UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar dead at 45; MMA community mourns

Stephan Bonnar has died.

The UFC announced the news Saturday, Christmas Eve, and cited heart complications at work as the cause of his death Thursday. Bonnar was 45.

“Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon,” said UFC President Dana White in a statement. “His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the sport forever, and he will never be forgotten. The fans loved him, related to him and he always gave them his best. He will be missed.”

A legend in the world of mixed martial arts, “The American Psycho” Bonnar served as one half of the fight many credit with turning a then-struggling UFC around. Although he lost that bout at “The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale” against Forrest Griffin, it’s impact was felt for generations to come. Eventually, the bout was inducted into the fight wing of “The UFC Hall of Fame” in 2013.

Bonnar competed 26 times a professional with 15 of those fights for the UFC and one for Bellator. He made his pro debut in 2001 with his UFC debut eight fights later. Bonnar entered the promotion at 7-1 and though he lost the fight to Griffin, he won his next three under the promotion’s banner.

He split his next four at 2-2 with losses to Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin, and subsequent wins over Mark Nickals and Eric Schaefer. Bonnar then entered a three-fight skid with defeats to Jon Jones, Marc Coleman, and Krzysztof Soszynski. He won a rematch against Soszynski, then defeated Igor Pokrajac and Kyle Kingsbury.

A loss to Anderson Silva in a makeshift UFC 153 main event was his final bout for the promotion. Bonnar parted ways with the promotion after a failed drug test and claimed retirement. However, he reentered competition to fight Tito Ortiz for Bellator in 2014 and lost by split decision.

Bonnar was in the headlines intermittently following his final MMA bout. In 2019, he competed for Impact Wrestling after a two-year build on the independent pro wrestling circuit. In 2020, Bonnar briefly reentered the MMA circuit as a cornerman for fellow TUF 1 contestant Diego Sanchez. In April 2022, Bonnar had more struggles outside the cage when his house burnt down.

Throughout the MMA community, Bonnar was a legend. Many fighters, promoters, fans, and loved ones flocked to social media Saturday to mourn the loss of a UFC pioneer and recall their best memories.

Scroll below to see some of those reactions.

UFC

Jake Paul

Ariel Helwani

Renato Moicano

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie