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By the end of 2019, the UFC will have held its 500th fight card, featuring thousands of mixed martial artists from all over the world. And yet only 22 people have ever been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. With three new inductees -- Michael Bisping, Rashad Evans and Rich Franklin -- headed for the HOF this July, let's take a look back at the monumental moments that made these fighters legends.

UFC 1 The UFC is Born In the Ultimate Fighting Championship's very first event, Royce Gracie won three matches in one night, famously using his jiujitsu to topple -- and tap out -- much bigger opponents.

The Brazilian made short work of three opponents, with three tapouts in a combined 4:59.

Fighter Profile Royce Gracie The Ultimate Fighter Royce Gracie UFC Debut Nov. 12, 1993 (UFC 1) Career Record 13-2-2 Weight Class Welterweight

Middleweight

Light Heavyweight Notable Moments Won tournaments at UFC 1, 2, and 4

Only three-time tournament winner Biography The winner of the UFC 1 and 2 tournaments, as well as the man who proved Brazilian jiujitsu to be, at the time, the most effective martial art in a real fight. Gracie also won the UFC 4 tournament and is a legend among legends. A true pioneer of mixed martial arts and inspiration to many current-day fighters.

UFC 6 Shamrock-Severn Ken Shamrock, "The World's Most Dangerous Man," defeated Dan Severn by guillotine choke for the UFC superfight championship in the organization's first non-tournament title fight.

With a 30-minute time limit on the clock, Shamrock needed just 2:14 to get the tap.

Fighter Profile Ken Shamrock The World's Most Dangerous Man Ken Shamrock UFC Debut Nov. 12, 1993 (UFC 1) Career Record 26-11-2 Weight Class Light Heavyweight

Heavyweight Notable Moments Won the UFC superfight championship

Longest fight in UFC history vs. Royce Gracie Biography Shamrock was doing mixed martial arts before that term was ever coined, beginning in Japan's Pancrase promotion. "The World's Most Dangerous Man" was the first UFC superfight champion in 1995 and first Pancrase Openweight champion in 1994. Shamrock's legend extended when he fought Tito Ortiz at UFC 61 in 2006, which at the time was the highest-drawing pay-per-view event in promotion history.

Ultimate Ultimate '95 Severn is the Ultimate champ Dan Severn swept through a bracket of former UFC champs and runners-up to win the super tournament. "The Beast" fought for 49:50 that night, beating Paul Varelans, Tank Abbott and Oleg Taktarov.

"The Beast" was a groundbreaking MMA fighter with strong amateur wrestling roots.

Fighter Profile Dan Severn The Beast Dan Severn UFC Debut Dec. 16, 1994 (UFC 4) Career Record 102-17-7 Weight Class Heavyweight Notable Moments The only triple-crown champion in UFC History

Won UFC 5, Ultimate Ultimate 95 and the Superfight Championship Biography "The Beast," a former Olympic wrestling alternate, was the UFC 5 champion, the Ultimate Ultimate tournament 1995 champ and is a former UFC superfight titleholder. Along with Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock, Severn was among the biggest stars of the early UFCs. The Michigan native was still competing in MMA up until 2012 and holds more than 100 pro wins.

Ultimate Ultimate '96 Frye's grand exit Don Frye made a big splash in his last three UFC fights, mowing through Gary Goodridge, Mark Hall and Tank Abbott in one night. Frye went 9-1 before departing the UFC.

"The Predator" eventually transitioned from the UFC to MMA coaching, pro wrestling and even acting.

Fighter Profile Don Frye The Predator Don Frye UFC Debut Feb. 16, 1996 (UFC 8) Career Record 20-9-1-1 Weight Class Light Heavyweight

Heavyweight Notable Moments UFC 8 winner

Ultimate Ultimate 96 winner Biography "The Predator" won tournaments at UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 1996. He competed in one of the most iconic fights of all time, against Yoshihiro Takayama at Pride 21 in 2002. Along with Dan Severn, he's one of only two fighters to win UFC and Ultimate Ultimate tournaments.

UFC 12 Coleman's super start Former NCAA wrestling champ Mark Coleman submitted Dan Severn to win the first UFC heavyweight title while also unifying it with Severn's superfight championship.

Coleman's storied career included a 16-10 record ... and a bunch of title belts.

Fighter Profile Mark Coleman The Hammer Mark Coleman UFC Debut Jul. 12, 1996 (UFC 10) Career Record 16-10-0 Weight Class Light Heavyweight

Heavyweight Notable Moments Tournament winner at UFC 10 & 11

First-ever UFC heavyweight champion Biography Coleman became the first-ever UFC heavyweight champion when he defeated Dan Severn by submission in 1997. "The Godfather of Ground and Pound" won the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournaments, as well as the Pride 2000 Openweight Grand Prix tournament. The former Olympic wrestler is still regarded as one of the top heavyweight MMA fighters ever.

UFC 14 Smith-Coleman In the UFC Fight of the Year, striker Maurice Smith weathered Mark Coleman's vaunted ground-and-pound, eventually wearing Coleman down for an epic win.

Smith was a huge underdog against Coleman, and had to battle back from a rough start to get the W.

Fighter Profile Maurice Smith Mo Maurice Smith UFC Debut Jul. 27, 1997 (UFC 14) Career Record 14-14-0 Weight Class Light Heavyweight

Heavyweight Notable Moments UFC heavyweight champion

53-13-5 record in professional kickboxing Biography The man credited with showing how effective a kickboxing base could be in mixed martial arts. Smith beat Mark Coleman to become the second-ever UFC heavyweight champion at UFC 14 in 1997, a bout that was named Fight of the Year. The Seattle native was a decorated kickboxer with more than 50 wins and a K-1 tournament title under his belt.

UFC 15 Couture's stunning arrival Ex-NCAA wrestler Randy Couture TKO'd dangerous striker Vitor Belfort in a major upset. The superfight victory landed "The Natural" a title shot -- which he won -- against Maurice Smith.

Couture's grinding wrestling style exhausted Belfort and led to a stoppage at the 8:16 mark.

Fighter Profile Randy Couture The Natural Randy Couture UFC Debut May 20, 1997 (UFC 13) Career Record 19-11-0 Weight Class Light heavyweight

Heavyweight Notable Moments Won UFC 13 tournament

Three-time heavyweight champion

Two-time light heavyweight champion Biography "The Natural" has too many accomplishments to list. One of the best and most popular UFC fighters ever, Couture was the UFC 13 heavyweight tournament champion, a former three-time UFC heavyweight champ and two-time UFC light heavyweight titleholder. He was the first man to ever win UFC titles in different weight classes. "Captain America" still has the most UFC title fights ever (15).

UFC Ultimate Japan Sakuraba: One and done In his memorable one and only UFC event, Kazushi Sakuraba fought Marcus Silveira twice in the same night -- the first was a no contest and the second was an armbar W.

Despite an almost 40-pound weight disadvantage, Sakuraba prevailed in the second fight.

Fighter Profile Kazushi Sakuraba The Gracie Hunter Kazushi Sakuraba UFC Debut Dec. 21, 1997 (UFC Japan) Career Record 26-17-1-2 Weight Class Welterweight

Middleweight

Light Heavyweight

Heavyweight Notable Moments UFC Japan winner

Won the longest fight in Pride history, defeating Royce Gracie after 90 minutes Biography One of Sakuraba's goals was to show that professional wrestling, specifically the submission grappling style of catch wrestling, could be effective in mixed martial arts. Sakuraba, dubbed "The Gracie Killer," was the first man to defeat Royce Gracie in MMA. He won the UFC Japan tournament in 1997, but had most of his success in Pride, where he was constantly undersized but defeated the likes of Vitor Belfort, Quinton Jackson and Kevin Randleman.

UFC 17.5 Miletich's era begins Before Pat Miletich became a groundbreaking trainer - his stable included Matt Hughes and Robbie Lawler - "The Croatian Sensation" beat Mikey Burnett to capture the UFC's first welterweight title.

It wasn't always pretty, but Miletich edged Burnett by split decision.

Fighter Profile Pat Miletich The Croatian Sensation Pat Miletich UFC Debut Mar. 13, 1998 (UFC 16) Career Record 27-5-2 Weight Class Middleweight

Welterweight Accomplishments UFC 16 winner

First-ever welterweight champion Biography Despite an incredible in-cage career, Miletich is known just as much for developing some of the best fighters ever at his Miletich Fighting Systems gym in Bettendorf, Iowa. Miletich was the first-ever UFC welterweight champion and won the UFC 16 welterweight tournament in 1998. He also coached the likes of future UFC champions Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, Jens Pulver and Robbie Lawler.

UFC 20 Rutten-Randleman Pancrase legend Bas Rutten finally made his way to the UFC in 1999 and went 2-0, including his signature win, a split-decision victory over Kevin Randleman for the UFC heavyweight title.

Rutten's tough win over Randleman was his 20th straight fight without a loss.

Fighter Profile Bas Rutten El Guapo Bas Rutten UFC Debut Jan. 8, 1999 (UFC 18) Career Record 28-4-1 Weight Class Light heavyweight

Heavyweight Notable Moments UFC heavyweight champion

Three-time King of Pancrasse Openweight Championship Biography A former UFC heavyweight champion, Bas Rutten made the biggest name for himself in Japanese MMA. The master of the liver shot knockout, Rutten was a three-time King of Pancrase Openweight champion and helped pioneer the sport in that part of the world. "El Guapo," a Netherlands native, went unbeaten in his final 20 fights.

UFC 46 Penn-Hughes B.J. Penn moved up to welterweight to face five-time defending champ Matt Hughes, and Penn sprang an enormous upset by locking up a rear-naked choke at the end of the first round.

Penn's win in the first fight with Hughes set up one of the UFC's all-time best trilogies.

Fighter Profile B.J. Penn The Prodigy B.J. Penn UFC Debut May 4, 2001 (UFC 31) Career Record 16-13-2 Weight Class Lightweight

Welterweight Notable Moments Lightweight champion

Welterweight champion Biography Nicknamed "The Prodigy" because he is believed to be one of the fastest ever to earn a Brazilian jiujitsu black belt, Penn racked up UFC accomplishments in his prime. The Hawaii native was the second man ever to hold UFC titles in different weight classes (after Randy Couture), winning gold at lightweight and welterweight. He is one of the most naturally gifted to ever compete in MMA.

UFC 47 The Chuck-Tito rivalry begins One of the UFC's most bitter feuds didn't disappoint when the cage door closed. Chuck Liddell KO'd Tito Ortiz in spectacular fashion, and he repeated that victory in the rematch two years later.

Former friends Liddell and Ortiz wasted no time flinging haymakers once their first fight began.

Fighter Profile Chuck Liddell The Iceman Chuck Liddell UFC Debut May 15, 1998 (UFC 17) Career Record 21-9-0 Weight Class Light heavyweight Notable Moments Light heavyweight champion

Two-time Fight of the Night winner Biography Perhaps the first UFC star to ever cross over majorly into the Hollywood mainstream, Liddell remains one of the top drawing fighters of all time. "The Iceman" is a former UFC light heavyweight champion, and he holds the record for most knockouts (14) in light heavyweight history and the most wins (16) in the division's history, too. Liddell's run was one of the biggest reasons the UFC grew enormously in popularity.

UFC 50 Hughes Returns In the first of three bouts that would come to define the welterweight division, Matt Hughes secured a signature career win by beating Georges St-Pierre with an armbar submission.

Hughes and GSP battled in a seesaw first round before Hughes got the tap with one second left.

Fighter Profile Matt Hughes Matt Hughes UFC Debut Sep. 24, 1999 (UFC 22) Career Record 46-9-0 Weight Class Welterweight Notable Moments Two-time welterweight champion

Seven successful title defenses Biography One of the greatest welterweight fighters ever. Hughes was a two-time UFC welterweight division champ with a then-record seven title defenses among the two reigns. Hughes still has the most finishes in UFC welterweight division history (11). The Illinois native owns career wins over the likes of Georges St-Pierre, BJ Penn and Royce Gracie.

"The Ultimate Fighter" Finale Griffin-Bonnar Many view Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar as the most important fight in UFC history. And rightly so: Griffin's decision win was an all-out slugfest, capping a breakout first season for TUF.

The fighters didn't touch gloves as the fight began, but both showed nothing but respect after Griffin's W.

Fighter Profile Forrest Griffin Forrest Griffin UFC Debut Apr. 9, 2005 ("The Ultimate Fighter" Season 1 Finale) Career Record 19-7-0 Weight Class Light heavyweight Notable Moments Winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 1

Light heavyweight champion Biography Without Griffin, the UFC might not be in the spot it is today. His incredible fight with Stephan Bonnar on "The Ultimate Fighter " in the Season 1 finale in 2005 has been credited with earning the reality show another season on Spike TV, elevating the UFC's profile and popularity. Griffin is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and, always exciting, earned Fight of the Year honors twice.

UFC 53 Franklin, face of the UFC After clobbering Ken Shamrock in April, Rich Franklin, a former Ohio math teacher, beat Evan Tanner to capture the UFC middleweight title - and became one of the UFC's most visible early stars.

Franklin's title win also landed him a sweet bonus after the fight - a coaching gig on TUF 2.

Fighter Profile Rich Franklin Ace Rich Franklin UFC Debut Apr. 25 2003 (UFC 42) Career Record 29-7-0 Weight Class Middleweight

Light Heavyweight Notable Moments Middleweight champion

UFC Knockout of the Night against Chuck Liddell Biography The former high-school math teacher was an early example for those not familiar with the UFC that anyone could be a fighter. Franklin is a former UFC middleweight champion and still holds the record for most significant strikes in a middleweight title fight (127 against David Loiseau in 2006). "Ace" owns wins over the likes of Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva and Ken Shamrock.

Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 Ortiz-Shamrock 3 There might not be a better -- or more one-sided -- rivalry in UFC history than Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock. In their third battle, Ortiz again overwhelmed his fellow legend, Shamrock, to sweep the saga.

As good as the prefight hype always was, the actual bouts ended up being Ortiz routs.

Fighter Profile Tito Ortiz The Huntington Beach Bad Boy Tito Ortiz UFC Debut May 30, 1997 (UFC 13) Career Record 20-12-1 Weight Class Light heavyweight Notable Moments Light heavyweight champion

Four UFC Fight of the Nights Biography Along with Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz's prime years took the UFC to new heights of popularity. One of the sport's top draws, "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" is a former UFC light heavyweight champion with five successful title defenses, which was a record before Jon Jones' reign. Ortiz owns wins over the likes of Ken Shamrock, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort and Liddell.

UFC 69 Serra pulls off a miracle Matt Serra won Season 4 of TUF to earn a title chance against welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre ... and the underdog stopped GSP with punches for one of the UFC's all-time shockers.

Serra was a huge long shot against GSP ... but you'd never know it when they closed the cage door.

Fighter Profile Matt Serra The Terror Matt Serra UFC Debut May 4, 2001 (UFC 31) Career Record 17-7-0 Weight Class Welterweight Notable Moments Won "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 4

Welterweight champion Biography The man who pulled off the greatest upset in UFC history when he knocked out Georges St-Pierre to win the UFC welterweight title at UFC 69 in 2007. Serra earned the shot by winning "The Ultimate Fighter 4" tournament. The Long Island native was the first UFC fighter ever to win TUF and a UFC title thereafter. Serra is now one of the top coaches in MMA, guiding the likes of former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

UFC 92 Evans is TUF 2.0 After a 12-0-1 career start that included winning Season 2 of TUF, Rashad Evans knocked out light heavyweight champ -- and TUF 1 winner -- Forrest Griffin in spectacular fashion.

After Griffin controlled the first two rounds, Evans poured it on for a third-round stoppage.

Fighter Profile Rashad Evans Suga Rashad Evans UFC Debut Nov. 5, 2005 ("The Ultimate Fighter" Season 2 Finale) Career Record 24-8-1 Weight Class Light heavyweight

Heavyweight Notable Moments Won The Ultimate Fighter season 2

Light heavyweight champion Biography "Suga" is a former UFC light heavyweight champion, won "The Ultimate Fighter 2" heavyweight tournament and had one of the most iconic knockouts in UFC history when he stopped Chuck Liddell at UFC 88 in 2008. Evans' feuds with Jon Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson were legendary main-event fights that were top pay-per-view draws at the time.

UFC 102 Nogueira-Couture Pride superstar Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira finally arrived in the UFC, and in his fourth fight, the Brazilian edged Randy Couture by unanimous decision in 2009's UFC Fight of the Year.

Nogueira walked through Couture power strikes and ultimately outlanded "The Natural" for the W.

Fighter Profile Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Minotouro Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira UFC Debut Nov. 21, 2009 (UFC 106) Career Record 22-8-0 Weight Class Heavyweight Notable Moments Pride heavyweight champion

UFC interim heavyweight champion Biography A Brazilian legend and one of the greatest heavyweight MMA fighters of all time. Nogueira is a former Pride heavyweight champion and former UFC interim heavyweight champion. "Big Nog" is tied with Kazushi Sakuraba for the most submission wins in Pride history (11). One of the best heavyweight Brazilian jiujitsu black belts to ever grace the sport of mixed martial arts, Nogueira had legendary fights with Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop in Japan.

UFC 128 Faber finds a new home The WEC's biggest star, Urijah Faber, made his UFC debut, beating Eddie Wineland by unanimous decision in a bout that helped kickstart two new divisions, bantamweight and featherweight.

In a close fight, Faber eked out a 29-28 victory on all three judges' scorecards.

Fighter Profile Urijah Faber The California Kid Urijah Faber UFC Debut Mar. 19, 2011 (UFC 128) Career Record 34-10-0 Weight Class Bantamweight

Featherweight Notable Moments WEC featherweight championship

Two-time UFC submission of the night winner Biography Had Faber never became so popular, it's unclear where the lighter weight classes in mixed martial arts would be today. "The California Kid" was one of the first real box-office draws under 170 pounds. Faber was a big reason why the UFC purchased WEC, where he was the long-running featherweight champion. Faber has the most wins (nine) and submissions (six) in UFC bantamweight history.

UFC 157 Rousey's dominant reign begins In the first women's UFC bout, Ronda Rousey recovered from early trouble against Liz Carmouche and landed her signature armbar to launch a new era of women fighting in the UFC.

Her win against Carmouche started Rousey on an epic six-fight unbeaten streak to begin her UFC career.

Fighter Profile Ronda Rousey Rowdy Ronda Rousey UFC Debut Feb. 23, 2013 (UFC 157) Career Record 12-2-0 Weight Class Bantamweight Notable Moments UFC bantamweight championship

Strikeforce women's bantamweight championship Biography The first UFC women's bantamweight champion was a true revolutionary. "Rowdy" was the one who convinced UFC president Dana White to bring women into the UFC and she quickly became one of the biggest mainstream stars in the history of the promotion. On top of that, Rousey had one of the most dominant runs ever, winning five of her first six UFC fights by first-round finish -- four of which ended in 66 seconds or fewer.

UFC 199 Bisping breaks through Respected UFC vet Michael Bisping stepped up on less than three weeks' notice to face middleweight champ Luke Rockhold ... and pulled off a remarkable first-round KO victory for his first UFC title belt.

Bisping's KO of Rockhold didn't come out of nowhere -- it was his fourth straight impressive UFC win.

Fighter Profile Michael Bisping The Count Michael Bisping UFC Debut Jun. 24, 2006 ("The Ultimate Fighter" Season 3 Finale) Career Record 22-3-0 Weight Class Middleweight

Light heavyweight Accomplishments "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 3 winner

UFC middleweight champion Biography "The Count" once held the distinction of being perhaps the best fighter in UFC history to never hold a title. That was put to bed at UFC 199 in 2016 when he knocked out Luke Rockhold to claim the UFC middleweight title. Bisping, a pioneer of MMA in the United Kingdom, was the first-ever British UFC champion. He is tied with St-Pierre with the second-most wins in UFC history (20), a nod to his consistency and longevity.

2019 Inductees Class Crowned Bisping, Franklin and Evans -- members of the 2019 class -will all take their place among the legends who have shaped the UFC.

Michael Bisping

Rich Franklin