Stephan Bonnar
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Profile
Stephan "The American Psycho" Bonnar is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.
He stands 6 ft. 3 in. tall and weighs approximately 205 lbs. (93kg).
He was the runner-up on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and currently fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Pre-TUF MMA Career
Stephan Bonnar began his professional mixed martial arts career in November of 2001 where he won a four man tournament in the Ironheart Crown organisation. He defeated Brian Ebersole and Josh Kruger to win the tournament.
He went 4-1 in his next five fights losing only to now top ranked light heavyweight, Lyoto Machida.
The Ultimate Fighter
Bonnar was selected as a light heavyweight contestant for The Ultimate Fighter Season 1. A reality television show which showcases the UFC and its fighters in an elimination tournament where the winner earns themselves a contract with the organisation.
He made it to the final of the show after defeating Bobby Southworth via split decision in the opening round and then Mike Swick via triangle choke in the semi finals.
At The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale, Bonnar faced off against Forrest Griffin for the six figure UFC contract. In an epic three round war which, UFC President, Dana White described as "the most important fight in UFC history", Forrest Griffin came out with a razon-thin unanimous decision. The fight garnered an unprecedented amount of viewers and catapulted the UFC into the public consciousness.
Due to Bonnar's efforts in that bout he was also awarded a 6-figure contract with the UFC.
UFC Career
Since the Ultimate Fighter Finale, Bonnar fought four out of the first five, UFC Fight Nights.
He beat fellow TUF contestant Sam Hoger via decision at the inaugural UFC Fight Night followed by a victory over James Irvin via kimura submission at UFC Fight Night 2 and then a unanimous decision victory over Keith Jardine at UFC Fight Night 3.
Bonnar tasted defeat for the first time within the walls of the UFC octagon at UFC Fight Night 5 where he faced of against The Ultimate Fighter 2 heavyweight winner, Rashad Evans. Bonnar was outwrestled for the majority of the fight and struggled to get off any form of offense which earned Evans a majority decision victory.
In a rematch with Forrest Griffin at UFC 62 in his next fight, Bonnar fought hard but was handidly defeated by Griffin via unanimous decision.
After the second fight with Griffin, Bonnar was suspended for 9 months and fined $5,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive to Boldenone Metabolite. Bonnar has stated about the situation that he used the substance to treat an injured elbow and he thought it would be out of his system before his rematch with Griffin.
Since the suspension, Bonnar has gone 2-0 against Mike Nickels and Eric Schafer at UFC 73 and UFC 77 respectively, stopping both fighters within the distance.
He was recently meant to fight Matt Hamill at UFC Fight Night 13 in April, 2008 but had to to pull out due to a severe knee injury that he is still currently recovering from.
Mixed Martial Arts Record
| 15 matches | 11 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 1 |
| By submission | 7 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 3 |
| Draws | 0 | |
Gallery
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External Links
http://sherdog.com/fighter/Stephan-Bonnar-3014 - Professional MMA Record from Sherdog
--Sam Cupitt 10:54, 25 September 2008 (UTC)
