Bas Rutten, a former UFC heavyweight champion and a three-time King of Pancrase, will be inducted this July into the UFC Hall of Fame, promotion officials announced Friday.
The UFC announced the induction in a statement released to reporters on Friday. The news was subsequently reported by Dann Stupp of MMAJunkie.com.
Rutten, 50, who now works as an MMA commentator for AXS TV and various other broadcasts, said in a statement:
I never expected to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. I won the UFC heavyweight title, but injuries cut my UFC run short.