Stephan Bonnar, a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, reportedly died on Thursday at the age of 45.
Bonnar is regarded as a UFC pioneer, having earned a reputation for himself on the inaugural season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
He finished second against Forrest Griffin that season in a battle widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time.
Dand White, the head of the UFC, has said that the bout was one of the driving causes behind the UFC’s success, and it virtually single-handedly got the two combatants into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
Bonnar had 17-9 record and faced UFC icons Jon “Bones” Jones, Anderson Silva, and Tito Ortiz, the latter two of whom were his last opponents.
According to the UFC, he died of presumed cardiac issues.
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Bonnar’s wife and son survive him.
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