Forrest Griffin pays tribute to Stephan Bonnar: “I’ll always miss you, brother”

Forrest Griffin has paid tribute to his former opponent Stephan Bonnar.

Bonnar passed away on Thursday from presumed heart complications while at work. The news shocked many in the MMA community as he was only 45 years old.

Since Bonnar passed, many in the community offered their condolences and on Wednesday, Griffin joined them. Of course, Griffin and Bonnar had one of the best fights in UFC history – as well as one of the most important fights. The two fought in the finals of TUF 1 where Griffin won a decision, in a back-and-forth scrap, but Bonnar admitted that fight changed everything for him.

“Everything changed,” Bonnar said about his fight with Griffin. “I didn’t think I’d have a UFC career. It was just a little hobby I was doing, so it changed everything. Almost overnight, I became like a celebrity. Everywhere I went, someone would recognize me, even in obscure places. I was traveling with Tapout and we were in a small town. I was jogging and someone in a pickup was going ‘Hey Bonnar.’ And everywhere you go, someone knows who you are. It was wild.”

Now, Forrest Griffin took to social media to share some thoughts on Stephan Bonnar.

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. https://t.co/lXuMgRgaJV

— Forrest Griffin (@ForrestGriffin) December 28, 2022

“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,” Griffin tweeted.

Bonnar ended up having a lengthy UFC career as he fought for the promotion from 2005 to 2012 and competed against the likes of Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Rashad Evans, and Mark Coleman among others. He also rematched Griffin in 2006 – a year-and-a-half after their epic war – with Griffin winning a decision once again.

What is your favorite memory of Stephan Bonnar?