In the midst of a hectic weekend of UFC action, Pat Miletich became the latest inductee into the UFC’s Hall Of Fame.
‘The Croatian Sensation’ first made his mark in the UFC as a fighter, winning the UFC 16 middleweight tournament in his Octagon debut all the way back in 1998, then becoming the UFC’s first ever welterweight champion at the very next event.
He would go on to defend his title four times before finally losing to Carlos Newton at UFC 31 in 2001. In total he produced an 8-2 record in the UFC, and 29-7-2 overall as a professional.
However, Miletich would also make an impact in the UFC as a coach, with his ‘Miletich Fighting System’ team having produced a slew of famous fighters including UFC champion’s like Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia and Jens Pulver.
In more recent times Miletich has carved out a niche for himself as one of the most respected color commentator’s in the sport, most notably for Strikeforce and on AXS TV.
During Miletich’s Hall Of Fame induction, UFC president Dana White revealed that the reason for a long-rumored rift between the former fighter and the promotion was due to him having been promised a role as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 3 opposite Carlos Newton, before Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock landed the gig instead.
White admits that he handled the situation badly at the time and that Miletich fell out with him due to that for “a long time” due to that incident, but it seems that they have now buried the hatchet.
Miletich becomes the 12th person to enter the UFC’s Hall Of Fame, joining Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Charles “Mask” Lewis, Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, and Stephan Bonnar.
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