Tag: Stephan Bonnar

Stephan Bonnar: How Will the "American Psycho" Be Remembered?

After coming out of semi-retirement to fight Anderson Silva at UFC 153, Stephan Bonnar has decided to call it a career.”Huge thanks to every UFC fan out there! All I ever wanted was to bring ya’ll some fun…hope u were entertained. Peace, love, &…

After coming out of semi-retirement to fight Anderson Silva at UFC 153, Stephan Bonnar has decided to call it a career.

“Huge thanks to every UFC fan out there! All I ever wanted was to bring ya’ll some fun…hope u were entertained. Peace, love, & violence!” said Bonnar through his Facebook page.

Bonnar finishes with a 15-8 record, including memorable bouts with Krzysztof Soszynski, Mark Coleman and Forrest Griffin.

Bonnar never really climbed that close to a title opportunity in his career, but he definitely saved the UFC with his TUF 1 finale bout with the future light-heavyweight champion, and later down the road, he faced current champ Jon Jones, losing each by decision.

The truth is, there really is a bunch of things that we will remember about Bonnar‘s career, even out of the Octagon.

Remember his skit with Chael Sonnen at the World MMA Awards in 2011 or his tales from the TUF house on SPIKE’s MMA Uncensored?

His fight with Silva is a big memory for his career, as it showed that with a long layoff, he was able to use his speed to catch even the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world off guard to start the bout.  Bonnar even held his own for a brief period of the fight, using the cage to keep Silva under control before getting knocked out.

That was the first time Bonnar was knocked out, as his two previous TKO losses were for cuts.

He hasn’t been submitted, and although he was knocked out, Bonnar wasn’t doing too badly, winning three in a row before UFC 153.

Is he Hall of Fame worthy? That’s another article for another day, but it raises the question on how he will be remembered.

That’s up to you to decide; so how do you think the “American Psycho” will be remembered?

 

Mark Pare is a Featured Columnist. You can follow him on Twitter, and don’t forget to check out his sportswriter page.

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And Now He’s Retired: Stephan Bonnar, UFC Savior, Retires From MMA


(Godspeed, you strange, beautiful warrior. / Photo via Heavy)

His gritty decision loss to Forrest Griffin at the first TUF Finale helped turn the UFC’s fortunes around, and his most recent fight against Anderson Silva saved UFC 153 from possible extinction. The American Psycho shed his blood for the good of the sport, and now he’s gone.

It was confirmed yesterday that Stephan Bonnar will be retiring from MMA following an 11-year career, including a 15-fight stretch in the UFC where he went 8-7. It’s likely that he’ll be remembered more for his defeats than his victories — besides the aforementioned losses to Griffin and Silva, Bonnar also has the dubious honor of being an early victim of Lyoto Machida, a member of Jon Jones’s spinning-back-elbow highlight reel, and the last person to be defeated by Mark Coleman (ouch).

Still, it was a joy to watch him compete, and when he won, it was a triumph. I know it sounds cliched and pandering to talk about “heart,” “warrior spirit,” and “never-say-die attitude” when you’re discussing a fighter who was never able to come near a title belt, but in Bonnar’s case, those terms genuinely apply. He was one of the good guys, and his generosity with fans even extended to two-bit MMA blogs like ours.

CagePotato.com would like to wish Stephan Bonnar the best of luck on his future endeavors, and thank him for the years of entertainment he’s given us in the UFC. Please share your favorite Stephan Bonnar moment in the comments section, and check out the full video of Bonnar vs. Griffin 1 after the jump.


(Godspeed, you strange, beautiful warrior. / Photo via Heavy)

His gritty decision loss to Forrest Griffin at the first TUF Finale helped turn the UFC’s fortunes around, and his most recent fight against Anderson Silva saved UFC 153 from possible extinction. The American Psycho shed his blood for the good of the sport, and now he’s gone.

It was confirmed yesterday that Stephan Bonnar will be retiring from MMA following an 11-year career, including a 15-fight stretch in the UFC where he went 8-7. It’s likely that he’ll be remembered more for his defeats than his victories — besides the aforementioned losses to Griffin and Silva, Bonnar also has the dubious honor of being an early victim of Lyoto Machida, a member of Jon Jones’s spinning-back-elbow highlight reel, and the last person to be defeated by Mark Coleman (ouch).

Still, it was a joy to watch him compete, and when he won, it was a triumph. I know it sounds cliched and pandering to talk about “heart,” “warrior spirit,” and “never-say-die attitude” when you’re discussing a fighter who was never able to come near a title belt, but in Bonnar’s case, those terms genuinely apply. He was one of the good guys, and his generosity with fans even extended to two-bit MMA blogs like ours.

CagePotato.com would like to wish Stephan Bonnar the best of luck on his future endeavors, and thank him for the years of entertainment he’s given us in the UFC. Please share your favorite Stephan Bonnar moment in the comments section, and check out the full video of Bonnar vs. Griffin 1 after the jump.

Dana White Confirms UFC’s Stephan Bonnar Is Retired

Stephan Bonnar has apparently fought his last fight.Prior to his loss against Anderson Silva during a light heavyweight main event at UFC 153, Bonnar had publicly stated that he might retire for good after getting his last big match.Now, UFC president …

Stephan Bonnar has apparently fought his last fight.

Prior to his loss against Anderson Silva during a light heavyweight main event at UFC 153, Bonnar had publicly stated that he might retire for good after getting his last big match.

Now, UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Bonnar is indeed retired, answering a fan-submitted question during a live online chat session hosted by Metro PCS via Ustream. White’s response was short and to the point:

“Yes, Bonnar will be retiring now.”

It seems the news also took Jon Jones by surprise, as the UFC light heavyweight champion had just taken a seat next to White before the question came up.

Jones’ reaction was similarly brief: “No way.”

Update: Bonnar has issued a farewell statement through his Facebook page, which has also been reposted on his Twitter account:

Huge thanks to every UFC fan out there! All I ever wanted was to bring ya’ll some fun…hope u were entertained. Peace, love, & violence! #ufc

Bonnar had been previously rumored for a third fight against Forrest Griffin at UFC 155, filling in as a replacement for Chael Sonnen, who left the card to coach The Ultimate Fighter opposite Jones. However, the rumor turned out to be false, as Phil Davis was later announced for the co-main event bout.

Bonnar has widely been recognized for his iron chin and strong Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, having never lost by knockout (prior to UFC 153) or submission. All but one of his losses have come at the hands of former and current UFC champions, with Bonnar facing Anderson Silva as an 8-to-1 underdog.

Noted as a tireless brawler with deep cardio, “The American Psycho” is also credited as one of only three men in the UFC to take Jon Jones to a decision.

Bonnar retires with a 15-8 mixed martial arts record and eight wins in the UFC, not counting his submission victory against Mike Swick during the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Even though he would eventually lose the reality TV competition to Griffin in the season finale, the highly-acclaimed fight earned Bonnar a six-figure contract with the UFC.

By acclamation alone, Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar is considered the moment that launched the Ultimate Fighting Championship into its current mainstream prominence. On the strength of that match, the finale drew a record 2.6 million viewers on Saturday, April 9th, 2005.

In the UFC’s own Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights series, Dana White and color commentator Joe Rogan respectively called Griffin vs. Bonnar the “most important” and “most significant” fight in the promotion’s history. According to SPIKE (known then as Spike TV), Griffin vs. Bonnar was—at the time—the most-watched UFC fight ever.

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UFC 153 Pay-Per-View Buys Confirm That Squash Matches Are Totally Hot Right Now


(We’re sorry, Stephan, but unless those things are actual guns, you’re getting your ass kicked tonight.) 

In the days leading up to UFC 153, many of you (and by you, we mean the entire MMA Interwebz) had some less than favorable things to say about the pairing of Stephan Bonnar and Anderson Silva. As if the bookies hadn’t told us all we needed to know, the general consensus among fans seemed to be the evening’s main event was a “travesty, a sham, and a mockery” that “blasphemed the great sport of MMA” and was a “completely meaningless squash match” whose “insulting pairing” would be reflected in “the abysmal pay-per-view numbers it receives.” And those were the favorable comments.

But for every fifteen of you complaining, there were apparently five or more of you who were forced to stifle your true excitement over this matchup like a pedo at a tee-ball game, because if the early numbers are any indication, squash matches featuring unstoppable killing machines are the new superfights. According to several reports, the pay-per-view numbers for UFC 153 are in the range of 340,00 to 410,000 buys. These numbers not only exceeded expectation, but are not that far below September’s squash match of the month featuring Jon Jones and Vitor Belfort, which managed to clear over 450,000 buys despite having those little guys that no one cares about fighting in the night’s co-main event.


(We’re sorry, Stephan, but unless those things are actual guns, you’re getting your ass kicked tonight.) 

In the days leading up to UFC 153, many of you (and by you, we mean the entire MMA Interwebz) had some less than favorable things to say about the pairing of Stephan Bonnar and Anderson Silva. As if the bookies hadn’t told us all we needed to know, the general consensus among fans seemed to be the evening’s main event was a “travesty, a sham, and a mockery” that “blasphemed the great sport of MMA” and was a “completely meaningless squash match” whose “insulting pairing” would be reflected in “the abysmal pay-per-view numbers it receives.” And those were the favorable comments.

But for every fifteen of you complaining, there were apparently five or more of you who were forced to stifle your true excitement over this matchup like a pedo at a tee-ball game, because if the early numbers are any indication, squash matches featuring unstoppable killing machines are the new superfights. According to several reports, the pay-per-view numbers for UFC 153 are in the range of 340,00 to 410,000 buys. These numbers not only exceeded expectation, but are not that far below September’s squash match of the month featuring Jon Jones and Vitor Belfort, which managed to clear over 450,000 buys despite having those little guys that no one cares about fighting in the night’s co-main event.

While the numbers for UFC 153 might not be that outstanding at a glance, first consider that aside from Anderson Silva, UFC 153 was essentially deprived of the kind of star power that casual fans are willing to fork over 50 dollars for, thanks in no small part to our friend the injury curse. The co-main event featured Dave freaking Herman for Chrissakes. Jon Fitch was on the main card, you guys. Jon. Fitch. These are not factors that normally add up to UFC gold, yet thanks to the power of one genetically-enhanced cyborg from the future and the pure enthusiasm of Brazilian fans, UFC 153 managed to come out with better numbers than UFC 147 and 150 combined.

So although we may never get the Silva/Jones superfight we’ve always wanted, enough of us will keep tuning in for the mere opportunity to watch either one of them beat the shit out of a hapless opponent. Based on these numbers, we estimate that Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen will do upwards of 24 million buys, receive it’s own television spin-off, and return to theaters in stunning 3D in 2014. And the Ferris wheel keeps on a spinnin’.

No wonder Silva doesn’t want to fight Chris Weidman or Michael Bisping; their chances of not being completely embarrassed out there lie just outside the fan’s interest range. Andy knows that we want to see him keep his hands at his sides, evade then shuffle back to where his opponent just tried to hit him, and deliver one-shot knockouts at the drop of a hat or not see him at all. You know what your audience likes, Joe, now set up the Silva vs Kyle Maynard super-squash-match-extravaganza that we have all been begging for!

–J. Jones

Rumor: Stephan Bonnar to Replace Sonnen, Face Forrest Griffin at UFC 155

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 t…

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:

 

 

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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Silva vs. Bonnar: Why Bonnar Has Nothing to Be Ashamed of in Defeat

The thought of Stephan Bonnar pulling off the biggest upset in UFC history over Anderson Silva was nothing more than a passing daydream.At UFC 153, Silva gave Bonnar a hard reality check in the form of a vicious knee that forced the referee to call a h…

The thought of Stephan Bonnar pulling off the biggest upset in UFC history over Anderson Silva was nothing more than a passing daydream.

At UFC 153, Silva gave Bonnar a hard reality check in the form of a vicious knee that forced the referee to call a halt to the action at 4:39 in the first round.

“Thanks to everyone for the support, I’m so sorry I lost. I feel so bad for letting my fans down, but I promise to make it up to you,” Bonnar posted on Twitter after the fight.

Before his bout with Silva, Bonnar had never been knocked out or submitted in his MMA career. Obviously, there’s a first time for everything, especially when you’re going toe to toe with arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history.

Still, Bonnar doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of in his defeat.

Coming in as a 13-to-1 underdog, no one really expected Bonnar to pull off the upset. There was no pressure heading into the fight. After accepting the fight on short notice, the only thing expected of Bonnar was to come out and fight like he always does.

Even though he didn’t get the desired outcome, Bonnar can find solace in the fact that he fought his fight. He didn’t mess around on the outside and wait for Silva to react.

As soon the fight started, he pressed the action and forced Silva to fight. Unfortunately, he ended up getting caught with a knee in the process.

When the curtain closes on Bonnar‘s career, there won’t be any world titles or broken records, but he will always be remembered as a fighter who fought with his heart and never shied away from any opponent.

Someday, he’ll be able to tell his grandchildren that he traveled to Brazil to headline a major UFC card against the greatest fighter in MMA history.

Like in his epic fight with Forrest Griffin, Bonnar was once again a part of history, and no one can ever take that away from him.

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