10 Great Retired UFC Champions Not In The Hall Of Fame

9. Evan Tanner

Became Middleweight Champion on February 5th, 2005 when he defeated David Terrell at UFC 51 for the vacant title. He was, however, unable to retain the belt when he lost due to a doctor stoppage at UFC 53 against Rich Franklin.

Tanner was a true pioneer of the sport through the early years, having initially self-taught himself MMA via VHS Tapes and practicing in his garage. He was an exciting fighter with a lengthy UFC career; having first appeared at UFC 18. While never officially retiring, he passed away an untimely death while on a solo camping expedition in the California desert, on September 5th, 2008 at age 37; less than 3 months after his final UFC and MMA appearance.

In his time in the UFC he held an admirable 11-6 record, battling many of the best the division had to offer, and coming away with an additional 3 “Of the Night” awards. After all these years, he still ranks 4th Highest in Significant Strike Percentage in UFC History for fighters with at least 10 UFC bouts.

HoF wing eligibility: PIONEER