Former heavyweight champ Maurice Smith to join UFC Hall of Fame

Former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith will join the promotion's Hall of Fame during its annual induction ceremony - scheduled for July's International Fight Week.

The news was announced on Saturday's broadcast of UFC Fight Night 108.

As a fixture of a pre-Zuffa UFC, Smith's nod was well over a decade in the making, as he last fought for the promotion at UFC 28 in a losing effort to Renato Sobral in November 2000. A kickboxer competing in an era dominated by wrestler's, Smith will best be remembered for dethroning then-undefeated champion Mark Coleman for the heavyweight strap by unanimous decision in his promotional debut at UFC 14, a title he defended against the notorious Tank Abbott on the following card.

The Seattle native would lose the crown to luminary Randy Couture in his next outing, but not before he'd cemented his legacy, as he'd lent his talents to legendary Japanese outfits Pancrase and RINGS before even entering the UFC cage.

Smith walked away from MMA in 2008 before returning to split a pair of bouts against unheralded competition from 2012 to 2013. His record includes run-ins with pioneers Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, and Kevin Randleman, among others, and stands at an even 14-14.