Stephan Bonnar was involved in arguably one of the greatest and most significant fights in the history of both mixed martial arts and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. After going tens of millions of dollars in debt, the UFC tried something new with the launch of the Ultimate Fighter, a reality television series that awarded the season's winning fighters with UFC contracts.
TUF 1 began in January 2005 and on April 9 of that year, the season's finale was held, and one fight helped propel the UFC into the right direction. In the evening's main event Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin went toe-to-toe in a back and forth bloody battle that garnered the attention of millions of new fans.
While Bonnar did not win the fight, he was offered a UFC contract anyway because of the spectacular performance. His career with the organization was not as exciting as the Griffin fight, but because of the importance of that one contest, Bonnar eventually found himself landing a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Downward Slope
Bonnar retired from MMA competition after a loss to former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Drug tests later showed that Bonnar tested positive for the steroid Drostanolone. Although already retired, he was suspended, only to return several years later for a fight with Bellator MMA against Tito Ortiz. The Ortiz fight would be one of the most watched events in Bellator's history.
After the Ortiz loss, Bonnar's official win-loss record accumulated to 15-9. His pro career spanned from 2001 until 2014.
A New Beginning
Now at 40 years of age, Bonnar is entering the sports entertainment industry of professional wrestling. On August 18 in Queens, New York, the UFC Hall Of Famer will wrestle against another UFC veteran who turned to pro wrestling, Matthew Riddle.
Riddle earned the title of 2016 pro wrestling Rookie of the Year. He too made a name for himself on the Ultimate Fighter, competing on season seven. Riddle made his pro wrestling debut in February 2015.
Bonnar will become the 10th UFC Hall of Famer to dabble in the pro wrestling industry when he competes at House of Glory's 'High Intensity 6'.
He joins Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, Bas Rutten, Don Frye, Mark Coleman, Frank Trigg, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Frank Trigg who have all competed in both MMA and wrestling.
The August 18 event will be held at the NYC Arena in Jamaica, Queens beginning at 8 p.m.
