Who Will Join the UFC Hall of Fame this Year?

In May of 2015, the UFC updated the format of its Hall of Fame by reorganizing it into four categories. The first category was named the Modern Era Wing, which honors fighters that made their pro debut on or after November 17, 2000. The second is the Pioneers Era Wing, which commemorates fighters who debuted before the aforementioned date. The third category is the contributors wing, which is reserved for influential non-fighters. The fourth category, finally, is the Fight Wing, which celebrates the best and most important fights in UFC history.

In July of 2015, during the UFC's annual International Fight Week, the UFC made it's first Hall of Fame inductions under this new format. That year's inductions saw BJ Penn and Bas Rutten added to the Modern Era and Pioneers Era Wings respectively, while Jeff Blatnick was honored as a contributor, and Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg's 2005 rematch was added to the Fight Wing.

With Fight Week 2016 quickly approaching, the UFC has now announced that this year's Hall of Fame inductions, which will follow the same format, will occur on July 10 during the Fan Expo. And though that date is still some distance away, many fans are already speculating as to who will join the HOF's hallowed ranks this year.

Let's take a look at the candidates.

The possible additions to the Hall of Fame's Modern Era Wing are perhaps the most plentiful. Georges St-Pierre, for example, would make a sound addition. Though he's long been rumored to be plotting a return to competition, which could unfold any number of ways, his accolades as the greatest welterweight in the sport's history makes his status as a future Hall-of-Famer pretty much irrefutable. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua would also make a strong addition to this branch of the Hall of Fame. Though he's fallen on tough times, and could well come up short when he takes on Corey Anderson at UFC 198, he is one of the greatest light heavyweights in MMA history. A similar argument could be made for Rashad Evans, also a former light heavyweight champion who seems to be nearing the end of the road. And finally, cases could be made for Michael Bisping, who helped put European MMA on the map, Urijah Faber, who is one of the biggest stars in the history of the lower weight classes, and Ronda Rousey, whose dominance and charisma helped bring women's MMA to the UFC. Indeed, there seem to be many feasible choices for this year's Modern Era Wing inductee.

The choices are markedly slimmer in terms of the Pioneer Era Wing, but there are still some interesting options. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who debuted in 1999 and therefore meets the Pioneer Era Wing's parameters, recently retired from competition and seems like a frontrunner for the honor. Anderson Silva, who made his pro debut in '97 could also make a key addition to the Pioneers Era wing. Though the former middleweight king has not tasted victory since 2012, he still owns the record for most consecutive title defenses, and has long been viewed as a shoe-in for HOF honors as a result. Upon closer consideration, however, there seems to be only one suitable choice for this Pioneer Era inductee: Kevin "The Monster" Randleman. At a heartbreakingly young 45 years of age, the hulking American passed away in February 2016, and as a former UFC heavyweight champion, and a competitor in organizations like Pride and Strikeforce, seems more than worthy of a spot in this branch of the UFC Hall of Fame. Really, there is no fighter more deserving of Hall of Fame honors this year.

This brings us to the Contributors Wing. In this category, any number of figures might be honored with a Hall of Fame induction. Joe Rogan, who debuted as a color commentator for the UFC at UFC 12 in 1997, might earn his place in history as a new UFC Hall of Famer. In-cage announcer Bruce Buffer, whose booming timbre is as synonymous with the UFC as the Octagon itself, could also find himself in the Hall of Fame this July. And then, of course, there are the dozens of journalists, executives and policy-makers whose contributions to the evolution of mixed martial arts could justify a Hall of Fame spot.

And last but not least, there is the Fight Wing, where the greatest fights in UFC history are commemorated. In this category, we have a seemingly boundless supply of contests to choose from. Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's legendary battle at UFC 139 could well take the honor. Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson's UFC 165 barnburner could also be this year's Fight inductee. Though it is still fairly recent in the grand scheme, Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald's UFC 189 title fight, which stained the pages of the history books red, would also be a sound inductee to the UFC Hall of Fame. And then there are the dark horses—wild but oft-forgotten showdowns that might surprise with a HOF induction: The Korean Zombie vs. Dustin Poirier, Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez, Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann, and so on.

While there appear to be a few logical choices for 2016's UFC Hall of Fame inductees, the organization has no shortage of deserving figures at its fingertips—and so we're likely to get a few surprises.

CORRECTION: Because Rousey and Shogun will be under 35 years old at the time of 2016's induction ceremony, they are currently ineligible for the Modern Era Wing of the Hall of Fame. And because Shogun vs. Henderson, Jones vs. Gustafsson, Lawler vs. MacDonald, Stann vs. Silva, Sanchez vs. Melendez, and Jung vs. Poirier are all less than 5 years old, all of these seemingly inevitable Hall of Fame inductees will have to wait a few more years. We apologize for these errors.