The UFC Hall of Fame class of 2020 was finally honored.
Usually, the UFC holds the ceremony during its International Fight Week. That plan went awry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is, the promotion was finally able to hold the event in Las Vegas on Thursday (Sept. 23).
Georges St-Pierre was the biggest name being honored. He was inducted into the Modern Era Wing. Here’s what the once-dominant UFC Welterweight Champion had to say during his speech (h/t MMAFighting.com).
“I’ve always wanted to be a champion but it also meant a lot to me to have a positive impact on my sport,” St-Pierre said. “To change the game. When I retired from competition, I did with great pride at having made that impact.
“It’s funny. I never really liked to fight. It’s a weird thing to say from a Hall of Famer, but I never enjoyed it. If I could snap my fingers before every fight to fast forward and open my eyes and the fight was over, I would have done it every single time. I did it because I could have the freedom, the health, the wealth and the life that I have.”
Kevin Randleman Finally Gets His Due
It’s only fitting that Kevin Randleman was inducted into the Pioneer Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. Many of his peers have wondered why it’s taken this long. Well, the wait is over. Randleman was posthumously inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He passed away back in 2016 but it’s clear his legacy will live on forever.
Jones vs. Gustafsson Honored In Fight Wing
Fight fans still haven’t forgotten about Jon Jones’ first true test. Jones looked unstoppable before running into Alexander Gustafsson back in 2013. “The Mauler” gave Jones all he could handle for five rounds. It was a thrilling back-and-forth contest that saw Jones emerge victorious via unanimous decision. The bout has been inducted in the Fight Wing section of the UFC Hall of Fame.
“That was such a difficult fight,” Jones said during the ceremony. “Thank you to Alex for being a part of that. Alex taught me a lot about myself.
“That fight with Alexander Gustafsson was one of the toughest things I’ve had to do in my career. The fourth and fifth rounds I had to pull something out I didn’t know I had inside of me.”
Dustin Poirier & Marc Ratner Get Some Shine Too
Former interim UFC Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier became the inaugural recipient of the Forrest Griffin Community Award. He earned the distinction thanks to his work on The Good Fight Foundation. UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner was also honored, being inducted in the Contributor Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Time will tell who gets inducted in 2022 but for now, the class of 2020 gets its due.
