UFC Hall of Fame 2015 first-class inductees announced, including Blatnick, 'Hughes vs. Trigg 2'

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again hold its Hall of Fame (HOF) induction ceremony during International Fight Week, which coincides with the upcoming UFC 189: "Aldo vs. McGregor" pay-per-view (PPV) event on July 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

And now we have our first class of inductees, including the late Jeff Blatnick, who served as UFC commissioner from 1998-2001 and is one of the founding fathers of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, among many other things.

"Jeff Blatnick is a name that newer fans may not be familiar with, but this guy was a huge part of the UFC's development in the 1990s," said UFC President Dana White in Wednesday's release. "He pushed for greater regulation, unified rules and -- because he was an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling -- he had credibility with everyone in the sport. It is our honor to recognize his huge contributions to the UFC by inducting him into the UFC Hall of Fame."

Blatnick, who last appeared as a judge at UFC 152, passed away in 2012 due to complications from heart surgery.

Also getting the nod in 2015 is the rematch between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg, an epic welterweight contest that went down at the UFC 52 pay-per-view (PPV) event inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, way back in April of 2005.

To find out what makes that fight so unique click here.

"I've said it a million times over the last 10 years," White continued. "Hughes vs. Trigg 2 is one of my favorite fights ever. In four minutes-five seconds, it showed everything that is great about the UFC."

Inductees in the "Modern Era" and "Pioneer Era" categories will be announced this weekend as part of scheduled UFC 187 programming. For more on the UFC Hall of Fame, including future plans for a physical location, click here.