MMA community mourns the death of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar
By Amy Kaplan
The MMA community mourns the death of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar.
If you don’t know Stephan Bonnar, you don’t know MMA.
He’s one half of the epic fight which many think put MMA and the UFC on the map.
And, according to the UFC, Bonnar has died at the age of 45.
The UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.
— UFC (@ufc) December 24, 2022
“The UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends,” the promotion tweeted on Christmas Eve. The promotion also wrote a short piece on the legendary athlete citing “presumed heart complications while at work” as his cause of death.
Bonner competed in the first ever The Ultimate Fighter finale, competing in a Hall of Fame fight with Forrest Griffin. Bonner is in the Hall of Fame both as a modern era fighter and for the epic fight.
“Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon,” said UFC president Dana White said in the article on UFC.com. “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.”
See how the MMA world reacted to the death of Stephan Bonnar
Stephan Bonner a key piece to the growth of our sport. I remember watching him and Forest battling it out and thinking, I gotta try this out. RIP to a true pioneer!
— Frankie Edgar (@FrankieEdgar) December 25, 2022
Rest in peace to a pioneer of the sport🙏🏼❤️ https://t.co/Q6LSU12ddw
— Calvin Kattar (@CalvinKattar) December 25, 2022
RIP Stephan Bonner one of the most influential fighters in ufc history, his fight with Forrest and TUF season 1 was a big reason i got into mma #legend https://t.co/dHNTTARfaj
— Billy Quarantillo (@BillyQMMA) December 25, 2022
😔 all these legends passing away.. rip 🙏🏽 https://t.co/2Bg1GVXZIa
— Adrian Yañez (@yanezmma) December 25, 2022
RIP💔
— Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannamma) December 25, 2022
Legends never die https://t.co/yxjgLor0zr
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 https://t.co/wjyMf4z4T9
— Lando Vannata (@GroovyLando) December 24, 2022
The older this sport gets, the more I anticipate we will have untimely deaths. Gone too soon will become something often said. I think 2022 has shown us that. The impact this sport has on its competitors will continue to unfold in the coming decades. Fans, respect the fighters 🙏 https://t.co/X5fHw4gME7
— Cody Gibson (@TheRenegade559) December 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/JohnMorgan_MMA/status/16067990102282
https://twitter.com/mma_kings/status/160679504712237875336290
#RIPStephanBonnar https://t.co/NfTpt0QIl1
— Mike Jackson, Esq. (@TheTruthJackson) December 25, 2022
Rest In Peace to the man who helped keep the sport alive! Prayers up for your friends, and family! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/07XsCvUIn5
— Cody Durden (@Cody_Durden) December 24, 2022
Rest in piece legend https://t.co/MJqMpYfAZM
— Nikolas Motta (@nikolasmotta) December 24, 2022
Rip legend Stephan Bonnar…. Sad year for the MMA community… #ufc #mma
— Renato Moicano UFC (@moicanoufc) December 24, 2022
As all MMA fans know, Stephan was a pioneer in the sport. But he was also SO kind and fun to work with. Whenever we would see him, even after his fight career, he still lit up the room. Prayers for him & his loved ones at this difficult time. https://t.co/dMSUuBczdt
— Megan Olivi (@MeganOlivi) December 24, 2022
RIP brotha. 🙏🏼 https://t.co/oTW7Lep4rH
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) December 25, 2022
My condolences go out to Stephan Bonnar’s family. His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the landscape of the sport of MMA and pushed it to the next level. He’s a big part of the reason we are here today. https://t.co/NtGaVAN96M
— Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) December 24, 2022
— Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) December 24, 2022
Bonnar had a difficult life following his departure from the sport. He was often in trouble with the law, including a terrifying DUI arrest where Bonnar was stopped on the Las Vegas freeway by concerned citizens.
In 2021 he was caught on camera arguing with police and hospital staff over pain medication that he claims they refused to give him.
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