UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar Dies at Age 45

By Matthew Aguilar

UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar has passed away at the age of 45. UFC announced the tragic news earlier today, stating that he had passed away on December 22nd. According to the UFC he is believed to have passed away due to presumed heart complications while at work, and UFC has released an official statement. On Twitter, the official UFC account wrote "The UFC family is saddened by the passing of the UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends." Bonnar is survived by his son, and our thoughts are with all of Bonnar's family and friends.

UFC also highlighted Bonnar's stellar career and what he meant to UFC becoming the powerhouse it is today in a post on UFC.com. Bonnar was a competitor during season one of The Ultimate Fighter back in 2005, and his fight with Forrest Griffin would end up becoming one of the most revered fights of all time, and the fight was later placed in the UFC Hall of Fame fight wing.

UFC President Dana White also spoke about what Bonnar's contributions meant to the growth of UFC, and how that fight changed the sport and UFC's trajectory.

"Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon," White said. "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."

That fight would launch Bonnar into a new stratosphere and he would end up facing some of the best the sport had to offer, including Anderson Silva, Tito Ortiz, Griffin, Rashad Evans, James Irvin, Keith Jardine, and more. His career record was 17-9, and during an interview, Bonnar talked about that first match-up with Griffin and what he took away most from it.

"It was kind of a little lesson," Bonnar said. "If you never quit, you really can't fail. That was the perfect example of that. Give it everything you've got and something good will come out of it."

Our thoughts are with Bonnar's family and friends.

H/T Fightful

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