The announcement of Tito Ortiz going into the UFC Hall of Fame the day before what is billed as being his final match has led renewed talks about what is the Hall of Fame.
Its a question UFC itself wrestles with. The idea has been talked about to try and copy the WWE WrestleMania formula, with the annual early July show, with a Fan Expo and eventually an annual Hall of Fame ceremony. Of course the problem is that the UFC style of MMA is less than 19 years old, so its not like you can induct a group every year and still maintain any level of credibility.
Ortiz becomes the ninth person put in, following Mark Coleman, Randy Couture, Royce Gracie, Matt Hughes, the late Charles Mask Lewis (the only non-fighter, the creator of the Tapout clothing line who was instrumental in sponsoring fighters in the early days of the sport), Chuck Liddell, Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock. Of those, few would argue strongly against any of them, so this is not about who is in. In fact, few would argue against Ortiz.
Ortiz fought his entire career in UFC, debuting in 1997, and when he faces Forrest Griffin in the final fight of his current contract, it will be his 27th fight in the UFC, an all-time record. Outsiders could argue that a 16-10-1 record should hardly be Hall of Fame material, let alone that Ortiz has only had one UFC win since late 2006. Hes also never been the same fighter he was before he suffered bulging discs in his lower back in 2003, which took away from his bread-and-butter takedown game, and continued to fight through the sometimes crippling pain.
He was one of the biggest drawing cards in company history, particularly in 2006, perhaps the single most pivotal year in the growth of the sport. UFC established itself that year as the biggest PPV provider in the world, built around Ortiz doing big business with the likes of Forrest Griffin, Ken Shamrock and Liddell. With Ortiz as the catalyst, the UFC record number for buys went from 425,000 to 775,000 to 1,050,000the latter being a number that has still only been surpassed a couple of times in history.
Ortizs other credential was being light heavyweight champion from April 14, 2000, when he decisioned Wanderlei Silva, until losing on September 26, 2003, a 41-month reign that included five defenses, both records until the era of Anderson Silva.
Right after the announcement, Frank Shamrock said that the Hall of Fame wasnt credible unless he was in it. I immediately expected a deluge of people who werent around during his heyday and only know him as an announcer or for his last few fights, to talk about somebody being arrogant or delusional. But almost nobody did. The response, almost unanimously, was that in fact, thats correct.
And to an extent it is. Shamrock and Pat Miletich are the two names brought up the most. Shamrock should be a no-brainer. As far as being a truly successful champion, his credentials for the UFC Hall of Fame are stronger than brother Ken, even if he wasnt the star or drawing card (which is more due to timing than ability, as on an even playing field, Frank would outdraw Ken and the vast majority of fighters, as hes right near the top when it comes to fighters in history with the understanding of how to build up a fight), Coleman and Severn. Plus, his title reign in many ways was far more impressive than that of Ortiz. Shamrock also finished Ortiz, giving up a minimum of 25 pounds in the cage that night, late in the fourth round of a 1999 fight for the title, which at the time was considered the greatest fight in UFC history.
What made Shamrocks reign so impressive is that he was a guy who had to stuff himself with food to get up to 192 pounds, fighting guys who were cutting from 215-220 to make 199 (the weight class limit at the time). In the Ortiz fight, he looked two weight classes smaller than the guy who went on to dominate the division. Shamrock was the sports biggest star in the U.S. in 1998 and 1999, but that also coincided with UFC being banned from PPV, let alone having no television coverage. Still, his fights were doing 0.45 percent buy rates in the places (limited to Dish owners for the most part) that they were available. Keep in mind with all the huge increases in popularity and exposure, today many PPVs dont hit that percentage and the ones that do are headlined by current superstars. He still holds the record with four submission wins in his five title matches, and hes the only person in history to have won two championship matches in less than one minute. He also unified the Extreme Fighting Championship and UFC world titles in the under-200 pound weight class, finishing EFC champion Igor Zinoviev when that group was the No. 2 promotion in the U.S. and had just gone out of business.
Still, it will surprise me if that day will come, due to personal animosity between Frank Shamrock and Dana White. And until that happens, every year, hell be the name pulled out when people want to criticize the idea of the UFC Hall of Fame. Essentially they were on opposite sides of a promotional war that ended, and Whites side won by purchasing the company. But to the few fans who actually followed the history, none of that matters when things like Hall of Fame or greatest match in history discussions are done.
Miletich to me isnt a no-brainer, but if you throw in that his camp for years was considered the best in the U.S. a one point, producing champions like Hughes, Jens Pulver and Tim Sylvia as well as stars like Robbie Lawler and Jeremy Horn, you can make a good case. He was the first 170 pound champion, then called lightweight division, now welterweight. He was lucky to have beaten Mikey Burnett in the fight to determine the first champion. That fight saw him hold Burnett by the shorts (legal at the time) to neutralize him and win a decision that could have gone either way since it was a boring fight where neither man had any real significant offense. And in the days of non-exclusive contracts, Miletich lost three times outside the organization (including to pro wrestler Kiyoshi Tamura) while he was UFC champion. But he was a pioneer in the sport, and like with Ken Shamrock, the early guys tend to have an easier time being considered legends.
Many years back, when there was talk of having an MMA writers organization, one of the things under discussion was voting on a Hall of Fame. At the time, we did an Observer MMA Hall of Fame, similar to the pro wrestling one. For a number of reasons, the response and interest wasnt there at the time, and when the idea of a writers Hall of Fame came up, I didnt sense much of a reason to continue. But the entire writers organization never got going.
At this point, UFC has never inducted any fighters based on anything but UFC accomplishments, although I suppose you could argue Coleman winning the 2000 Pride Grand Prix tournament didnt hurt his case. But in time, Id expect UFC to induct Wanderlei Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and if thats the case, it was each mans run in Pride that was a lot more impressive than anything they did in UFC. But that would open up questions. With Pride, you then, for any legitimacy, would have to induct Kazushi Sakuraba, who I think nobody in UFC would be against if that door is open. But then youd also have to induct Fedor Emelianenko, or again, it would be a joke. And that would be tougher on many levels
There are also a couple of names that get brought up when it comes to controversy, none more than David Tank Abbott and Brock Lesnar. Abbott had a 10-14 record, and none of the ten guys he beat ever did anything in MMA. To me, hes not even close, in the sense how could you even consider him. But he did get the biggest pop and had a certain charisma about him where hed come out and the whole arena would be on their feet the entire fight. He was among the most famous fighters of the pioneer era, and people do argue his case with the familiar But hes Tank, argument.
While there have been far more skilled one minute fights, Im not sure Ive seen one that captured a UFC crowd like his loss to Don Frye. When the TV show Friends, then among the hottest shows in the country, did a UFC themed show where Monica (Courtney Cox) was dating a wannabe UFC fighter, Abbott was cast as the adversary. At the time, that episode, done because several cast members loved watching the PPVs, was considered a gigantic step for an underground sport.
Lesnar was 5-3, all of his losses (Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir, Alistair Overeem) coming to legitimate superstars. While UFC was criticized for putting him in what was essentially a four-man tournament to determine the real champion in 2008 and 2009, because he was only 2-1 at the time, he beat Randy Couture and Frank Mir to legitimately win the tournament and become the bona fide UFC world heavyweight champion. He was, by far, the biggest PPV draw in the history of the sport. He made the company tons of new fans, although many of those fans probably left when he retired. He was also 4-1 at the time he contracted Diverticulitis, but the Hall of Fame shouldnt be about What ifs.
Then theres the other aspect of the Hall of Fame. What about the real pioneers? Does Helio Gracie belong? Bruce Lee? Antonio Inoki (whose support of the early Pride shows were a bigger part of them getting over than anyone, and he did fight Muhammad Ali, in what some call, probably mistakenly, the first MMA match in history)? Satoru Sayama, who promoted the first attempt at something approximating MMA? Rickson Gracie? Nobuhiko Takada, who was a poor fighter, but he was the reason Pride ever got off the ground? Akira Maeda, who never had a real fight but his pro wrestling matches set the stage for everything that transpired, from K-1 to Pancrase? Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki? Karl Gotch?
So going through all that, this is how Id categorize people based on a combination of ability and influence:
Have to be in: Fedor Emelianenko, Kazushi Sakuraba, Randy Couture, Royce Gracie, Dan Henderson, Matt Hughes, Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Dana White, Helio Gracie, Lorenzo Fertitta, Joe Silva, Joe Rogan
Leaning strongly toward being in: Masakatsu Funaki, Ken Shamrock, Antonio Inoki, Bas Rutten, Mirko Cro Cop, Urijah Faber, Don Frye, Forrest Griffin. Brock Lesnar, Carlson Gracie, Tito Ortiz, B.J. Penn, Shogun Rua, Frank Shamrock, Gina Carano, Kid Yamamoto, Rorion Gracie, Marc Ratner
Worth debating the merits: Satoru Sayama, Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman, Rashad Evans, Rich Franklin, Euclides Periera, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Pat Miletich, Frank Mir, Dan Severn, Bob Meyrowitz, Naoto Morishita, Akira Maeda
Names talked about to be in that Id argue against: Nobuhiko Takada, Tank Abbott, Andrei Arlovski, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort, Kenny Florian, Jon Fitch, Takanori Gomi, Renzo Gracie, Mark Kerr, Bob Sapp, Jake Shields, Josh Koscheck, Matt Lindland, Minoru Suzuki, Guy Mezger, Carlos Newton, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Jens Pulver, Kevin Randleman, Pedro Rizzo, Marco Ruas, Maurice Smith, Oleg Taktarov, Tim Sylvia, Evan Tanner, Miguel Torres, Caol Uno, Matt Serra
Names to watch out for but its far too early: Jose Aldo Jr., Dominick Cruz. Junior Dos Santos, Frankie Edgar, Jon Jones, Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, Benson Henderson, Cris Cyborg
From a UFC Hall of Fame standpoint, I would hazard a guess Fedor isnt going in, Sakuraba is a maybe, as hes got no U.S. name but they also have nothing against him, and own the Pride tape library that features his greatest matches and his run that made Pride huge for its run. Dan Henderson, Wanderlei, Anderson, GSP and Nogueira are all locks I would think. Anderson, GSP and Dan Henderson for sure, but I dont see them holding the fact that Wanderlei and Nogueira didnt dominate in UFC since they were past their prime to hold back that they were legends and everyone in UFC for the most part liked them.
I sense White is like Vince McMahon. Hell either be put in upon retirement, or if he doesnt retire, he wont want to be in for a long time.
On list two, Funaki, Inoki and Yamamoto would be nos since they were all legends only in the Japanese market. Rutten is a maybe. He only had two fights in UFC and none in Pride, but has a great record in Pancrase and was already 35 and filled with injuries when Pride started taking off. Lorenzo Fertitta was such a huge fan of Cro Cop that I think hes a probable even though his UFC run was a huge disappointment, but the same would go for Wanderlei Silva, who really did nothing major of note in UFC although he at least was a drawing card early on. Faber I think is close to a definite because theyll credit him, and rightfully so, with putting the 135 and 145s on the map. Frye is a possibility. Griffin would be a lock, because of the importance of the Griffin vs. Bonnar fight, winning the first TUF, being a big drawing card and eventually becoming an over achieving world champion. I sense Lesnar would be a lock but not for many years. Penn would be a lock. Rorion is a possibility and Frank Shamrock would depend on whether they want a Hall of Fame with some credibility or one that will be regarded as the family and friends Hall of Fame because itll always have the black eye if hes not in it. Thats a decision theyll have to make. Carano would be a no in a UFC Hall since she never worked for UFC.
On last three, Sayama, Barnett, Meyrowitz and Morishita I dont see in a UFC Hall of Fame. Franklin I see as a sure thing for a UFC Hall of Fame, because hes been such a team player, moving weight classes and taking so many fights when the company has needed him, and he was also a champion and one of the most popular fighters when UFC hit television, who may have had an even longer run on top had Anderson Silva not existed. Franklin hasnt had a title shot in years and probably never will get another, but I cant see them not recognizing him.
Evans is a probable. Jackson I dont know. Theyve always catered to him, and he was a star who drew. He did beat Liddell for the light heavyweight title when it was UFCs marquee belt and won a close decision over Dan Henderson as champion in a match that drew huge ratings. Aside from that, his big credential was being in the most successful non-title match in history with Evans, arguably the best promoted grudge match in company history, although he lost that fight and it was lackluster. Machida depends on the numbers game. If they expand to induct multiple people per year, Machida is going in. At one a year, maybe not. Miletich I dont see as much of a longshot as Shamrock since hes been far more political, but I dont see him as a lock either.
Mir I could see either way. At the end of the day, he did win the title and the interim title. He headlined the companys biggest show ever but it just depends on the level you go with the Hall of Fame. Hes neither a bad pick nor someone Id say was a lock. I know he and White have been on bad terms at times, but I see him as a possibility.
Another question is that this is a sport and not a performance, so how do you take the drug issue? How do you take the guys who did fail (Josh Barnett, Vitor Belfort, Cris Cyborg, Kevin Randleman, Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Alistair Overeem)? There are some sports Halls of Fame, baseball in particular, where it looks like the writers wont vote in people linked to steroids publicly, but will have no problem doing so with those who probably used but were never caught in any manner.
But once you go down that road, do you then become hypocritical and pretend others were clean because they never failed, or were in their heyday in an environment where there was no testing?
The latest ESPN Magazine in its debate issue, asked the question whether steroid users belong in Halls of Fame. This was not limited to baseball, where the writers have made it a major issue and you have legitimate all-time greats whose numbers are so far beyond Hall of Fame level like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens who may be excluded. In a completely unscientific study, they asked essentially people on the street at sports bars, fans at games, high school students, athletes, football coaches and others. Every single group voted that those who used steroids should not be in sports Halls of Fame except ESPN on-air talent and MMA fighters, coaches and students at Jorge Riveras Gym in Milford, MA.
What about guys who participated in worked fights? In a real sport, if you fixed a game, nothing could be worse and youre almost surely not getting into the Hall of Fame. Pete Rose cant even be in the baseball Hall of Fame because he bet on the game, and its routine for fighters in Las Vegas to bet, sometimes large sums of money, on fights with nobody batting an eye or caring, so baseball standards of conduct are very different than those in MMA. And then, what about worked fights that were mandated by the company people were working for at the time? What about when it was a pro wrestling company at heart is doing shoot fights and worked fights and youve done both, do what youre told, but the audience isnt told the difference? Did you fix fights, or just do pro wrestling? Is working fights okay because of the nature of the sport, particularly on the Japanese side where the link to pro wrestling is stronger? Is it different if its on a U.S. MMA show that is regulated than an unregulated Japanese show. And if you then throw in that its okay if its unregulated, then you have the argument about how much of wins earned in unregulated fights, where steroid use was rampant, and in some cases there are worked fights or planned finishes, should count for and against you.
There are not easy questions to answer. I think most would agree it is preposterous to ban someone from the MMA Hall of Fame if they did pro wrestling matches on pro wrestling shows, as much as it would be preposterous to ban them for doing fight scenes in movies. But the world isnt as open-and-shut. What about those who participated in worked fights in Pancrase, RINGS and Pride where the public knew no different? Virtually all of those worked fights were arranged by the promotion itself. If you say thats okay, then what about worked fights on small U.S. shows, or agreed upon fights, which are alleged to have happened once or twice, on UFC shows?
The thing is, its not intentionally taking dives that would be part of the list of guys we are talking about, but many of them at one point or another did do worked fights, whether it was worked shoot style pro wrestling, working fights on MMA shows that the office wanted a certain result in and that was your job, or shows that were neither MMA nor pro wrestling but something in between and each match was different?
Also, what do you do about Gina Carano and an MMA Hall of Fame? She is not a Hall of Fame fighter in any way, but as far as influence, she has to be a slam dunk. As far as drawing power, she has a good case. Then you get to Kimbo Slice, who drew record TV ratings, but even so, the fighting ability to me takes him out of any consideration. And then if were talking a drawing power Hall of Fame, you open it up to Bob Sapp, who did incredible television numbers and was the hottest star in the sport at one point, but I dont think anyone would consider for an MMA Hall of Fame. In talking Carano, while she was a trained fighter and had a ton of charisma, she never won the title and shes more a draw than an awesome fighter.
But Sapp, even more than Akebono, is the extreme. He had more fame in his heyday in Japan than every UFC fighter in the U.S. combined, and the spectacle of seeing him drew tens of millions of television viewers, more than any U.S. fighter could ever touch, Lesnar included. But hes clearly the farthest thing from a Hall of Fame level fighter.
But to me, Carano should be strongly considered for an MMA Hall because if it wasnt for her, womens fighting would not be on the major league stage today. UFC didnt believe in it. The only reason Showtime had it was because Gary Shaw begged to get Carano on the first show, and they were dead set against it. Shaw put up a big fight and it came down to, they could go in the opener but if they didnt deliver, Shaw could never bring the subject up again. Then they stole the show, and that was Carano.
Thats all just some of the reasons that make trying to do an MMA Hall of Fame so difficult.
