MMA legend Maurice Smith is the second member of the 2017 UFC Hall of Fame class, officials today confirmed with MMAjunkie.

Smith (14-14 MMA, 4-3 UFC), who in 1997 became just the second fighter to claim the UFC heavyweight title, will be inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame as part of this summer’s International Fight Week festivities. He joins former WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber, who was already recently announced for the ’17 class.

“It will be an honor to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and be forever connected to this sport,” Smith stated. “I was the first world-class striker to win a UFC title because I worked with great training partners to evolve into a well-rounded fighter. I’m proud of the titles I won in MMA, but helping advance the game toward the mixed martial arts of today is my greatest accomplishment in the sport.”

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Smith, 55, will become the 13th fighter to join the Pioneer wing of the UFC Hall of Fame when he’s inducted at the July 6 ceremony in Las Vegas. The event streams on UFC Fight Pass.

According to the UFC’s description, the Pioneers category includes fighters who turned professional before Nov. 17, 2000 (when MMA’s unified rules were adopted), is a minimum age of 35, or has been retired for one year or more.

Born in Seattle, Wash., Smith made his octagon debut at UFC 14 in 1997. He had a decorated kickboxing career before joining the promotion and put that striking pedigree to use during his MMA career.

Smith faced inaugural UFC heavyweight titleholder Mark Coleman in his debut contest and claimed the belt by unanimous decision after a 21-minute fight that was widely deemed the 1997 “Fight of the Year” (watch it above). Four months later, Smith became the first fighter in UFC history to register a successful title defenses after he beat Tank Abbott by submission at UFC 15.

His title run came to an end in his next fight, though. Smith suffered his first UFC loss when he dropped a majority decision to Randy Couture at UFC Japan in December 1997.

Smith moved back to kickboxing after the defeat and didn’t return to UFC competition until UFC 19 in March 1999. He lost a unanimous decision to Kevin Randleman before getting back on track with a TKO victory over Marco Ruas at UFC 21.

Smith spent his next four fights outside of the UFC, fighting under the PRIDE and RINGS banners in Japan. He made his back to the UFC once again in September 2000 and registered what would be his final win with the organization when he beat Bobby Hoffman at UFC 27. His final UFC fight came two months later when Renato “Babalu” Sobral defeated him by unanimous decision at UFC 28.

After losing to Sobral, nearly seven years passed before Smith participated in a pro MMA bout. He kept busy in kickboxing during those years, but eventually a rematch with Ruas lured him back to the sport. He was victorious again and scored another TKO win over Ruas under the now-defunct IFL banner in 2007.

Smith fought only intermediately in the years following, jumping around various different promotions before finally retiring from MMA and combat sports in late 2013 at the age of 51.

Smith joins Coleman, Couture, Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, Pat Miletich, Bas Rutten, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and the most recent inductee, Don Frye, as members of the Pioneer wing in the UFC Hall of Fame.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.