MMA fighters and fans react to the passing of UFC Veteran Stephan Bonnar

UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar passed away on Thursday at the age of 45. Reports suggest heart complications were the reason for the athlete's demise.UFC@ufcThe UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.189253759The UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.The news saddened many in the MMA community, including fighters and fans, who took to social media to pay their respects to Bonnar.MMA broadcaster Mike Goldberg shared a heartfelt tribute to 'American Psycho' on Twitter:&quot;Bonnar/Griffin changed the UFC forever! If you knew Stephan Bonnar, it was impossible not to love him, a loyal friend with a great sense of humor who once took over an entire floor of our hotel in Australia preparing his own kangaroo meal! RIP American Psycho, gone way too young!&quot;Mike Goldberg@GoldieOnTVBonnar/Griffin changed the UFC forever! If you knew @StephanBonnar it was impossible not to love him, a loyal friend with a great sense of humor who once took over an entire floor of our hotel in Australia preparing his own kangaroo meal! RIP American Psycho, gone way too young!18623Bonnar/Griffin changed the UFC forever! If you knew @StephanBonnar it was impossible not to love him, a loyal friend with a great sense of humor who once took over an entire floor of our hotel in Australia preparing his own kangaroo meal! RIP American Psycho, gone way too young! https://t.co/KMPEADC1ZXUFC welterweight Michael Chiesa reminisced about Bonnar's iconic fight against Forrest Griffin and the massive impact it had on the sport of MMA:&quot;My condolences go out to Stephan Bonnar’s family. His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the landscape of the sport of MMA and pushed it to the next level. He’s a big part of the reason we are here today.&quot;Michael Chiesa@MikeMav22My condolences go out to Stephan Bonnar’s family. His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the landscape of the sport of MMA and pushed it to the next level. He’s a big part of the reason we are here today. twitter.com/ufc/status/160…UFC@ufcThe UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.29521The UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.My condolences go out to Stephan Bonnar’s family. His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the landscape of the sport of MMA and pushed it to the next level. He’s a big part of the reason we are here today. twitter.com/ufc/status/160…Kenny Florian stated that Bonnar acted as an inspiration for an entire generation of fighters and left a long-lasting impact on the sport:&quot;Stephan Bonnar, you were one of the toughest &amp; funniest guys I’ve ever met. You passed way too soon but accomplished so much in a short amount of time. You helped change this sport forever, inspired a whole generation of fighters &amp; your impact will always be remembered.&quot;Kenny Florian@kennyflorianStephan Bonnar, you were one of the toughest &amp; funniest guys I’ve ever met. You passed way too soon but accomplished so much in a short amount of time. You helped change this sport forever, inspired a whole generation of fighters &amp; your impact will always be remembered. 1764161Stephan Bonnar, you were one of the toughest &amp; funniest guys I’ve ever met. You passed way too soon but accomplished so much in a short amount of time. You helped change this sport forever, inspired a whole generation of fighters &amp; your impact will always be remembered. 💔 https://t.co/LyYA5FzRmGA few more tweets on the passing of the UFC Hall of Famer can be seen below.Chris Weidman@chrisweidmanRIP Stephan Bonnar . True legend of the game. Will never forget that Forrest Griffin fight and how it inspired me. 44824RIP Stephan Bonnar 🙏. True legend of the game. Will never forget that Forrest Griffin fight and how it inspired me. 🙏 https://t.co/wEL2eRQCtaNolan King@mma_kingsDiego Sanchez just now on the death of his friend Stephan Bonnar:363Diego Sanchez just now on the death of his friend Stephan Bonnar: https://t.co/OxZ7oYQu4VMMA History Today@MMAHistoryTodayThis was Stephan Bonnar at UFC 116 after defeating Krzysztof Soszynski.It was the most emotional post-fight speech of his career and it exemplified why he was beloved. 42245This was Stephan Bonnar at UFC 116 after defeating Krzysztof Soszynski.It was the most emotional post-fight speech of his career and it exemplified why he was beloved. https://t.co/w4aCdqFukmGray Maynard@GrayMaynardAbsolutely devastated by the news of Stephan Bonnar passing. One of the most genuine and solid human beings I’ve ever met. My heart goes out to his family. Rest easy my friend. I’m so thankful our paths crossed and for the time we did have together.793Absolutely devastated by the news of Stephan Bonnar passing. One of the most genuine and solid human beings I’ve ever met. My heart goes out to his family. Rest easy my friend. I’m so thankful our paths crossed and for the time we did have together. https://t.co/HeQqVkbrM2MMA History Today@MMAHistoryTodayAbsolutely gutted to hear about the death of Stephan Bonnar.This man will forever be one of the most important fighters in MMA history.His fight against Forrest Griffin caused an explosion of popularity for MMA and took the sport to new heights.We'll always remember him 2138318Absolutely gutted to hear about the death of Stephan Bonnar.This man will forever be one of the most important fighters in MMA history.His fight against Forrest Griffin caused an explosion of popularity for MMA and took the sport to new heights.We'll always remember him ❤️ https://t.co/60DjDKcTFmAriel Helwani@arielhelwaniHorrible news. Not hyperbole to state that without Stephan Bonnar’s contributions on TUF 1 (and the finale) the sport isn’t what it is today. He will forever be an extremely important part of MMA history. May he rest in peace. twitter.com/ufc/status/160…UFC@ufcThe UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.4438496The UFC family is saddened by the passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.Horrible news. Not hyperbole to state that without Stephan Bonnar’s contributions on TUF 1 (and the finale) the sport isn’t what it is today. He will forever be an extremely important part of MMA history. May he rest in peace. twitter.com/ufc/status/160…Seán Sheehan@SeanSheehanBAThe level of fighter Stephan Bonnar fought against might be one of the highest fight-for-fight for a guy with 20+ fights who never held the belt. 1/3 of his fights were against UFC champions. Crazy level of competition.313The level of fighter Stephan Bonnar fought against might be one of the highest fight-for-fight for a guy with 20+ fights who never held the belt. 1/3 of his fights were against UFC champions. Crazy level of competition.MMA Junkie@MMAJunkieUFC president Dana White reacts to Stephan Bonnar's death and labels the TUF 1 finalist as &quot;one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the octagon.&quot;Full story: bit.ly/RIPBonnar1183137UFC president Dana White reacts to Stephan Bonnar's death and labels the TUF 1 finalist as &quot;one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the octagon.&quot;Full story: bit.ly/RIPBonnar https://t.co/76oQPVo0YgJake Paul@jakepaulRIP to the American Pyscho, Stephan Bonnar. I remember watching him and Anderson Silva.From what I’ve read, without him and Forrest Griffin, UFC may have not made it.2687103RIP to the American Pyscho, Stephan Bonnar. I remember watching him and Anderson Silva.From what I’ve read, without him and Forrest Griffin, UFC may have not made it.Megan Anderson@MeganAndersonStephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin was the first mma fight I ever watched, and it completely changed my life. It is so incredibly heartbreaking to hear the news of Stephan's passing. Another one gone too soon. My thoughts are with his family during this time 🏻62038Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin was the first mma fight I ever watched, and it completely changed my life. It is so incredibly heartbreaking to hear the news of Stephan's passing. Another one gone too soon. My thoughts are with his family during this time 🙏🏻 https://t.co/1wa2oz1s6HStephan Bonnar appeared in the first season of 'TUF'Super Fan🇮🇪@McGregorRouseyThe fight that Dana White himself claimed saved the UFC. RIP Stephan Bonnar69891022The fight that Dana White himself claimed saved the UFC. RIP Stephan Bonnar💔 https://t.co/03mwypr37CStephan Bonnar was a part of the inaugural season of the UFC's cult show 'The Ultimate Fighter'. 'The American Pyscho' took on Forrest Griffin in the finale of the tournament. The three-round back-and-forth slugfest became an instant classic. It was hailed as arguably the most important fight in the promotion's history as it took the UFC's popularity to a whole another level. The fight was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.Bonnar's performance was so impressive that despite losing the fight by a very close margin, the 45-year-old was awarded a UFC contract.'The American Psycho' went on to have 14 fights in the UFC. Bonnar won eight of those encounters and parted ways with the promotion in October 2012. His memory will be etched forever in the hearts and minds of MMA enthusiasts.

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