Tag: Forrest Griffin

The Top 24 Mixed Martial Artists Who Lost Their First Fight


(Renan Barao: Started from the bottom, now he here. / Photo via Getty)

By Adam Martin

At the UFC 165 post-fight presser last month, UFC president Dana White showered praise upon UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao, calling him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and remarking that the media hadn’t given enough credit to his eight-year, 32-fight undefeated streak, which has remained pristine since May 2005.

Barao has only tasted defeat once, and it was in the first fight of his career. The fact that he’s rebounded with the longest current undefeated streak in mixed martial arts — despite the fact that his first loss could have ruined his confidence forever — is absolutely amazing to me, as many young would-be prospects have crashed and burned in their debuts, never to be heard of again.

It got me thinking: What other mixed martial artists lost their first fight but then went on to have great success? I expected to bang out a list of ten fighters, but once I started doing the research, it blew my mind that some of the best fighters to ever compete in the sport, and a number of currently top 10-ranked fighters, actually lost their very first fight.

And so, I compiled a list of the top 24 MMA fighters of all time who lost their first fight. The list is based on accomplishments in the sport, overall skill level, and potential. Enjoy, and if I somehow missed somebody notable, please leave a comment below and explain why he or she should be included.

Honorable mentions: Matt “The Wizard” Hume (5-5), Wesley “Cabbage” Correira (20-15), Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo (18-2), Rodrigo Damm (11-6), James Te Huna (16-6)

24. Travis “The Ironman” Fulton (249-49-10, 1 NC)

(Photo via ThunderPromotions)

On July 26, 1996, at the age of 19 years old, Travis Fulton fought Dave Strasser in his MMA debut at Gladiators 1 in Davenport, Iowa, losing the fight via first-round submission. He then went on to win 249 fights, the most wins in mixed martial arts history. Fulton also holds the record for most fights (309) and most knockout wins (91) in MMA history.

Mind = blown.

Was Fulton a can crusher? Yes, yes he was. Or, should I say, yes he is, as he beat some nobody in his native Iowa just this past March. But you don’t win 249 MMA fights by accident, and Fulton deserves a place on this list based on volume alone.


(Renan Barao: Started from the bottom, now he here. / Photo via Getty)

By Adam Martin

At the UFC 165 post-fight presser last month, UFC president Dana White showered praise upon UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao, calling him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and remarking that the media hadn’t given enough credit to his eight-year, 32-fight undefeated streak, which has remained pristine since May 2005.

Barao has only tasted defeat once, and it was in the first fight of his career. The fact that he’s rebounded with the longest current undefeated streak in mixed martial arts — despite the fact that his first loss could have ruined his confidence forever — is absolutely amazing to me, as many young would-be prospects have crashed and burned in their debuts, never to be heard of again.

It got me thinking: What other mixed martial artists lost their first fight but then went on to have great success? I expected to bang out a list of ten fighters, but once I started doing the research, it blew my mind that some of the best fighters to ever compete in the sport, and a number of currently top 10-ranked fighters, actually lost their very first fight.

And so, I compiled a list of the top 24 MMA fighters of all time who lost their first fight. The list is based on accomplishments in the sport, overall skill level, and potential. Enjoy, and if I somehow missed somebody notable, please leave a comment below and explain why he or she should be included.

Honorable mentions: Matt “The Wizard” Hume (5-5), Wesley “Cabbage” Correira (20-15), Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo (18-2), Rodrigo Damm (11-6), James Te Huna (16-6)

24. Travis “The Ironman” Fulton (249-49-10, 1 NC)

(Photo via ThunderPromotions)

On July 26, 1996, at the age of 19 years old, Travis Fulton fought Dave Strasser in his MMA debut at Gladiators 1 in Davenport, Iowa, losing the fight via first-round submission. He then went on to win 249 fights, the most wins in mixed martial arts history. Fulton also holds the record for most fights (309) and most knockout wins (91) in MMA history.

Mind = blown.

Was Fulton a can crusher? Yes, yes he was. Or, should I say, yes he is, as he beat some nobody in his native Iowa just this past March. But you don’t win 249 MMA fights by accident, and Fulton deserves a place on this list based on volume alone.

23. Akihiro Gono (31-18-7)

(Photo via MMAWeekly)

Akihiro Gono was just 19 when the Japanese icon made his MMA debut in his home country against Yasunori Okuda in the first round of the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J’ 94, way back in April 1994. Like many of the fighters of the time, Gono wasn’t ready to defend submissions, and he tapped out to a first-round toe hold.

Gono may have lost the fight, but he would go on to have a very solid career that saw him compete in the UFC, PRIDE, Shooto, Pancrase, Sengoku, and finally Bellator, which would be his final stop.

In May 2012, after a solid 18-year run as a fan favorite, Gono fought for the last time against current Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler at Bellator 67, losing the fight via first-round KO.

22. Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa (55-35-8)

Some will laugh that Minowaman is on this list, but he deserves to be after amassing a respectable 55-35-8 record during his cult-legendary career as a journeyman, where — like the great Fedor Emelianenko — he was notorious for fighting and beating larger opponents in the UFC, PRIDE, Dream and Pancrase, amongst other promotions.

However, he was also notorious for losing to some of them.

The first of his 35 losses came to Yuzo Tateishi via decision on March 30, 1996, at the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J ‘96 in Japan. It was the first of many career losses for Minowa, who started off his career 2-9-2 in his first 13 fights. To his credit though, he rebounded to eventually leave the sport with a winning record, and became a big star in PRIDE because he always put on exciting fights and feared no man.

The name “Minowaman” is always one that makes the hardcores’ hearts beat whenever anyone brings it up. Not bad for a guy who at first glance looked like he would contribute nothing in the sport.

21. Shonie “Mr. International” Carter (50-28-7, 1 NC)

(NOTE: The graphic in the video say his record was 3-1 but that tally likely referred to his amateur fights.)

Back on February 15, 1997 in – surprise, surprise – Iowa, a 24-year-old Shonie Carter got into his first professional MMA fight, the first of many for him.

It didn’t last long, however, as he was KO’ed by future five-time UFC vet Laverne Clark at Monte Cox’s Extreme Challenge 3, just nine seconds into the first round in what was the MMA debut of both men.

It became a classic KO in regional circuit MMA history.

Despite that early career loss, Carter then went on to have an unexpectedly awesome career where he attained 50 wins, including 26 by stoppage. He even made it to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and, in total, he fought six times in the UFC — one more than Clark, who knocked him out in that first battle.

One of those 26 aforementioned stoppage wins I mentioned — and one of the best KOs in UFC history — was his spinning back fist knockout of Matt Serra at UFC 31. Serra, who at the time was considered to be below Carter in the ranks, later defeated Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69 to win the UFC welterweight title. Carter, on the other hand, never quite made it to the top of the sport, to say the least, but at least he built a memorable persona as a stone-cold pimp.

20. Brian “Bad Boy” Ebersole (50-15-1, 1 NC)

(Photo via Tracy Lee/Yahoo!)

Brian Ebersole’s first MMA bout took place on February 24, 2000 against Chris Albandia at TCC – Total Combat Challenge in Chicago. He lost the fight via decision.

He was just 18 years old.

However, despite the loss, Ebersole has gone on to have an awesome journeyman career that has seen him compile an excellent record of 50-15-1, 1 NC.

Ebersole finally made it to the UFC in 2012, upsetting Chris Lytle at UFC 127 and then winning three more in a row before a split decision loss to James Head at UFC 149 ended his win streak. He has sat out the past year with injuries.

But things are looking up for Ebersole, as he will finally make his return to the cage at UFC 167 against Rick Story. It’s a difficult matchup on paper, but it’s winnable. And even if he loses, the fans get to see the Hairrow — well hopefully, anyways — or at least one of those fancy cartwheel kicks. Make it happen, Brian.

19. Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis (14-5)

(Photo via Invicta FC)

On April 7, 2007, at UCW 7 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, two unknown Canadian women fought each other. One was Sarah Kaufman, who would later go on to win the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion and who will be making her UFC debut this Saturday at UFC 166, and the other was a 21-year-old Alexis Davis, who would eventually make it into the UFC as well.

On that night, Kaufman was the better woman, as she finished Davis via strikes in the third round. And Kaufman would demonstrate her superiority once again, defeating Davis via majority decision in March 2012 at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey.

However, Davis looks to be on the rise, and she certainly showed her potential in defeating Rosi Sexton in her Octagon debut at UFC 161. If her and Kaufman ever meet for a trilogy match, it’s possible Davis might finally get a win over her rival.

Forrest Griffin Likely to Remain Retired

A lot of fighters and athletes feign retirement only to return to their chosen sport months or years later. Forrest Griffin seems to think that is not an option when it comes to his UFC career.
The former UFC Light-Heavyweight champion appears to have …

A lot of fighters and athletes feign retirement only to return to their chosen sport months or years later. Forrest Griffin seems to think that is not an option when it comes to his UFC career.

The former UFC Light-Heavyweight champion appears to have no illusions regarding where he stands in the landscape of MMA today or his ability to return to the Octagon. When I asked if he saw himself being involved in any competitive combat at any level, Griffin said:

“Not from where I’m at now [laughs]. I mean, I thought I might but I haven’t—You know, it’s a nine-month recovery for the knee, so I haven’t really worked out yet. But I’ve pretty much ruled it out—ruled it out this week.”

On Wednesday, Griffin partook in an hour-and-a-half wrestling workout with Team Syndicate, and looked in good health and spirit for a man who had endured a rehabilitation period over the last year. While his shoulder and knee may still be ailing him, Griffin carried himself well in the session.

When asked how his knees were holding up, Griffin responded, “Better than my shoulder. I’ve only worked out a couple of times. But that’s okay. I’m not very good at working out anyway.”

With his active fighting career seemingly over, the role of coach doesn’t appear to appeal to Griffin either. “No. I got AJ and a couple guys who are my friends that I help. I work with guys like Mike [Pyle] who have helped me out in the past.”

Commentating is not a target for the long-time veteran either. “That’s a coveted position. There’s a long line of guys who want that spot,” he said, adding “I’m not sure they’d want to have a guy who curses on there. Chael [Sonnen] is already in trouble for that.”

Despite his hesitation on various avenues of involvement in MMA, Griffin is staying active under the Zuffa brand.

“Im still working for Zuffa. I’ll be at the Walk for Water, which is an event [Zuffa and] Cirque du Soleil is doing.” The Walk for Water event is a fundraiser put on by One Drop on October 5. Participants walk over five miles while carrying water, recreating the estimated average distance some third world citizens travel each day to retrieve drinkable water. For those interested in helping the cause, information on the series of events can be found OneDrop.org.

As a long-time fan of the sport, it is difficult to hear Griffin sound as if he’s resigned to no longer participating in MMA. He is a pillar of the history in the UFC and a fighter who has given so much. If he is truly done, we ought to all tip our caps to a man who has given up time and body to the sport we enjoy.

Griffin’s career not only includes the UFC Light-Heavyweight belt, but contains wins over Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, Rich Franklin, Tito Ortiz, Chael Sonnen and Stephan Bonnar. His Ultimate Fighter Finale battle with Bonnar remains a legendary example of the fighting spirit and grit that MMA must retain to be relevant. The former champion deserves nothing but respect for what he has accomplished, and the sport is worse off without him involved in some capacity.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

On This Day in MMA History: Anderson Silva Clowns Forrest Griffin, BJ Chokes Out Ken-Flo, And Johny Hendricks Makes a Smashing Debut at UFC 101


(Photo via Getty. Click to enlarge.)

“I tried to punch him and he literally moved his head out of the way and looked at me like I was stupid for doing it. He looked at me like, ‘Why would you do such a stupid thing?’ He looked at me like, ‘Oh, did you really think you were going to hit me? What a stupid thing to think you slow, slow white boy,’ and then he punched me. I felt embarrassed for even trying to punch him. I felt like some kid trying to wrestle with his dad.”

That’s how UFC light-heavyweight Forrest Griffin described his painful run-in with Anderson Silva, which happened exactly four years ago today, on August 8th, 2009. The infamous one-rounder took place during UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, an event that was headlined by BJ Penn‘s second lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian. (The Silva vs. Griffin non-title fight was slotted in the co-main event; to date, it was the only fight in Silva’s UFC career that wasn’t a main event.)

If you’ll recall, Silva scored the knockout with a short, backpedaling right hand (you might even call it Petruzelli-esque), after putting on a brief clinic on head-movement and showboating. Afterwards, Joe Rogan called Griffin’s loss “one of the most embarrassing knockouts I think we’ve ever seen,” which is a little unfair when you consider Anderson’s other-worldly talent and the fact that Griffin was half-zonked on Xanax at the time.

Besides the incredible/humiliating knockout in the co-main event, UFC 101 was notable for a few other reasons. For instance…


(Photo via Getty. Click to enlarge.)

“I tried to punch him and he literally moved his head out of the way and looked at me like I was stupid for doing it. He looked at me like, ‘Why would you do such a stupid thing?’ He looked at me like, ‘Oh, did you really think you were going to hit me? What a stupid thing to think you slow, slow white boy,’ and then he punched me. I felt embarrassed for even trying to punch him. I felt like some kid trying to wrestle with his dad.”

That’s how UFC light-heavyweight Forrest Griffin described his painful run-in with Anderson Silva, which happened exactly four years ago today, on August 8th, 2009. The infamous one-rounder took place during UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, an event that was headlined by BJ Penn‘s second lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian. (The Silva vs. Griffin non-title fight was slotted in the co-main event; to date, it was the only fight in Silva’s UFC career that wasn’t a main event.)

If you’ll recall, Silva scored the knockout with a short, backpedaling right hand (you might even call it Petruzelli-esque), after putting on a brief clinic on head-movement and showboating. Afterwards, Joe Rogan called Griffin’s loss “one of the most embarrassing knockouts I think we’ve ever seen,” which is a little unfair when you consider Anderson’s other-worldly talent and the fact that Griffin was half-zonked on Xanax at the time.

Besides the incredible/humiliating knockout in the co-main event, UFC 101 was notable for a few other reasons. For instance…

– As we recently pointed out, Penn’s rear-naked choke win over Florian was the ninth latest finish in UFC history. Apparently, Florian might have been winning on the scorecards heading into the championship rounds.

– UFC 101 marked the promotional debut of then-undefeated welterweight Johny Hendricks, who had just completed a two-fight stint in the WEC. Hendricks’s first Octagon appearance was a successful one, as he TKO’d Amir Sadollah in just 29 seconds. Ten fights later, Hendricks has earned a shot at the welterweight world title against Georges St. Pierre, the same guy who was holding the belt back in August 2009.

– Rousimar Palhares was supposed to fight on the card against Alessio Sakara, but had to withdraw due to a broken leg, and was replaced by Thales Leites. Sakara won by split-decision, and Leites was fired by the UFC — just four months after he had fought Anderson Silva for the middleweight title. Luckily, he made his way back.

– The show pulled an estimated 850,000 pay-per-view buys, making it (at that time) the sixth most successful UFC PPV ever. Only five UFC events have drawn more buys since then.

Four UFC PPV Main Events That Were Worse Than Rampage vs. Ortiz


(For ten years, Rampage has been haunted by the memory of that brutal photo-bombing. And on November 2nd, he’ll have his revenge. Bellator 106: Bitter Homeboys, only on pay-per-view.)

By Matt Saccaro

The announcement of Bellator’s inaugural pay-per-view was met with almost-universal criticism in the MMA world. And with good reason. Tito Ortiz vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson would have been a terrible main event in 2009, let alone 2013. But with the way people have been mocking it, you’d think that it was the first time a major MMA promotion had a bad fight main eventing a PPV.

This, of course, isn’t the case. The UFC has put on several PPVs whose main events rival Rampage-Ortiz in outright shittyness. For some reason, those PPVs didn’t draw the media’s collective derision like Rampage-Ortiz did. (It’s almost as if the mainstream MMA media is being coerced by some powerful, credential-wielding force…) But that’s OK; CagePotato is here to bring those terrible main events to justice.

So just what has the UFC given us to watch on Saturday nights that was as bad as the upcoming Rampage-Ortiz train wreck? Let’s have a look.

UFC 106: Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin II

Cracked skull vs. Xanax-laden stupor.

People might not agree with this pick, but Ortiz-Griffin II was an awful main event. By 2009, Ortiz wasn’t important enough to pay for — no matter who he was fighting. Going into the fight with Forrest Griffin, he was 1-2-1 in his last four fights, with his only win coming against Ken Shamrock in 2006. Tito’s best days were far behind him. In fact, he hadn’t beaten anyone NOT named Ken Shamrock since 2006 (and, coincidentally, it was Forrest Griffin who he beat).

Griffin, too, had whatever the opposite of “a head of steam” is going into UFC 106. Rashad Evans embarrassed him at UFC 92, taking the light heavyweight belt in the process. But what Evans did to him seemed tame compared to the legendary beat down that Anderson Silva bestowed on Griffin at UFC 101.

Put these ruts together and you get an overpriced PPV — $60 to watch two guys who would never be relevant again.


(For ten years, Rampage has been haunted by the memory of that brutal photo-bombing. And on November 2nd, he’ll have his revenge. Bellator 106: Bitter Homeboys, only on pay-per-view.)

By Matt Saccaro

The announcement of Bellator’s inaugural pay-per-view was met with almost-universal criticism in the MMA world. And with good reason. Tito Ortiz vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson would have been a terrible main event in 2009, let alone 2013. But with the way people have been mocking it, you’d think that it was the first time a major MMA promotion had a bad fight main eventing a PPV.

This, of course, isn’t the case. The UFC has put on several PPVs whose main events rival Rampage-Ortiz in outright shittyness. For some reason, those PPVs didn’t draw the media’s collective derision like Rampage-Ortiz did. (It’s almost as if the mainstream MMA media is being coerced by some powerful, credential-wielding force…) But that’s OK; CagePotato is here to bring those terrible main events to justice.

So just what has the UFC given us to watch on Saturday nights that was as bad as the upcoming Rampage-Ortiz train wreck? Let’s have a look.

UFC 106: Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin II

Cracked skull vs. Xanax-laden stupor.

People might not agree with this pick, but Ortiz-Griffin II was an awful main event. By 2009, Ortiz wasn’t important enough to pay for — no matter who he was fighting. Going into the fight with Forrest Griffin, he was 1-2-1 in his last four fights, with his only win coming against Ken Shamrock in 2006. Tito’s best days were far behind him. In fact, he hadn’t beaten anyone NOT named Ken Shamrock since 2006 (and, coincidentally, it was Forrest Griffin who he beat).

Griffin, too, had whatever the opposite of “a head of steam” is going into UFC 106. Rashad Evans embarrassed him at UFC 92, taking the light heavyweight belt in the process. But what Evans did to him seemed tame compared to the legendary beat down that Anderson Silva bestowed on Griffin at UFC 101.

Put these ruts together and you get an overpriced PPV — $60 to watch two guys who would never be relevant again.

UFC 109: Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman

If you ever find yourself in a pro-Zuffa state of mind, remember this: They asked people to pay FULL PRICE for UFC 109: Relentless, a card that featured Randy Couture vs. what fans thought was a real-live White Walker (turns out that it was just ancient, broke Mark Coleman).

Everything involving Mark Coleman’s second UFC run in 2009-2010 was atrocious — save for his win over confirmed cheater Stephan Bonnar, which was hilarious. For real though, bringing Coleman back in 2009 was like bringing Tank Abbott back in 2003, it was a bad idea that damaged the UFC’s product and made them look like idiots. As for Couture, he was coming off a win over Brandon Vera, but at that point being able to beat Brandon Vera wasn’t much of an accomplishment.

This main event belonged in a nursing home. Sensing this fact, the UFC tried to market it as the ULTIMATE WAR OF LEGENDZ!11!! Kind of graceless, if you ask us, it’s also reeks of the same sort of desperate vibe that Bellator’s Rampage-Ortiz does.

UFC 115: Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin

In UFC 115’s defense, it could’ve been a lot worse.

The main event was scheduled to be Chuck Liddell-Tito Ortiz III. A third fight between the two men really wasn’t necessary since Liddell had won the previous two in convincing fashion. However, Chuck was in desperate need of a win after suffering two knockouts that were so bad they could’ve been Mortal Kombat fatalities. Therefore, Dana booked a fight that his BFF Chuck had a good chance of winning. He put Chuck and Tito on a new season of TUF and scheduled a faceoff between the two at UFC 115. Unfortunately, one of Tito’s millions of nagging injuries forced him to withdraw from the fight.

In his place, we got a Rich Franklin who’s face had just recovered from having Vitor Belfort’s fists planted into it repeatedly back at UFC 103.

So, at UFC 115 we were supposed to get a fight where neither guy had contended for a title in years and were never going to again but we ended up getting…a fight where neither guy had contended for a title in years and were never going to again — kind of like what we’re gonna see on Bellator’s first PPV.

UFC 147: Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin II

Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin wasn’t a great idea for a fight in 2009. It was an even worse one in 2012. It was such a bad idea that, after the fight card was shuffled and the UFC settled on bumping Silva-Franklin II to main event, the UFC offered refunds for people who bought tickets before the card became something that belonged on AXS.tv and not on PPV. This main event was so lackluster that UFC 147 drew the fewest buys of any PPV in the Zuffa era at an estimated 140,000 — pathetic for a promotion the size of the UFC.

Like with Liddell vs. Franklin, Wanderlei Silva-Rich Franklin II was a fight where neither fighter had been relevant in years (like Tito and Rampage) nor were they ever going to be meaningful again (like Rampage and Tito).

Did we leave out your least-favorite UFC pay-per-view headliner? Holler at us in the comments section.

MMA’s Best Brawls of All Time

The process of creating a mixed martial arts countdown is like writing a recognition speech; you will inevitably leave someone out and anger others. But after watching Leslie Smith and Jennifer Maia put on one of the finest brawls in MMA history this p…

The process of creating a mixed martial arts countdown is like writing a recognition speech; you will inevitably leave someone out and anger others. But after watching Leslie Smith and Jennifer Maia put on one of the finest brawls in MMA history this past Saturday at Invicta 6, one feels compelled to recall the best brawls of all time.

Webster’s Dictionary simply defines “brawl” as “a rough or noisy fight or quarrel.” However, fans who have witnessed countless brawls know these fights are anything but simple. They are a primal explosion of hypnotizing violence, an hysterical hurricane of testosterone which permeates an adrenaline rush throughout a stadium or through a television. And what they lack in precise technical showmanship, they make up for with an indelible display of pure heart and courage.

Every fight fan has their favorite, so let’s see which ones made the countdown.

 

Begin Slideshow

Don’t Believe the Hate, Stephan Bonnar Is a True Hall of Famer


(Photo via Getty Images)

By Elias Cepeda

Yesterday morning I watched the video of Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar’s UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which is embedded at the end of this post. Really, I watched to see and hear from Bonnar.

Nothing against Forrest. I love watching the guy fight and he embodies everything that is great about MMA, but I’ve always had a special interest in “The American Psycho.”

Bonnar, or “RoboCop” as they used to call him back in Chicago where he trained with Carlson Gracie Sr. and began his career, was just the second guy I ever interviewed for a professional story, back in 2005. The guys you’ve covered for nearly the entirety of their careers always hold a special place in your heart.

I interviewed Bonnar a number of times over the first few years of his UFC career but since then I have only connected with him a couple times for interviews. The last time I spoke with Stephan was over the telephone for a feature at UFC.com when he came out of retirement to fight Anderson Silva last year. It has been a rough roller-coaster year for Bonnar — who sort-of retired after putting together a three-fight win streak in the Octagon, came back only to be shredded by Silva at UFC 153, retired again (for real this time), had a son, and failed a drug test for steroids — and I was interested in what he had to say at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Especially since so many writers have taken the occasion to criticize him and give the UFC flack for including him in its Hall of Fame. I’d always taken it for granted that he and Forrest Griffin both would one day be inducted.

It just made sense. The two of them lifted The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC out of obscurity with their epic slobber-knocker in the season one finale. Griffin won, but Bonnar fought so well that he too was given a UFC contract.

In all, Bonnar would have two razor-close decision fights with Griffin, who himself made history as the first-ever fully unified (UFC, Pride, Pride Grand Prix) linear 205-pound champion. For nearly a decade, Bonnar fought the best and toughest the UFC had to offer and the only guy to truly out-class him was Anderson Silva. That fight, of course, happened because Bonnar was willing to come out of retirement and help save an event for the UFC and the fans.

There’s good reason to believe that professional mixed martial arts would not exist today if not for the UFC. There’s also good reason to believe that the UFC would not exist today if not for TUF 1, and the unforgettable climax that Griffin and Bonnar provided in their finale bout.


(Photo via Getty Images)

By Elias Cepeda

Yesterday morning I watched the video of Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar’s UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which is embedded at the end of this post. Really, I watched to see and hear from Bonnar.

Nothing against Forrest. I love watching the guy fight and he embodies everything that is great about MMA, but I’ve always had a special interest in “The American Psycho.”

Bonnar, or “RoboCop” as they used to call him back in Chicago where he trained with Carlson Gracie Sr. and began his career, was just the second guy I ever interviewed for a professional story, back in 2005. The guys you’ve covered for nearly the entirety of their careers always hold a special place in your heart.

I interviewed Bonnar a number of times over the first few years of his UFC career but since then I have only connected with him a couple times for interviews. The last time I spoke with Stephan was over the telephone for a feature at UFC.com when he came out of retirement to fight Anderson Silva last year. It has been a rough roller-coaster year for Bonnar — who sort-of retired after putting together a three-fight win streak in the Octagon, came back only to be shredded by Silva at UFC 153, retired again (for real this time), had a son, and failed a drug test for steroids — and I was interested in what he had to say at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Especially since so many writers have taken the occasion to criticize him and give the UFC flack for including him in its Hall of Fame. I’d always taken it for granted that he and Forrest Griffin both would one day be inducted.

It just made sense. The two of them lifted The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC out of obscurity with their epic slobber-knocker in the season one finale. Griffin won, but Bonnar fought so well that he too was given a UFC contract.

In all, Bonnar would have two razor-close decision fights with Griffin, who himself made history as the first-ever fully unified (UFC, Pride, Pride Grand Prix) linear 205-pound champion. For nearly a decade, Bonnar fought the best and toughest the UFC had to offer and the only guy to truly out-class him was Anderson Silva. That fight, of course, happened because Bonnar was willing to come out of retirement and help save an event for the UFC and the fans.

There’s good reason to believe that professional mixed martial arts would not exist today if not for the UFC. There’s also good reason to believe that the UFC would not exist today if not for TUF 1, and the unforgettable climax that Griffin and Bonnar provided in their finale bout.

Modern MMA is a young sport. Pioneers and saviors of sports always have and always will deserve a place in those sports’ halls of honor. George Mikan and his peers were nowhere as good as, say, Tim Duncan and his, but there’s ample space in the Basketball Hall of Fame for all of them.

Griffin and Bonnar both are on a very short list of truly integral pioneers and saviors of MMA. Even if they hadn’t both gone on to build very long and successful careers in the UFC during which they competed against the best of the best and rarely looked out of place, Stephan and Forrest earned their place in the UFC Hall of Fame long ago.

I’ve read the critics’ articles. At best, most are poorly focused and self-important. Few present well-balanced ideas as Seth Falvo did a few days ago on these pages.

Critics of Bonnar and his induction seem to simply glance at Wikipedia and recite his record (15-8 overall and 8-7 in the UFC) with disdain as if the thing speaks for itself. As if we didn’t learn from the likes of BJ Penn and Randy Couture that MMA isn’t a sport for perfect records, even among all-time greats.

Critics of Bonnar’s induction into the Hall of Fame yell, “steroids!” Bonnar tested positive in 2006, and then again after he fought Silva on short notice.

Singling Bonnar out for his steroid use is either annoyingly sanctimonious or reveals an overall ignorance on the part of most media about how prevalent banned performance enhancing drugs and procedures are in sports, including MMA. Banned substances and procedures are not the exception in MMA and all high-level sports, but rather the expected standard — perceived as necessary by athletes because we demand that they train and compete harder, faster, and more often than is naturally possible.

Did Bonnar use steroids? Yes.

And he served out punishments for doing so. The larger point is that the odds tell us that so did most of his opponents. Demonizing individuals while ignoring overall prevalence won’t help us deal with the actual scale of problems.

In the end, much of the Bonnar and UFC Hall of Fame criticism is likely just a power grab by members of the media, conscious or not. Media that covers MMA do not have a say in who gets into the only real hall of fame that exists for the sport, as media covering other sports like baseball do.

This rubs some members of the media the wrong way, I’m sure. We are a self-important and insufferable bunch.

Few things are more dangerous than asking someone to write down their opinions or analysis and then paying them for doing so. It’s hard to maintain a healthy sense of one’s own importance when you get paid for saying whatever comes to your head.

The media’s outrage at Bonnar’s inclusion into the UFC Hall of Fame is a lonely one. The fans filling the expo in Las Vegas this past Saturday to see Bonnar and Griffin get inducted did not seem outraged.

There were no fan protests of Bonnar reported. Instead, the fans cheered Bonnar’s heart-felt words and his induction into the hall.

Bonnar once told fans in a post-fight interview, “I have spilled pints and pints of blood for you guys and it has truly been my pleasure.”

The multitude who cheered him then, and who cheered him Saturday during his induction ceremony understood the significance of that sentiment. The fans know an important, exciting and good fighter when they see one, at least over the course of an entire career. And they know that Bonnar is one of them.

So, members of the fight media get no say in who gets into the UFC Hall of Fame. Good.

Maybe Dana White shouldn’t be the only guy deciding who is in MMA’s only hall of fame, but the media certainly wouldn’t be a better replacement. While we’re at it, let’s take it out of the hands of other sports media as well.

Media members are just as susceptible to voting based on capriciousness or personal relationships as critics worry Dana White is. Media in other sports have also never proven themselves to be the consistent, independent vanguard of historical judgment that they’d like you to believe they are.

If they were, Pete Rose would be in the baseball hall of fame even though the MLB brass doesn’t like him.

Griffin gave a great, short acceptance speech Saturday. Bonnar, perhaps more emotional, grateful and with a sense of having something to prove and defend, went on for much longer.

“My whole life, I had never been the best athlete. I was always average in everything. I had two older brothers who beat my ass a lot and they were better than me at everything. So, a big part of me was wanting to become a big, bad ninja so I could kick their ass. That motivated me a lot. That was the beauty of MMA. You didn’t have to be great at everything. You could be pretty good at everything and be a good MMA fighter. So, if I had decent wrestling and decent Jiu Jitsu and decent boxing, and a lot of heart, then hey, I could pull this MMA thing off,” Bonnar said.

Stephan went on, explaining what the honor meant to him at this point in his life. “This last year has been really tough for me. It’s been, retirement. It’s been putting the sport behind me, it’s been trying to unveil the new chapter of my life,” he said.

“And, as I sat down and peeled all these versions of myself away…every version of Stephan Bonnar was UFC. I just want to thank these guys for letting me be a part of this organization. Because, really, ever since I saw the UFC for the first time, I fell in love with it.

“I’m nothing more than a fan like you guys. I love this sport more than anything.”

Stephan Bonnar didn’t need to tell fans that he loves MMA more than anything — we’ve always been able to tell. Bonnar is the fan who made good.

Every sport’s hall of fame should be so lucky as to have a Stephan Bonnar in it. Someone who ate, slept, lived and breathed his sport. Someone who succeeded despite not being the most talented guy in the room. Someone who didn’t flinch when it was his turn to put the fortune and fate of the entire sport on his shoulders.

Stephan Bonnar has never claimed to be something he wasn’t and has never approached MMA with anything but earnestness and effort. Like Griffin, he is honest about his shortcomings and feels that if there’s anything special about him at all, it is simply that he is willing to get back up after getting knocked down.

To close his induction speech, Bonnar quoted former President Calvin Coolidge.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full with educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, ‘press on,’ has solved and always solved the problems of the human race.”

Bonnar showed fans everywhere what they themselves might be able to accomplish if only they worked hard enough.

Halls of fame should be for accomplishments in and contributions to a sport. Maybe Bonnar’s critics have trouble accepting that someone so normal could have been such an important and legendary figure in his sport. Maybe that’s why they have a problem with his induction into the Hall of Fame.

This fan, however, believes that Bonnar’s normalcy, juxtaposed with his accomplishments and contributions to the sport, is precisely why the fighter deserves to be a hall of famer.

Even if he never wore a belt, Stephan Bonnar is an everyman champion in an everyman sport.

Stephan Bonnar & Forrest Griffin’s UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony:


(Video via MMA H.E.A.T.)