting in, not while Dana is still around.
Being an MMA enthusiast you never should truly feel clean. LOL
Tito Ortiz should eventually get into The Hall Of Fame. His accomplishments alone should get him in. Tito defended the title 5 times which is a record he shares with Matt Hughes and now Anderson Silva. Despite his chlldish attitude and beef with Dana White, Tito Ortiz was the face of the UFC for a while and he kept people interested when the UFC was in danger of going out of business whether or not people want to admit that so he shoild get some credit for that. He didn’t leave on a great note, with a tie to Rashad Evans, and a loss to Machida, but he did beat Wanderlei,Evan Tanner,Vitor Belfort,Forrest Griffin…all theses guys i just mentioned were prevous champions, not too many guys have this many champions on their list. He also had some big and great fights with Frank Shamrock,Ken Shamrock(1st fight) and Chuck Liddell(2nd fight). Tito should be in The Hall and deserves to be.
Perspective::::::
Champions Chuck Liddell has fought (past or present)
Shogun Rua (L)
Wanderlei Silva (W)
Tito Ortiz (2x W)
Randy Couture (2x W,L)
Kevin Randleman (W)
Murilo Bustamante (W)
Rashad Evans (L)
Rampage Jackson (2x L)
Alistair Overeem (W)
Babalu (2x W)
Jeff Monson (ADCC) (W)
Vitor Belfort (W), forgot in original post
nice little side note for that there, cheers
yeah dude well said
Food for thought on whether death impacts induction, mostly for those that are questioning Tanner and whether the only reason he is being considered is because of his death.
Would ANYONE have thought of Lewis at this time if he hadn’t died?
“At this time” no, but at a later time, possibly. There is a different debate on the two men. With Lewis his death has more affect on when he may have been inducted. With Tanner, there is some question as to if he ever would have been inducted without his tragic death.
If you know anything about evan tanner then you know he dominated the international scene then came to the UFC and was able win the belt. Tanner is a beast and his style greatly changed the ground game in MMA, even if those stylistic changes came before he made it into the UFC.
Side-choke anyone?