Stephan Bonnar in "Do or Die" Situation at UFC 110
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 16, 2010 10:25 AM EST
in MMA News
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"It’s just as important as my last fight and probably just as important as all the ones that are yet to come," Bonnar said. "It’s do-or-die. That’s how it feels, but that’s how it feels every time I go out there."
A Hammond, Ind., native who rose to prominence as the runner-up on Season 1 of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series, Bonnar has not competed since he dropped a unanimous decision to hall of famer Mark Coleman at UFC 100 in July; the defeat was made all the more damaging by Coleman’s lackluster effort against five-time champion Randy Couture at UFC 109 on Feb. 6. Coleman took down Bonnar repeatedly during their three-round bout and cut him with a second-round elbow that turned the tide of the fight.
"It probably wasn’t the best idea to try and land a spinning back kick," Bonnar said. "I gave him a takedown, and, right off that takedown, he hit me with the elbow that cut me, so there went that round."
- Stephan Bonnar talks to Sherdog.com about his UFC 110 fight with Krzysztof Soszynski
Bonnar will always be one of those fighters who holds a unique place in MMA for me. Beyond the obvious importance of his fight with Forrest Griffin on the first Ultimate Finale, I was in attendance for his first pro fights at Ironheart Crown 3 in 2001. That night Stephan won a four man tournament with a pair of submissions, including a win in under one minute over the always tough Brian Ebersole. It was the first event that I'd seen live after several years of watching the sport, and absolutely cemented the idea of MMA as the perfect sport for me.
Also on the card a 20 year old Miguel Torres won a 4 man tournament and Shannon Ritch was announced as a surprise competitor only to be submitted in 41 seconds via armbar.
Back to Bonnar...While Dana White has said that Bonnar and Griffin will always have a job in the UFC it is going to be very hard to justify keeping Stephan around if he drops a fight to Soszynski after getting decisioned by Mark Coleman his last time out.
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I think if the UFC on Versus becomes a regular thing, I could easily see Bonnar being part of that announce team. Hopefully he gets the win here, because I love the guy’s personality and he’s always game for a scrap.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
It didn’t really benefit the post in any way so I didn’t want to put it there. But I figure I can talk about it in a comment.
When my wife and I lived in Illinois she worked at a salon in the Gold Coast area of downtown Chicago. The salon was on the lobby floor of an apartment building and Carlson Gracie lived upstairs. Carlson would always stop when walking past the salon and smile at my wife or wave or whatever. And every now and then Bonnar was with him. So even before TUF (which is what got my wife into watching MMA with me) she had a connection with Stephan, which has made him one of her favorite fighters.
When Carlson died my wife was really, really broken up over it. I’ve heard some stories about how he could be a dick at times, but from the few times I met him and everything my wife saw from him…he was a genuinely nice guy.
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MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 16, 2010 10:18 AM EST reply actions
That's pretty sick
Ironically, my friend once got a speeding ticket in Athens, GA from Forrest Griffin. It was his first ever, so he kept it. He’s not a big MMA fan, so I found it in his glove compartment one day while I was looking for a lighter (no questions!) and it was totally surreal.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 10:25 AM EST up reply actions
I’m imagining Forest Griffin as a cop was a real asshole.
by ufc4 on Feb 16, 2010 10:36 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
You almost have to list being an asshole on your resume to be in the ACPD
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 10:52 AM EST up reply actions
That could actually be a valuable piece of memorabilia.
by MMAEruption on Feb 16, 2010 11:52 AM EST up reply actions
He’s not even an MMA fan and he won’t let me have it. Imma have to beat that ass
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 12:37 PM EST up reply actions
I’ve met Carlson Jr. and he’s an amazingly genuine and awesome guy so I can only imagine his father being great too; everyone I’ve met that trained under Carlson has been terrific as well, Johnny Ramirez for example is probably the coolest dude you’ll meet in the Jiu Jitsu world.
The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world. My world is like the ocean, I’m like a shark and most people don't even know how to swim - Draculino
by Patrick Tenney on Feb 16, 2010 10:56 AM EST up reply actions
Northside in da' house!!
Just kiddin’ Brent. I think that’s why Dana greenlighted Bonnars side biz of painting the UFC athletes. In this way, Stephen would have something to fall back on after his fighting career.
by JAYGK95 on Feb 16, 2010 10:23 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Bonnar is more than likely going to get crushed; a side slide.
The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world. My world is like the ocean, I’m like a shark and most people don't even know how to swim - Draculino
by Patrick Tenney on Feb 16, 2010 10:53 AM EST reply actions
I’ll go with Bonnar in this one. K-Sos can win this though, but Bonnar is pretty durable, so I am not seeing Bonnar getting KOed or TKOed. On the ground, Bonnar has very good BJJ, but bad takedown defense. I think that Bonnar will squeeze out a decision here.
Bonnar has only been stopped in an MMA fight once by Machida because he was fighting like a Ghost while taggin him with a bunch of punches. Stephen is definitely durable. K-Sos will definitely give him a fight.
yeah yeah yeah . . .
by VeeisAnimated on Feb 16, 2010 11:06 AM EST up reply actions
no problem, watch the fight . . . the video quality really sucks BUT it is very entertaining. It is a very aggressive, elusive and ACCURATE Machida confusing the crap out of Bonnar.
yeah yeah yeah . . .
by VeeisAnimated on Feb 17, 2010 1:38 AM EST up reply actions
a job? yes
as a fighter? no.
they’ll find him some desk job or give him a ufc gym to run.
But what if he wants to keep fighting?
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 16, 2010 12:27 PM EST up reply actions
The fight against Soszynski should show where Bonnar is in terms of his fighting career. Bonnar can still give a spirited fight, but if he loses to Soszynski, he won’t even be gatekeeper material, which would be kind of a bummer. I’m sure Dana will stick by his word and take care of Bonnar, though not as a fighter I figure.
You have to be the man... you have to be very, like, alpha male with her. You know? Decide what you do and everything. So, show her who's the boss, you know? - GSP
While Dana White has said that Bonnar and Griffin will always have a job in the UFC it is going to be very hard to justify keeping Stephan around
He’ll keep him around as long as he is competitive and not getting destroyed. He’ll just slowly move him down the ranks. Worst case scenario, Bonnar winds up in the Gurgel role, fighting every rookie that signs with the UFC. If the guy beats Bonnar, he gets another fight. If he loses to Bonnar, he gets cut.
However, I don’t think we are there yet. The only time Bonnar has been dominated is in the Jon Jones fight, and that guy is dominating everybody who steps in the cage with him. Moreover, styles make fights, and Bonnar’s last two fights have been AWFUL style matchups for him. He always has and likely always will struggle with top notch wrestlers (Coleman, Jones, Evans), but as long you keep him away from wrestling-oriented fighters he can deliver entertaining and competitive fights.
i like both fighters
i would like bonnar to win but would that lead to k-sos getting cut?
Making the world a better place, one dirtbag at a time.
I was thinking the same thing but I don’t think it’s likely. It depends on how the fight goes though.
by HarmlessNinja on Feb 16, 2010 1:48 PM EST up reply actions
“The Polish Experiment” is too awesome of a monicker to be cut
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 2:15 PM EST up reply actions
Bonnar should take this i’m sure he’s learned from the Coleman fight will be in the best shape and have the right gameplan to handle Sos.
Bonnar has a clear advantage on the feet and can probably out-craft K-Sos on the ground, so unless he just gets muscled around I think he takes it
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 2:16 PM EST up reply actions
Its Bonnars fight to lose
Soszynski has had a very inconsistent career that has included losses to Matt Horwich, Reese Andy and Mike Whitehead. He looked really tentative against Vera and really looked outclassed there. While he talks a good game and certainly looks imposing. He doesn’t really do anything solidly. Not particularly thrilling on his feet and not incredibly scary on the ground. Bonnar can put together good combinations with both hands and feet and is always dangerous on the ground. He also has proven to be unsubmittable and nobody has stopped him other that the cut in the Machida fight. He has won and lost against mostly top ten opponents.
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