Home

UFC

Conor McGregor Sends Heartfelt Tribute to “The Original Ultimate Fighter” Stephan Bonnar

Published 02/27/2023, 3:08 AM EST

Follow Us

UFC legend Stephan Bonnar passed away in December 2022 at the age of 45. There were a lot of MMA fighters who took to social media and paid tribute to ‘The American Psycho’ after his untimely death. Moreover, former UFC double champion Conor McGregor recently shared a post on Instagram regarding Stephan Bonnar.

‘The American Psycho’ competed in the UFC as a light heavyweight for the better part of his MMA career. His mixed martial arts record, at the end of his career, stood at 15 wins and 9 losses. Bonnar was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013 under the ‘fight wing’.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Stephan Bonnar was one of the competitors from the first season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. He didn’t manage to win the competition as he lost to Forrest Griffin and became the runner-up of the season. Bonnar’s loss to Griffin was considered one of the most important fights in UFC’s history. Moreover, Conor McGregor seems to acknowledge Bonnar’s status as a TUF legend.

Conor McGregor pays tribute to Stephan Bonnar

Conor McGregor is busy shooting for the 31st season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ in Las Vegas, along with Michael Chandler. It will be the Irishman’s second appearance in the UFC’s reality TV show. However, Conor McGregor took the time to post a photo on Instagram, acknowledging the late Stephan Bonnar as the original Ultimate Fighter. McGregor wrote: “Stephan Bonnar. The original “Ultimate Fighter!”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Stephan Bonnar was one of the most instrumental fighters who brought the UFC to the fore. He also played an important role in uplifting the sport of mixed martial arts. Apart from that, ‘The American Psycho’ was a versatile fighter, with a background in wrestling and jiu-jitsu. He even had experience in boxing because of which he could take a great number of punches. Many people even consider Bonnar to have had one of the best chins in MMA.

Stephan Bonnar was one of the pioneers of the sport of mixed martial arts. Although he was never the UFC champion, his contributions have not gone unnoticed by the major MMA personalities around the world. It was only fitting that a superstar like Conor McGregor paid his respect to one of the legends of the sport.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

What are your thoughts on McGregor’s tribute to Stephan Bonnar? Let us know in the comments below.

WATCH THIS STORY: UFC Vegas 69 Jessica Andrade Vs Erin Blanchfield Event recap

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Himanga Mahanta

1,963Articles

One take at a time

Himanga is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. He interned as a WWE author at Sportsmanor before joining EssentiallySports to pursue his interest as a sports journalist. Himanga is a big fan of UFC's Conor McGregor and considers him the most entertaining combat sports athlete of the 21st century.
Show More>

Edited by:

Rohini Kottu