Joe Silva to Enter UFC Hall of Fame

Former longtime UFC matchmaker Joe Silva will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame as part of it’s 2017 class.

Silva, along with former UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta and UFC President Dana White are three people responsible for growing the UFC into the biggest MMA promotion in the world today. Officially titled the vice president of talent relations, Silva was responsible for putting together bouts for all of the UFC’s events.

Silva left the UFC a few months following WME-IMG purchasing the MMA promotion.

"I want him to get back to work," UFC commentator Joe Rogan joked. "I don’t like that he’s going into the Hall of Fame. That means he’s not around anymore.

"He was a tremendous fan of the sport and that’s what made him great at his job."

While he did not make many appearances in the public eye and with the media, Silva dealt with the UFC’s fighters — a lot. UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier noted on the UFC 211 pay-per-view broadcast that while the fighters were sometimes disappointed by Silva’s decisions, he was always a beloved and cherished member of the UFC family.

"Nobody knew about matchmakers before Joe Silva," Cormier said. "There is no Hall of Fame without a guy like Joe Silva."

Silva joins Urijah Faber and Maurice Smith in the 2017 Hall of Fame class.