The Ultimate Fighter is one of the longest-running reality shows. Since its first season in 2005, fans were hooked on the idea of seeing fighters navigate their way through mind games and earn the lucrative UFC contract. Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell were the coaches for the inaugural season. It also featured Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.
Diego Sanchez won the first TUF season in the middleweight division. Later, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar fought for the TUF trophy in the light heavyweight division. The fight took place on 9th April 2005. At that particular point in time, UFC was struggling to turn a profit. Hence, landing a TV deal to put the product in front of the customers, was a big deal for UFC.
But the network, Spike TV, was not thinking of renewing the show for a second season. However, that changed after Stephan Bonner and Forrest Griffin left a piece of themselves in the Octagon.
For 15 minutes, the world looked in awe at two highly motivated men pushing each other to their respective limits. The bout not only became one of the most entertaining contests, in UFC history, but it also became perhaps the most important one!
Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar: What really happened?
Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar fought each other twice in their respective careers. Although their 2006 fight was not a bad one, their 2005 fight will go down in history as perhaps the most important fight in MMA history. Although companies like Bellator and ONE Championship are recognizable entities, MMA is somewhat synonymous with UFC.
It all can be traced back to this particular event. American Psycho lost the bout against Forrest Griffin via a unanimous decision. But, the result seemed unimportant at that point in time. Fans were mesmerized by the contest and they were cheering for both after the fight. While there were no plans for Spike TV to continue the show for another season, Griffin vs Bonnar 1 made them change their mind.
UFC paid for the production of the show and Spike put the product on TV. They struck gold with the show and Griffin vs Bonnar was the cherry on top. It made the network TV executives sign up for another season. The negotiations took place in the parking lot of the arena itself! While the bout was airing live, the viewership was at an all-time high for an MMA product on live TV at that point.
“The next deal for Spike was literally cut in the ally out where all the trucks are, on a napkin or an envelope for something,” added UFC President Dana White in 2013. In the same year, the bout was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
The fight helped the UFC maintain a presence on TV and the rest was history. While Griffin went on to become a UFC champion, Bonnar faded away from the sport and eventually turned his attention to pro wrestling.
Unfortunately, Bonnar passed away in December 2022. There are reports that add Bonnar’s cause of death was heart complications. Although Bonnar is no more, his contribution to shaping the future of the sport will remain in the history books forever.