Forrest Griffin, a UFC champion, died at the age of 45. His untimely demise at such a young age stunned the whole UFC community. One of his rivals, Forrest Griffin, is one of the many people who have paid respect to the UFC great.
Stephan Bonnar was one of the fighters who helped popularize the UFC in its early days. The UFC Hall of Famer had his first bout for this promotion against Griffin in The Ultimate Fighter 1 in April 2005. It was an all-time epic battle that laid the strong foundation for today’s super-popular UFC.
Dana White, President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has paid respect to Bonnar. While expressing his gratitude, he recognizes how important that brutal war was to him and his business, UFC.
“Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon,” said Dana.
“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.” White added.
Andy Vermaut shares:UFC Hall of Famer Dead Stephan Bonnar at 45: The MMA world has taken a hit. UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar died Dec. 22 at age 45. According to the organization, his cause of death is from presumed heart complications… https://t.co/sDpfby4oeC Thank you. pic.twitter.com/IffJFgSqtG
— Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) December 26, 2022
Forrest Griffin expressed his feelings about his long-time opponent and buddy on Twitter. He said how much he will miss Bonnar since they battled in one of the most brutal battles in UFC history. Fans of the promotion will never forget their memorable battle in the octagon.
“Stephan was a lot of things: He was always the most interesting person in the room, he had the biggest heart and most importantly, he was my friend. I always loved it that people got excited when they found out we were really friends. I’ll always miss you, brother.” Graffin expressed in his tweet.
Forrest Griffin reacts to the death of Stephan Bonnar pic.twitter.com/7qcuWwNRNj
— Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) December 28, 2022
The exact cause of death for The American Psycho is unknown, but the media has reported that he died of cardiac issues.