“The Handsome One” (perhaps better known as “El Guapo”) will be enshrined at the 2015 UFC Hall of Fame inductions.

UFC President Dana White surprised Bas Rutten, a former UFC heavyweight champion, during Friday’s edition of “Inside MMA” on AXS TV. Rutten is a cohost of the weekly news program.

UFC officials recently revamped its company hall of fame and now enshrines members in one of four categories: modern era, pioneer era, contributors and fights.

Rutten (28-4-1), a 50-year-old Dutchman who won the UFC title in 1999 and fought just once more in his career (in 2006 at a WFA event), is a member of the pioneer class, which also includes the likes of Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and Chuck Liddell. All those fighters first fought before 1999, with Rutten making his pro debut in 1993.

The induction ceremony takes place July 11 as part of UFC Fan Expo 2015 in Las Vegas. As announced earlier this week, MMA forefather Jeff Blatnick (contributor wing) and Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II (fight wing) are also slated for inductions.

Following White’s surprise announcement (watch it above), Rutten seemed genuinely surprised.

“That is awesome!” Rutten said. “Wow! I totally didn’t expect that one.”

Later, in a press release, Rutten said he didn’t expect the world’s top MMA promotion to honor him as a fighter.

“I never expected to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame,” Rutten stated. “I won the UFC heavyweight title, but injuries cut my UFC run short. Most of my big wins were in Japan. I saw the new UFC Hall of Fame format, and I thought maybe I could get in eventually as a contributor because of my years of commentating. But I’m so honored that the UFC recognized what I did as a fighter.”

Rutten’s induction should be seen as good news for other MMA notables who may not have spent much time in the UFC. Rutten, for example, fought only twice in the UFC – during the tail end of his career. Instead, 30 of his 33 fights came in Pancrase, a Japanese promotion that uses a hybrid-rules set, single-round fights and open-handed striking. Rutten was a longtime champ (“King of Pancrase”) and fought for the promotion from 1993-1998.

The live-shot specialist then made a heavily anticipated UFC debut in 1999 at UFC 18. Carrying a 19-fight unbeaten streak (18-0-1), Rutten then earned a TKO victory over Tsuyoshi Kohsaka. He returned a few months later and claimed the heavyweight title with a split-decision victory over Kevin Randleman at UFC 20.

That was the last time Rutten fought in the UFC; injuries ultimately derailed his career. He returned seven years later for a TKO victory over Ruben Villareal in 2006, but the one-fight return marked the end of his career. He concluded his career with a 28-4-1 mark (12 knockouts and 13 submissions), and he went unbeaten from 1995 until his fight final 11 years later.

Rutten then turned his attention to coaching (including a team with the now-defunct IFL), broadcasting (studio and events), acting (including a prominent role in Kevin James’ MMA-themed “Here Comes the Boom”) and teller of legendary stories (ask him for a good street-fight story if you ever see him).

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