MMA Community Reacts To Stephan Bonnar’s Death

Esther Lin – MMA Fighting

Stephan Bonnar passed away on Christmas Eve, and the fight community shared their grief at the loss of a fighter intrinsically tied to the sport of MMA’s success. It was with heavy hearts that w…


Esther Lin – MMA Fighting

Stephan Bonnar passed away on Christmas Eve, and the fight community shared their grief at the loss of a fighter intrinsically tied to the sport of MMA’s success.

It was with heavy hearts that we reported the news yesterday that legendary The Ultimate Fighter finalist Stephan Bonnar had passed away at the early age of 45 years old.

While no cause of death has been shared yet, sources close to Bonnar confirmed the news and then the UFC officially announced his passing around 3PM Las Vegas time on Christmas eve.

“The UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar,” the promotion’s official account read. “We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.”

Bonnar’s professional MMA career lasted 13 years and 24 fights, and he was a familiar figure in and around the sport. The news of his passing hit many people hard, and other fighters and MMA personalities shared their sorrow at his death on social media.

Stephan Bonnar was an extremely important piece in the success story that the UFC has become. After being bought by Zuffa in 2001, the combat sports league struggled to become financially viable, posting over $30 million in losses over the years. UFC president Dana White was telling his bosses the Fertitta brothers they should sell the organization, but they decided to hold on and try a reality show called The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV first.

The first season of The Ultimate Fighter was a modest hit for Spike, but it was the finale featuring the first UFC fights on broadcast television that lit the fire that propelled the sport forward into a multi-billion dollar juggernaut it has become today. Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin engaged in a knock-down, drag-out brawl for the light heavyweight tournament finals. Nothing like this had ever been seen on basic cable, and as each round ended the viewership numbers kept skyrocketing.

While Forrest Griffin was awarded the decision win with 29-28×3 scores, the UFC spontaneously decided to award both fighters with UFC contracts. The fight kicked off a period of interest and growth in the UFC that saved the sport of mixed martial arts in North America from near-death. Who knows what would have happened without Bonnar vs. Griffin?

For this reason alone, Stephan Bonnar is one of the most important figures in MMA history. Alex Behunin covers a few more reasons in his article on Bonnar’s passing. Rest in peace, Stephan.