When was Bas Rutten inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame?

Former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 11, 2015.

UFC President Dana White broke the news to Rutten during an appearance on AXS TV's Inside MMA series, which was hosted by the UFC legend at the time.

Watch Rutten’s reaction to being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in the video below:

Nicknamed 'El Guapo', the Dutch-American was inducted into the Pioneer Era wing of the Hall of Fame, joining icons like Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, and Pat Miletich.

The Pioneer Era category commemorates the innovators of the sport who turned professional before November 28, 2000, when the Unified Rules of MMA were created and adopted.

Several names were inducted into the category in subsequent years, including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Don Frye, Maurice Smith, Kazushi Sakuraba, Matt Sera, Rich Franklin, and Kevin Randleman.

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When did Bas Rutten become the UFC heavyweight champion?

Bas Rutten joined the UFC ranks back in 1999 after dominating the competition in Japanese MMA promotion Pancrase. The Dutch-American just had two fights under the promotional banner.

In his UFC debut, 'El Guapo' dispatched Tsuyoshi Kohsaka with a first-round technical knockout at UFC 18. Four months later, he returned to the octagon at UFC 20 on May 7, 1999, and edged out Kevin Randleman to win the vacant UFC heavyweight championship. Rutten became the fourth man to capture the UFC heavyweight title.

Rutten relinquished the belt to pursue a run in the light heavyweight division. However, he never had the opportunity to compete in that division due to health conditions. 'El Guapo' ended up blowing out his knee, tearing his bicep, and suffering from a neck injury.

While Rutten was forced to retire from the sport, he returned to fighting in July 2006 when he competed in his final fight at World Fighting Alliance. The former UFC heavyweight picked up a first-round TKO over Ruben Villareal after landing a number of vicious leg kicks.

Watch Bas Rutten vs. Ruben Villareal below:

Bas Rutten hasn't fought since his win over Villareal in 2006. The 57-year-old now holds a record of 28-4-1, with 25 of his wins being finishes.