UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar has died.
The promotion announced on Saturday that the star’s passing and reported that heart complications caused Bonnar’s death, which happened on Thursday.
“Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the octagon,” 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.”
Of Bonnar’s 26 professional fights, he made 15 UFC appearances and one for Bellator.
Bonnar joined the UFC when he was 7-1. He would lose to Forrest Griffin — which many fans consider a defining bout for a then-struggling UFC — but then went on a three-fight winning streak. He ended his UFC career with a loss to Anderson Silva.
But he returned to competition in 2014 under Bellator against Tito Ortiz, but lost by split decision.
In 2020, Bonnar briefly returned to MMA as a cornerman for Diego Sanchez.
Bonnar was eventually inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013.
My condolences go out to Stephan Bonnar’s family. His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the landscape of the sport of MMA and pushed it to the next level. He’s a big part of the reason we are here today. https://t.co/NtGaVAN96M
— Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) December 24, 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
Ohhhh man 😢
— Big Ben Rothwell (@RothwellFighter) December 24, 2022