The tragic news of Stephan Bonnar’s death sent shockwaves through the MMA community on Christmas Eve.
Tributes from current and former fighters flooded social media shortly following the UFC’s announcement on Twitter.
The UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.
— UFC (@ufc) December 24, 2022
“The UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.”
Bonnar (15-9 MMA), a UFC Hall of Famer, was just 45 years old. The cause of his death has not been revealed at this time.
Stephan Bonnar was instrumental in the UFC becoming a mainstream commodity. His epic battle against Forrest Griffin in the TUF 1 Finale proved to be a main ingredient in the promotion becoming a household name.
“Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon,” stated UFC President Dana White in a release announcing Bonnar’s death. “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.”
Bonnar (15-9 MMA) scored victories over notable names such as Keith Jardine, Krzysztof Soszynski, James Irvin and Kyle Kingsbury during his UFC career.
Check out the tributes and reactions of fellow pro fighters below:
Rip legend Stephan Bonnar…. Sad year for the MMA community… #ufc #mma
— Renato Moicano UFC (@moicanoufc) December 24, 2022
😔 RIP legend pic.twitter.com/fIXZtesyAP
— Alpha Cat Zingano (@CatZingano) December 24, 2022
Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin was the first mma fight I ever watched, and it completely changed my life.
It is so incredibly heartbreaking to hear the news of Stephan’s passing. Another one gone too soon. My thoughts are with his family during this time 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/1wa2oz1s6H
— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) December 24, 2022
Terrible news. One of the nicest guys in MMA. #RipLegend https://t.co/fUexAqzOuO
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) December 25, 2022
Crushed. 💔 https://t.co/XtN1ynoqHp
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) December 25, 2022
More reactions to the Stephan Bonnar passing away at age 45:
Heard about this early this morning. Truly a heartbreaking loss. So very sad. Thoughts are with his family. https://t.co/jXZLNKQBbf
— michael (@bisping) December 24, 2022
— Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) December 24, 2022
RIP💔
Legends never die https://t.co/yxjgLor0zr— Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannamma) December 25, 2022
Very sad to hear about the passing of @StephanBonnar His fight with @ForrestGriffin helped jumpstart the @ufc into the mega promotion you see today. RIP Stephan. Your time here was way too short
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) December 24, 2022
Rest In Peace to the man who helped keep the sport alive! Prayers up for your friends, and family! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/07XsCvUIn5
— Cody Durden (@Cody_Durden) December 24, 2022
Unreal That I’ve lost another friend this year
You will be missed brother #rip pic.twitter.com/SohdDTINts
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) December 25, 2022
Fuck is what I’m seeing about Bonnar true???
— ike vallie-flagg (@IKEVF) December 24, 2022
‘The American Psycho’ retired from mixed martial arts back in 2014, following a split decision setback to Tito Ortiz at Bellator 131.
Bonnar went on to try his hand at professional wrestling, even teaming up with fellow former UFC fighter Phil Baroni for a brief period of time.
The staff at BJPenn.com sends our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Stephan Bonnar during this difficult time. RIP Legend.
