Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen’s UFC 117 fight will be immortalized in the UFC Hall of Fame this year.
The announcement was made official during UFC 300 Saturday night.
Set for June 27 from Las Vegas, the ceremony will air live on UFC Fight Pass. It will be part of International Fight Week.
The Silva vs. Sonnen classic will go into the “Fight Wing” portion of the hall.
“The first fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen was incredible,” said UFC president and CEO Dana White. “This is the fight that made Anderson a star and showed the world that Chael could compete with anyone.
“This incredible dogfight had everything you want in a title fight, and it will be an honor to induct this fight into the UFC Hall of Fame.”
Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen Became An Instant Classic
Silva went into that 2010 meeting with his rival as the middleweight champion. He was 11-0 in the UFC at the time with wins over Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson.
Sonnen made as many waves outside the Octagon as he did in it, but was 26-10-1 overall at the time.
Early in the first round, Sonnen rocked “The Spider,” sending him to the cage fence. He continued to pressure Silva, scoring a takedown and gaining the advantage.
After a back-and-forth fight many, Silva locked in a triangle armbar to get the tap and earn the win. Sonnen landed 320 strikes on Silva that day, as he had absorbed only 166 total in his previous 11 bouts.
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