Don Frye Says Getting Into the UFC Hall of Fame is the Pinnacle of MMA

Don Frye spoke with MMAjunkie about his upcoming UFC Hall of Fame induction and more. Some highlights are below:

On his UFC Hall of Fame induction: “Being inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame – that’d be the pinnacle of the sport. This is a big privilege and honor for me.”

On finding out he was getting inducted: “We were all sitting there watching the fights. We’re all smoking cigars and drinking beer and they announce Bob Meyrowitz and (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira and then they said, ‘The third guy is,’ and they showed a picture of Dan Severn and I walking up to the octagon. I thought to myself, ‘You bunch of dumbasses, Dan Severn is already in the UFC Hall of Fame. Don’t they talk to each other over there?’ Then they showed another picture of me, and then another, and then I went, ‘Holy (expletive), I think that’s me!’”

On his surprise at getting invited into the Hall: “I didn’t think it would ever happen. It shocked the hell out of me. I mean, Mr. White and I got into a pissing contest on the internet seven or eight years ago. It kept going – I don’t know why – and now all of a sudden he’s opening the door. Last year, they opened the door and let me into the UFC Fan Expo, and I guess it went good enough that it made the other door open.”

On whether there’s any animosity between him and White now: “We don’t send each other Christmas cards, but you know. Nothing on my side.”

On getting into MMA: “I was a fireman down in Bisbee, Arizona. On my days off, I’d shoe horses and I’d just been through a really bad divorce, and going through an even worse one right now. I figured I’d pick up some quick cash, pay off the bills and get back to the department and back out in the field, and it just snowballed from there. I had to quit (the job as a firefighter). (Bisbee Fire Chief) Jack Ernest, God bless him, he’s a good guy. He asked, because they called me up for UFC 9, and I asked Jack for the time off and he went to the city manager and the city manager said no. Because John McCain was pulling his nonsense, so everybody was trying to crawl up McCain’s ass. He said no. poor Jack, he was upset, had to tell me. He says, ‘You have to make a decision, fire department or fighting’ I said, ‘All right sir, thank you very much. I’m going to miss you all.’”

On why he went with MMA over firefighting: “The money. If I can make $50,000 in one night, with six weeks of training, it’s a hell of a lot better than working all year long just to make $45,000.”

On his early UFC success: “I had more than just wrestling or boxing. I had competed in front of crowds before. That was Dan Severn’s and mine advantage. I had three different skillsets, and I didn’t get stage fright.”

On people who ask his 2002 fight against Yoshihiro Takayama: “They always say ‘that big, blond Chinese guy.’ One, he’s Japanese. Two, learn his (expletive) name. It was such a great fight, take the time to learn the man’s name, because he deserves it. Looking back on it, it was just a hell of a privilege to be involved in something like that.”