Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 1 joins 2024 UFC Hall of Fame class
The first meeting between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen from UFC 117, one of the most dramatic title fight comebacks ever, will join this year’s UFC Hall of Fame Class.
The promotion announced during Saturday’s UFC 300 broadcast that the incredible middleweight title fight, which was the UFC 117 main event at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 8, 2010, will be enshrined in the Fight Wing of the Hall of Fame as a part of the 2024 class.
Silva retained his UFC middleweight title by submitting Sonnen at the 3:10 mark of the final round. “The Spider” had not won any of the previous rounds, as all three official judges scored each frame for Sonnen, including three 10-8 scores. Somehow, some way, Silva pulled off the must-have submission to continue his historic championship run.
“The first fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen was incredible,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a news release. “This is the fight that made Anderson a star and showed the world that Chael could compete with anyone in the division. This incredible dogfight had everything you want in a five-round title fight, and it will be an honor to induct this fight into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”
The UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing honors the most epic fights in the promotion’s history. Silva vs. Sonnen 1 will be the ninth addition to the wing, joining other memorable battles including Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1, Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida, Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald 2, Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi, Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 1, Mark Coleman vs. Pete Williams, Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg 2, and Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson 1.
A fight we will never forget
Silva vs Sonnen 1, welcome to the UFC HOF! #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/MaN0f0rqZk
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2024
Silva vs. Sonnen 1 joins the 2024 UFC Hall of Fame class alongside the inductions former UFC champions Frankie Edgar and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and former PRIDE FC champ Wanderlei Silva.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.