There is no greater honor for an MMA fighter than being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. The initiative follows other leading North American sports such as the NBA and NFL, which both also have Hall of Fames for stars that have enjoyed stellar runs during their career.
UFC opened its doors to the Hall of Fame for the first time in 2003, with Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie becoming the first stars to enter.
However, one star that has been very outspoken about the Hall of Fame over the previous couple of months is Conor McGregor. Even though McGregor was for a long time a big part of the UFC brand and a favorite in the sport odds, he is yet to be indicted to the HoF.
Fighting everyday for inner peace 🙏 pic.twitter.com/T62YHofZyS
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 6, 2022
So, will the Irishman eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame at some point during his career?
What McGregor Has Said About Hall Of Fame
McGregor has never been someone to mince his words when he has a potential feeling toward something, and that has been no different when he has spoken about the Hall of Fame. In his typical outspoken way, McGregor announced that the Hall of Fame is more like a ‘wall of fame’ before he is inducted.
However, when talking about the Hall of Fame earlier in the day, he revealed that it was something that he was looking forward to, as he considers himself a no-brainer when it comes to future inclusions.
McGregor has also gone on to list his accomplishments that belief makes him a shoe-in for inclusion at some point in his career. Most notably, he mentioned the four records that he holds surrounding KO speed, KOs most divisions and knockdowns. Nobody is able to argue against those records that he listed off, as he does hold each record that he claimed.
His quickest KO victory was scored against Jose Aldo for the featherweight title in 2015, which remains the quickest title fight in the history of UFC. Meanwhile, he also holds the record for most knockout victories in different weight classifications, as he has managed to achieve it in three different divisions. But, when and will McGregor be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
When Will McGregor Be Inducted?
In truth, it’s more of a matter of when McGregor will be inducted rather than if. The Irishman is one of the biggest stars that the sport has ever seen, and has helped take both UFC and MMA to places that many believed to be impossible. He has a mainstream appeal that very few other superstars in the sport have managed, which is highlighted by his fights dominating the bouts that have the highest-grossing figures.
Not since Brock Lesnar’s switch from WWE to UFC has the company been able to attract fans that wouldn’t normally watch the action, and that has led to healthier purses across the board. What he has done for the sport will be acknowledged once he finally calls time on his career, as no active fighters can be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Therefore, we aren’t likely to see McGregor taking his rightful place among the legends of yesteryear until he finally calls time on his days in the octagon.
It would appear as though McGregor still doesn’t plan on doing that any time soon, as he is training to return to the octagon in late 2022 or early 2023. The Irishman has been out injured since breaking his leg in the third fight between himself and Dustin Poirier. But, McGregor will need to get back to winning ways when he steps back into UFC as he has lost his last three fights in the octagon, which includes two straight defeats against Poirier.
Which Stars Are Already In The Hall Of Fame?
The UFC Hall of Fame was rebooted in 2015 and now plays a prominent role in the sport’s biggest weekend of the year. There are four different wings for stars looking to make it into the Hall of Fame. The Modern Wing features stars that have made their debuts in MMA since the inclusion of unified rules, which came into play at UFC 28.
Meanwhile, the Pioneer Wing celebrates stars from before unified rules. The Fight Wing was set up to celebrate the most significant bouts in the history of MMA, while the Contributors Wing recognizes outstanding contributions made to the sport outside of competition.
The most recent star to be inducted into the Pioneer Wing was Kevin Randleman. He was a one-time UFC Heavyweight champion and successfully defended his title on one occasion.
Meanwhile, stars that make up the Modern Wing include names such as Ronda Rousey, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier. Contributors that have the honour of being in the UFC Hall of Fame include Marc Ratner, Art Davie and Jeff Blatnick. To date, seven fights are included in the Fight Wing, with the most recent inclusion being the bout between Club Swanson and Doo Ho Choi.
