Filed under: UFC
With three straight losses, Stephan Bonnar is feeling the pressure.
Despite UFC president Dana White’s statements in the past that Bonnar will always have a home in the organization thanks to his epic battle with Forrest Griffin in the finale of Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” a fourth straight loss would have most fighters staring at a pink slip.
His last setback was a controversial TKO loss thanks to a cut from an inadvertent headbutt against Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 110 in Sydney. Bonnar appealed that decision, hoping to have the loss overturned to a no contest. That appeal was denied, the loss stood and Bonnar now finds himself in a must-win situation in his rematch with Soszynski on Saturday at UFC 116.
“I don’t think (losing the appeal) adds any pressure,” Bonnar said. “I already feel a ton of pressure. Every fight I usually do. But this one here, I’m kind of looking at like do or die. I want to be aggressive, throw lots of punches and just do everything I can to win. Usually, the faster the pace of the fight, the better I do. So I’m looking forward to him pushing the pace.”