UFC® today announced that former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith has been named to the 2017 UFC Hall of Fame class as a Pioneer. The 2017 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Thursday, July 6 in Las Vegas. The event will be streamed live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®.
Smith, the brand’s second heavyweight champion and first to make a successful title defense, will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as a Pioneer. The Pioneers era category includes athletes who turned professional before November 17, 2000 (when the unified rules of mixed martial arts were adopted), is a minimum age of 35 or has been retired for one year or more.