Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira announced as first inductee to UFC's 2016 Hall of Fame class

Longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is the only man to ever win the PRIDE FC and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight titles.

That's just one of many accomplishments that earned "Big Nog" a spot in UFC's Hall of Fame, as the Brazilian legend will join the likes of Royce Gracie, Chuck Liddell and many others this summer, as he is set to be inducted during the UFC Fan Expo on July 10, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

UFC president Dana White talked about the decision to give Nogueira his due, which was announced during last night's UFC 198 pay-per-view (PPV) event (via Sherdog):

"I'm really excited to announce Minotauro Nogueira as the first inductee of the 2016 UFC Hall of Fame class. Big Nog is a mixed martial arts legend and, as an icon of the sport, we couldn't think of a more fitting platform to make this announcement then at the record-breaking stadium event in Brazil. Nogueira is a true pioneer and we look forward to celebrating his career with all the fight fans in July at the UFC Fan Expo."

"Big Nog" retired from MMA in 2015, and was named "Athlete Relations Ambassador" for UFC Brazil.

Unfortunately, Nogueira -- who will go into the "Pioneer Wing" of the Hall of Fame (more on that here) -- ended his career on a three-fight losing streak to Stefan Struve, Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum. However, most fight fans will not remember him by that, as he gave us all a lifetime of memories to relive over and over.

Check out a few them right here: