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“He Was Addicted to Opioids”: Sean Strickland Holds Nothing Back Following Stephan Bonnar’s Death

Published 12/26/2022, 5:30 AM EST

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UFC’s light heavyweight legend, Stephan Bonnar died at the age of 45 after, presumably, a long struggle with heart problems. He was one of the finalists in the first season of The Ultimate FighterThe UFC Hall of Famer was one of the most instrumental figures who helped in popularizing the sport of mixed martial arts. His UFC record stood at 15 wins and 9 losses. But UFC middleweight Sean Strickland had his own take on Bonnar’s death.

Stephan Bonnar suffered from a serious staff infection in 2021. ‘The American Psycho’ also battled with struggles outside of the octagon with his house burning down earlier this year. His passing was officially announced by the UFC on Christmas Eve. Bonnar had a 13-year MMA career, and many personalities from the MMA community were shocked to learn about his untimely death.

 

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Bonnar inspired a lot of fighters which made him a loving figure in the MMA community. However, UFC’s middleweight star Sean Strickland had his own take on Stephan Bonnar’s death.

Sean Strickland disappointed with the MMA community

The middleweight was not happy with how Stephan Bonnar was left out by the MMA world when he was in need of help. He posted a video on Instagram talking about how people were talking about their relationship with the UFC legend and showing fake love. Strickland also mentioned Bonnar’s alleged addiction to opioids.

Strickland said, “Stephan Bonnar just died, and like my Instagram feed, Google is flooded with pictures of people like, ‘Hey, this is me and Bonnar training, we are buddies we used to hang out back in the day,’ like I’m going to post a picture about him and get double tap likes.”

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Strickland continued and said, “He was addicted to opioids… his gym went under during Covid, and You know me. I am an a****le. … I am not gonna post a picture with him ‘Rest in Peace’. … But you fu****g people that, like, after he died, you post pictures of him in support and all this? Like when this man was losing his s**t where were you? And I’m not saying you had to be there for him. But you weren’t there for him, then don’t be there for him now because now he doesn’t need it.”

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Strickland ranted about the MMA community and asked the people to not show ‘fake’ love to the UFC legend because they weren’t helping him when he was struggling with serious health problems. Although Stephan Bonnar didn’t become a champion, his legacy in the UFC will be remembered for a long time. What are your thoughts on Bonnar’s untimely death? Drop your comments below.

WATCH THIS STORY: “Strickland Is P*ssed” – UFC Ends 2022 With “Crazy” Scorecards as 49-46 Split Decision for Jared Cannonier Turns Fans Furious

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Written by:

Himanga Mahanta

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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.
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Edited by:

Rohini Kottu