Stephan Bonnar, a UFC Hall of Fame honoree who helped put mixed martial arts on the map, died Thursday. He was 45.
Bonnar died from “presumed heart complications,” the UFC said Saturday in a statement announcing his death.
“Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon,” said UFC President Dana White. “The fans loved him, related to him, and he always gave them his best. He will be missed.”
Bonnar was part of a turning point in UFC history — a 2005 fight against Forrest Griffin to crown the season one champion on “The Ultimate Fighter.” The reality show title fight went three rounds and enthralled fans, with Griffin and Bonnar laying everything on the line.
Griffin defeated Bonnar, but both men were offered deals to join the UFC.
“Everything changed,” Bonnar said in 2020. “I didn’t think I’d have a UFC career. It was just a little hobby I was doing, so it changed everything. Almost overnight, I became like a celebrity. Everywhere I went, someone would recognize me, even in obscure places.”
Born April 4, 1977, in Hammond, Ind., Bonnar was involved in combat sports from a young age. He graduated from Purdue University in 2000 with a degree in sports medicine.
Bonnar joined the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2005. “TUF” is the UFC’s reality show, putting amateur fighters through a series of challenges, with the winner promised a six-figure deal and spot on the promotion’s storied roster of fighters.
The first season finale pitted Bonnar against Griffin on April 9, 2005. The brutal, back-and-forth bout inspired a generation of UFC fans. Years later, Bonnar was well past dwelling on the loss.
“That’s like the best loss ever. No one really remembers the actual result, but everyone remembers the fight — that’s all everyone talks about,” he said in a 2012 interview. “That’s just such an important moment in history for MMA — we helped put it on the map, gyms started sprouting up everywhere, little kids started to train, the list goes on.”
Bonnar finished his MMA career with a 17-9 record. He fought champions including Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz.
“Truly a heartbreaking loss. So very sad,” fellow UFC fighter Michael Bisping said Saturday. “Thoughts are with his family.”
