Jens Pulver will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame soon.

Pulver was honoured into the Pioneer Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame at the 11th annual UFC International Fight Week in Las Vegas on Saturday's UFC 284 broadcast.

The 48-year-old Pulver, who owns historic victories against B.J. Penn, Caol Uno, and Joe Stevenson, was the first lightweight champion of the UFC.

Pulver, a professional fighter since 1999, rose to prominence as the symbol of the smaller weight classes at a time when the UFC didn't actively push a division below 170 pounds.

The company didn't have a lightweight title until Pulver defeated Uno at UFC 30.

Before making a comeback and coaching The Ultimate Fighter 5 opposite Penn, Pulver continued to fight outside of the UFC, taking on the finest fighters in the world.

The careers of Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, and Joe Lauzon, among others, were all launched during that season.

"Lil' Evil" broke new ground again when he dropped to featherweight and brought his star power to the young World Extreme Cagefighting organisation.

With a 27-19-1 record after competing for the UFC, WEC, PRIDE, ONE Championship, and other significant promotions, Pulver retired in 2013. He joins MMA greats like Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, and Ken Shamrock in the Pioneer Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.