Demetrious Johnson Finally Gets UFC Hall of Fame Call As Dominick Cruz, Chris Weidman Follow
Demetrious Johnson headlined the UFC Hall of Fame class enshrined Thursday night.
There was never much doubt about “if” Demetrious Johnson would make the UFC Hall of Fame. The only real question was when.
That answer arrived on Thursday ahead of the UFC 329 card when the promotion officially welcomed "Mighty Mouse" into its Modern Wing during the 2026 UFC Hall of Fame ceremony at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Joining him were former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and ex-middleweight king Chris Weidman, three champions whose careers couldn't be more different, yet each left an unmistakable mark on UFC history.
Dominick Cruz and Chris Weidman Complete Hall of Fame class built on Defining Moments
Johnson (27-3-1) entered the HOF annals as arguably the greatest flyweight the sport has ever seen. The 39-year-old’s record-setting 11 consecutive UFC title defenses remain unmatched, a testament to the dominance he displayed throughout his championship reign.
That run also produced some of the most unforgettable highlights in MMA history. His airborne armbar submission of Ray Borg still is one of the MMA’s most replayed finishes, while his last-second submission of Kyoji Horiguchi with just one second left on the clock remains as the latest finish in a UFC championship fight.
Although Johnson headlined the class, though the honor came to him after eight years since his last bout in the promotion, the UFC's Modern Wing also honored two champions whose legacies were shaped in very different ways.
For Cruz (24-4-0), the induction recognizes a career that helped establish the lighter weight divisions long before they became a staple of the UFC roster. As the final WEC bantamweight champion, the veteran carried the division into the UFC after the merger and quickly cemented himself as its stalwart.
His victories over Joseph Benavidez and a decision win over Johnson in 2011 came during a period when the smaller weight classes were booming with competition. While injuries prevented Cruz from enjoying the sustained dominance many envisioned, his success played a significant role in creating the platform on which Johnson would later build his flyweight legacy.
Looking at Chris Weidman's Hall of Fame REsume
Meanwhile, Weidman's (16-8-0) Hall of Fame resume begins with one of the biggest upsets the Octagon has ever witnessed.
Back in 2013, the New Yorker stunned “The Spider” Anderson Silva to capture the middleweight title, ending one of the most dominant championship reigns in UFC history. He then erased any lingering doubts by defeating Silva again in their rematch before successfully defending the belt against Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort, forever cementing his place among the division's elite.
Alex Pereira, Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs. Zhang Weili, Thomas Gerbasi Also Receive Honors
Beyond the Modern Wing inductees, this year's Hall of Fame class recognized contributions across multiple categories.
The unforgettable strawweight title fight between Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Zhang Weili entered the Fight Wing, while longtime UFC writer and editorial director Thomas Gerbasi is honored posthumously in the Contributor Wing for his decades covering the sport.
Former two-division champion Alex Pereira also received the Forrest Griffin Community Award, recognizing his charitable work and contributions outside the Octagon.
For Johnson, though, Thursday marked the culmination of a career that has long been synonymous with greatness. The Hall of Fame announcement simply made official what the MMA world had believed for years: "Mighty Mouse" belongs among the sport's immortals.
