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Last weekend saw the announcement that former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar would be heading into the UFC’s Hall of Fame later this year.
Frankie Edgar won’t be the only entry into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2024, of course, so who else could join ‘The Answer’?
The promotion tends to induct one fighter – or bout – into the five wings of its Hall of Fame each year, and we can probably surmise that Edgar will be heading into the Modern wing.
So with that slot filled, here are some suggestions for the other entries into the UFC’s Hall of Fame in 2024.
Pioneers wing: Frank Mir – former UFC heavyweight champion
The UFC Hall of Fame’s Pioneers wing is a little difficult to categorize, purely nobody in the promotion has explained what exactly constitutes a ‘pioneer’.
Therefore, the wing features early stars of MMA like Royce Gracie and Don Frye alongside the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Anderson Silva, both of whom retired relatively recently.
Essentially, it appears that the promotion would consider any fighter who began competing during the pre-TUF boom era as a pioneer.
With that in mind, one obvious choice to be inducted this year could be former heavyweight champion Frank Mir.
Debuting in the octagon in 2001 as a fresh-faced youngster, Mir quickly gained a reputation for his seriously dangerous submission skills.
He submitted the likes of Pete Williams and Tank Abbott, and in 2004, he snapped the arm of the then-unbeaten Tim Sylvia to claim the vacant heavyweight title.
A bad motorcycle accident forced Mir to vacate his crown without a single defense, and when he returned two years later and lost two of his first three fights back, it looked like his career was over.
2008, though, saw him return to form. He submitted former WWE star Brock Lesnar with a kneebar in Lesnar’s octagon debut, then became the first fighter to ever knock out Nogueira, winning the interim heavyweight title in the process.
Mir failed to unify the titles in a rematch with Lesnar, but he remained near the top of the division until his departure in 2016, picking up big wins over the likes of Cheick Kongo, Mirko Cro Cop, Roy Nelson and Antonio Silva.
Given that he still holds the record for the most submission wins in UFC heavyweight history, and fought a who’s who of his generation, entering this former champ into the Hall of Fame feels like a no-brainer.
#2. Contributors wing: ‘Big’ John McCarthy – former UFC referee
The Hall of Fame’s Contributors wing features important figures in the UFC’s history who didn’t actually set foot inside the octagon.
While the likes of Art Davie, Marc Ratner and Joe Silva were not fighters, it’s fair to say that they left their mark on the promotion.
A good choice for an entry into this wing in 2024, then, could be a man who was not a fighter, but who did step into the octagon more than most of the fighters already entered into the Hall – legendary referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy.
After spending time as an officer with the LAPD, ‘Big John’ first appeared in the octagon at UFC 2, and was then a staple of events for the best part of three decades.
McCarthy retired from refereeing duties in 2018 and now serves as a color commentator for Bellator MMA, something that might mean the UFC brass are sour on him.
However, in this case, they ought to look past his association with a rival and enter him into the Hall of Fame regardless.
McCarthy was recognized for years as the best referee in the game, but more than that, he was partly responsible for sweeping changes to the sport too.
Not only did ‘Big John’ ensure that referee stoppages became an acceptable end to fights in the octagon, but he also helped to create the Unified Rules of MMA, which were adopted in 2001 and are still used today.
Essentially, there are few figures as influential in UFC history as McCarthy, and despite his relationship with Bellator, he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
#3. Fight wing: Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz – UFC 202
The UFC Hall of Fame’s fight wing features some of the greatest bouts to ever take place in the octagon, and so naturally, more than any of the other wings, there are a huge number of prospective entries each year.
It could, therefore, make sense to enter an older bout like Tito Ortiz vs. Frank Shamrock or make Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk the first female bout to join the wing.
However, with Nate Diaz now out of the promotion and Conor McGregor’s active career seemingly petering to a halt, it might make sense to induct their legendary second fight, which took place in the summer of 2016.
Once voted as the greatest fight in UFC history altogether, ‘The Notorious’ and the TUF 5 winner threw down and brawled for five straight rounds.
Early on it looked like McGregor’s low kicks and heavy left hands would win the day, but as the fight went on, Diaz took over, turning proceedings into a true back-and-forth gutter war.
In the end, the Irishman edged out a split decision that left every fan hoping for a trilogy bout that, unfortunately, never came around.
However, even if the chances of that third fight happening are now somewhere between slim and none, it’d be a fair consolation for the UFC to enter this fight into the Hall of Fame.
If nothing else, it’d be hugely entertaining to see McGregor and Diaz share a stage during the induction ceremony – and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see an impromptu trilogy fight happen there and then.
#4. Forrest Griffin Community Award: Molly McCann – UFC flyweight contender
The UFC’s Hall of Fame doesn’t just recognize accomplishments inside the octagon. It also recognizes the work done by fighters outside of competition, rewarding charity and volunteering work and the results it has in the community.
Therefore, there could be no better choice for 2024’s Forrest Griffin Community Award than current flyweight contender Molly McCann.
‘Meatball’ is currently on a two-fight losing streak, and there’s every chance that her next bout, scheduled for February 3, could be her last in the octagon if she falls to defeat.
However, nobody could ever criticize her work outside the octagon. Not only does the native of Liverpool work as a mental health ambassador with John Moores University, but she’s also been involved in raising money for the homeless alongside Everton FC.
More importantly, though, McCann is also heavily involved with a charity organization called Weapons Down Gloves Up, which is looking to reduce knife crime on the streets of Liverpool.
Given that it’s well-known that her charity work does not stop, even when she’s in fight camp, ‘Meatball’ would be a well-deserving choice for this Hall of Fame award.
