December 25, (THEWILL) – Stephan Bonnar, a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 45 from likely cardiac problems, as the Championship has confirmed.
With a final record of 15 wins and 9 losses, Bonnar went through his career facing champions such as Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, Mark Coleman, Rashad Evans, and Jon Jones.
Although Bonnar was a skilled mixed martial artist, who battled and defeated many of the best competitors of his day, he will most likely be remembered for being a participant in what is perhaps the greatest bout in MMA history. It was a back-and-forth brawl that exemplified everything fans loved about the sport in that bout against Forrest Griffin, in the 2005 season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 1, which he lost by unanimous decision.
In a statement, UFC President, Dana White, praised Bonnar while crediting that fight with preserving the Championship.
White said: “Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon. His fight with Forrest Griffin, changed the sport forever, and he will never be forgotten. The fans loved him, related to him and he always gave them his best. He will be missed.
“This was the most important fight in the history of this company. At the time when this fight happened, you know where we were back then, and what was happening with the sport. We were $44 million in the hole in this business.
“During six minutes of that fight, 12 million people tuned in. You know how crazy that is? You know what insane numbers those are? There has never been a more important fight in the history of the UFC. There has never been a more important fight than maybe UFC 1 in the history of mixed martial arts.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
