Stephan Bonnar dies at 45: UFC Hall of Famer ‘one of the most important fighters’ in history

The UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar, who was renowned for always being the underdog in the Octagon, passed away on Saturday (24th December 2022). He died at the earlier age of 45.

According to UFC, who made the announcement of Bonnar’s passing, he passed away while at work due to suspected cardiac problems.

Following their bout on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality program, Bonnar and Forrest Griffin—both of whom were elected into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013.

And these are credited with promoting UFC and mixed martial arts as a whole. In their final match of the reality show’s inaugural season, Bonnar and Griffin engaged in a fierce, bloody fight that perfectly highlighted the impressive and captivating aspects of top-tier MMA combat. Bonnar ultimately lost by unanimous decision.

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The brawl, which was dubbed the UFC Fight of the Year in 2005 and is widely regarded as one of the best MMA fights of all time, earned Griffin a six-figure deal, but UFC president Dana White was so impressed by Bonnar’s performance that “The American Psycho” was also given a contract.

White noted in a statement issued by the UFC that “Stephan Bonnar. He was one of the most significant competitors to ever compete in the Octagon.” “His confrontation with Forrest Griffin altered sports history, and he will always be remembered. Fans adored him, could identify to him, and he always gave his all for them. We will miss him.”

After the Griffin fight, Bonnar continued to compete for seven more years, most notably challenging Jon Jones. And the two-time UFC light heavyweight champion, to a unanimous decision at UFC 94 in 2009. Numerous Hall of Famers, including Mark Coleman, Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz, and Anderson Silva, were opponents of Bonnar.

In his previous five battles, he prevailed in three of them, including the final of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which he won by defeating Igor Pokrajac in the show’s 12th season.

With a final record of 15-9, Bonnar left the UFC in 2012 and Bellator after just one match in 2014. In 2019, he also spent some time working with Impact Wrestling. Although at the time of its conclusion, his matchup with Oritz at Bellator 131. And it was the main event of the most viewed show in the organization’s history.