An Unbiased MMA Hall Of Fame: Who Are The Inductees?

MMA fans, especially those who remember the days of renting UFC VHS tapes from the "Special Interests" section at Blockbuster in the early to mid 90s, know that, like any other sport, MMA will one day or at least should someday have an official MMA Hall of Fame. 

The UFC jump-started this by inducting Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman, and, most recently, Chuck Liddell and Mask. All of them deserve to be there, but the downfall of the UFC's Hall of Fame is that it's only UFC-based, and only those fighters who are in still in good standing with Dana White are allowed in.

So the question is: In a perfect future world, if there is an international MMA Hall of Fame, who should be inducted?

The criteria is that the person inducted has been a pro fighter or vastly improved or contributed to the formation and evolution of the sport of MMA. It would be fitting if it was located in Japan, Brazil, or the USA, since those are the major spots that MMA gained notoriety initially.

Omitted from the most recent class of the UFC inductees were Frank Shamrock and Tito Ortiz—two fighters who have had falling-outs with Dana White, and two fighters who guided the UFC through the rough waters of the dark days of the UFC from the late 90s to 2000 or so. 

Frank Shamrock was one of the first complete MMA fighters and was able to mix strikes and submissions with a level of skill which hadn't been seen since his older brother Ken, Bas Rutten, or Marco Ruas were in their prime. 

Tito lost to Frank Shamrock, but following that, held the Light-Heavyweight Title for years. Tito was not always the most exciting fighter, but he was able to create enough excitement and entertain so that the UFC could stay afloat and not sink. Tito is owed at least a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Pat Miletich was the predecessor of the likes of great coaches such as Greg Jackson. He started his own training camp when there were hardly any MMA-specific camps in the USA. He, along with Shamrock's Lion's Den and Team Quest, were among the first major American MMA camps. At one point, the Welterweight and Heavyweight UFC Champions were training there concurrently in Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia.

Miletich has trained and coached 11 UFC world champions, but even as much of an influence as Miletich had on MMA training and the evolution of fighting styles used, he had a great career. He had ups and downs and has been plagued for many years with a neck injury that won't heal. He was a true pioneer of the sport and a former UFC champion.

There are many contenders of the UFC Hall of Fame still fighting and still in the good graces of Dana White, but what about those fighters whose careers were outside of the UFC?

Let's start with Bas Rutten. Will he be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame? Most likely not because he only fought two fights there, the last being his win over Kevin Randleman for the Heavyweight Title. Is he a legend and sure-fire Hall of Fame inductee into an MMA Hall Of Fame without bias?  Absolutely. He was a legend in Pancrase and a UFC World Champion.

When people think of an MMA legend as more famous for his myth and legacy than his actual body of fights, Rickson Gracie comes to mind—the same Rickson that Helio claimed was his best student and best competitor of the whole expansive Gracie family tree. He sold out arenas in Japan with just the whisper of that he may be on a fight card. He was dominant in two Japan Vale Tudo competitions, and is undefeated.

He is a myth because he was never tested in the ring. He dominated everyone put in front of him, but he didn't fight very much. He is, no doubt, the most famous and one of the most respected Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners of all time. 

He deserves to be in a MMA Hall of Fame as much for his influence on the evolution of the sport as well as his success in competition. He was his brother, Royce, with a chiseled physique and lots more athleticism and strength. By many highly regarded Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champions, he had more skill and pure technique than his brother.

It's a shame he never made a long full career of professional fights, but his tribute and highlight tapes will circulate the Internet and fan circles forever.

To avoid boring readers with an expansive list of names, I'll leave it to my fellow MMA die-hard fans to post your suggestions and reasons why. 

In closing, Hall of Fames often have walls commemorating major events or games that will forever be remembered: a pitcher's perfect game, the 1972 Miami Dolphins perfect season, etc. In an international MMA Hall of Fame there should be walls commemorating extraordinary matches.

Here are two that come to mind instantly: Bonnar-Griffin I, and Royce Gracie-Sakauraba I. Both matches demonstrated what two fighters with never-say-die attitudes can do at their best. One was a mainstream fifteen-minute blood-bath which introduced millions to MMA, and the other was a 90-minute long battle of pride and indestructible wills. 

What other matches or side notes should be is this Hall of Fame?