Tuesday was a hot day for breaking UFC news as we learned that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will face Chael Sonnen in April following their coaching stints on The Ultimate Fighter, according to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.
While that news is great, it left a hole at the top of the UFC 155 card when it was announced that the Jones-Sonnen booking would leave Forrest Griffin without an opponent at UFC 155. Well, the ultimate “company man” is here to save the day once again.
As reported on Twitter early Wednesday morning, Stephan Bonnar will step up and replace Chael Sonnen at UFC 155 against rival and buddy Forrest Griffin:
*Breaking* According to industry insider “Mac”, Stephan Bonnar will step in for Chael Sonnen at UFC 155 to face Forrest Griffin on 12.29
— FrontRowBrian (@FrontRowBrian) October 17, 2012
Now, you may ask if this is too much, too soon for Stephan Bonnar.
He is coming off a recent TKO loss to middleweight champion Anderson Silva, but Bonnar has been pleading with Dana White for one final shot at Griffin. It seems White has decided to reward Bonnar for saving UFC 153 with this final bout with Griffin.
The two men met for the first time at the first TUF finale in a fight that many consider the most important fight in MMA history (Griffin defeated Bonnar by unanimous decision to win the first season of The Ultimate Fighter).
The two would have a rematch at UFC 62, and Griffin picked up the decision victory.
With Griffin leading the series 2-0, it’s odd to see a third fight get booked. Still, it’s hard not to be excited when you consider the high-caliber fights the first two were.
It was also reported on Twitter that this will be a retirement fight for both men, which could be another reason White gave in to the fight.
Although it is a little sad to imagine two legends of the sport fighting for the final time, we can rest easy knowing we are just a couple months away from seeing two of the most exciting fighters in UFC history lay it all out on the line one final time.
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