Former longtime UFC women's bantamweight champion and current WWE star Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey spearheads the inductees to the 2018 UFC Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held on July 5 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas as part of the seventh annual UFC International Fight Week.
Aside from Rousey, three other UFC personalities will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Bruce Connal, Art Davie, and Matt Serra. Rousey will join the modern wing, Connal and Davie will be inducted as contributors, while Serra will enter the Hall of Fame as pioneer.
A former Olympic bronze medalist in judo, Rousey will be the first woman to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Rousey went undefeated in her first 12 UFC fights and became the first and only UFC women's champion to successfully defend her title six times.
However, Rousey's reign ended when she was defeated by Holly Holm via second-round technical knockout. Rousey returned to the Octagon one year later, but she suffered a first-round technical knockout loss to Amanda Nunes.
Rousey finished her UFC stint with a 12-2 record. In her 12 victories, only one fighter made it past the first round. Miesha Tate made it to the third round, but she lost via submission.
Details On Other Inductees
Connal, for his part, led the production of more than 300 UFC televised events during his 19-year stint in the Octagon. The UFC creator and cofounder Davie joined forces with Brazilian jiu-jitsu master Rorian Gracie on a project that led to the eventual rebranding of the UFC.
A former UFC welterweight champion, Serra came to prominence as the winner of the Ultimate Fighter 4. The bout between Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua at UFC 193 will be honored in the Fight wing of the hall.
Holm All Praises For Rousey
After the inclusion of Rousey into the 2018 Hall of Fame class was announced, Holm has nothing but praises for her former rival. While other fighters believe that Rousey's induction was rather hasty, Holm believes that the former UFC champion deserves the honor.
According to Holm, Rousey brought the women's division to prominence during her stint at the UFC. Also, Holm said Rousey became one of the biggest stars, not just in MMA but also in the sporting world.
"I think she did a lot and she is a household name for what she did for the sport, so she should be recognized for that," said Holm, who ended Rousey's reign in 2015 with a head kick.
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