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Lose 3 fights in a row in the UFC and “You’re Out!” But, does that hold true for Stephan Bonnar? Seems like different rules may apply.
Fighting punch for punch and riding on the coat tails of a fantastic fight with Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar helped pave the way for all the Ultimate Fighters that have come after them.
It was April 2005 when the first season of The Ultimate Fighter came to an end with its final fights. Bonnar and Griffin were the last men standing in the Light Heavyweight Division – fighting for a coveted ‘3 figure contract’ and chance to become ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. After 3 rounds of grueling action judges awarded the win to Forrest Griffin by unanimous decision.
An unforgettable sight – Griffin, standing exhausted – nose broken, face bleeding, body bloodied with gloved fist raised in honor of his win. Bonnar on his knees, just as battered, having just given his all for his passion of the sport. Everyone agreed – both fighters fought their asses off!
If you’re like most MMA fans, you probably remember the night of the Griffin / Bonnar fight very well: “Dude, are you watching this??? Turn your TV to SPIKE!!”
That one fight changed the perception of the UFC and cage fighting in all of our eyes. It was during that particular fight that we realized that these men are not only incredible athletes but also have incredible ‘hearts’ for the sport that they practice.
After the judges’ decision was announced, UFC President Dana White grabbed the microphone and announced that ‘due to such an amazing show of sportsmanship among both fighters’ he was going to award both Griffin and Bonnar with the $100k contract.
Since then we’ve watched as Forrest progressed. He’s risen among the ranks, improved, became UFC Light Heavy Weight Champion and he’s developed himself as a role model for thousands upon thousands of ‘kids’ who have wanted to become Ultimate Fighters. In my opinion Forrest has lived the life of The Winner of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.
But, what about Stephan? Like the old song says: ‘What have you done for me lately?’
Ok, so after his first loss to Griffin, Bonnar has gone on to have a pretty unremarkable UFC career. An overall professional MMA record of 11-7-0 with five losses in his last seven fights.
Does that sound like a guy who should be fighting in the UFC? I don’t think so.
You know the Rule. I know the Rule. Hell, everybody knows the Unwritten UFC Rule: 3 losses in a row and you’re out!
Well, at this moment, Stephan Bonnar holds 3 recent losses in a row. Here we go… a 3 round unanimous decision loss to Jon Jones. Oh, and C’mon, Stephan! You couldn’t even rack up a win against ‘old man’ Mark Coleman after 3 rounds?
And never mind the ‘head butt’ incident that led to the doctors’ stoppage (cut) of Bonnar’s last fight with Krzysztof Soszynski. In my opinion, Bonnar had lost that fight long before the doc stopped it.
You and I both know that any other ‘chump’ would have been cut from the UFC long ago.
Dana White has made it clear that “Stephan Bonnar will always have a place in the UFC”, and why not? He helped to catapult the UFC into the magnificent sport that we all enjoy today!
Yep, I’ve got a problem with Bonnar: The UFC gives Stephan Bonnar a rematch with Forrest Griffin over a year after the infamous TUF Finale fight – “let’s just see if Bonnar has what-it-takes”. Then, guess what? Bonnar tests positive for Boldenone Metabolite – an anabolic steroid developed specifically for use on Horses.
Horses?! What? Yep. Bonnar claimed that an elbow injury needed some ‘extra’ help in healing and that he thought that the steroid would be out of his system by the time he tested. Huh? Hello? I don’t know about you, but when I’m sick I go to my doctor not my horses’ doctor for help…
Ok, Stephan, maybe I can see you using a steroid for humans, but horses! C’mon!
The Nevada State Athletic Commission gave him a 9 month suspension and a $5,000 fine. Bonnar quietly rode out his time (pardon the pun – rode ~ horse … get it?) and waited for his suspension to end.
Meanwhile, Dana White barely discussed the incident in the press. Any other time, he’s ranting and raving about ‘how he doesn’t like this and won’t tolerate that’… But this time we heard nothing.
Suspended in November 2006. The item was pushed under the rug and as soon as Bonnar’s nine month suspension was over – May 2007 and as quickly as he was able to get his license reinstated, he was fighting on the next UFC fight card – UFC 73.
One night not long after the steroid suspension, I sat next to Forrest Griffin during fight night at Wild Bill’s in Atlanta, GA. I tried my best to get Forrest to dish some dirt on Stephan, but he wouldn’t. You know, fighters are loyal to each other when they know they’re in a rough place. It turns out that he and Stephan were pretty tight friends and training partners (back then).
I don’t know about you, but I’ve lost respect for Bonnar. I sit and watch as his fight game remains stagnant and lackluster and I wonder is Bonnar really so deserving of a place within the UFC? I mean REALLY??? I know of regional and local fighters that have as much or more passion for the fight game (with better records) than Stephan Bonnar.
Since then, we’ve watched Bonnar continue to fight like a ‘chump’. Nothing spectacular there. A fight here, maybe a win, a loss there, and every now and again he pops up as a guest fill-in at cage side for Joe Rogan or Frank Mir. Dana is keeping his promise to keep Bonnar working in the UFC…
So here we are, 5 months after Bonnar’s original fight with Krzysztof Soszynski – UFC 116. Soszynski’s UFC record is looking good. 4-1-0. Let’s see who comes out on top this time.
My guess is that Bonnar and Soszynski’s fight will end with Soszynski’s hand raised.
And if that’s the case, I think it’s time for Bonnar to let go of those coat tails. Yes, it’s been a wild ride, but the brakes have been squealing for waaaay too long.
