The Late UFC legend Stephan Bonnar was considered a pioneer in the MMA world. His contribution to the growth of the sport is unmatched. Bonnar’s tragic death at the age of 45 has saddened UFC members and MMA fans alike.
Bonnar died of heart complications. However, there could be other contributing factors to his demise. According to reports, the former UFC fighter was battling several painful medical conditions before his death. He previously suffered from a broken wrist and injured lumbar vertebrae. Additionally, Bonnar was taking pain medications for his injuries which later grew into an addiction.
Bonnar was working as the president of North Star Combat, a Minnesota-based MMA promotion, after retiring from the sport. He was the TUF Season 1 finalist and fought some of the greatest fighters throughout his career. Some of the notable fighters he fought are Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, Mark Coleman, and more. He left the UFC in 2012, following a defeat to Anderson Silva.
Following his retirement, Bonnar was officially inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on 6th July 2013. Bonnar retired with a professional MMA record of 15-9. His last MMA bout was against Ortiz in Bellator MMA in 2014, which was the most-watched event in the promotion’s history at that time.
Bonnar’s most significant fight was against Griffin, which is considered an all-time great. Many fighters and other members of the UFC including Dana White believe that this fight changed the UFC forever.
The UFC broke the tragic news on 24th December that Bonnar passed away due to a heart complication while at work on 22nd December 2022. Bonnar’s family and as well as the whole MMA community mourned the death of the UFC legend.
Meet the wife and son of the late UFC legend, Stephan Bonnar
Stephan Bonnar was married to his long-term girlfriend Andrea Bonnar (born name Andrea Brown). They dated for a long time and finally tied the knot on 30th October 2009 in Tuscany, Italy.
The couple had a son named Griffin Brandon. His name was given after Bonnar’s significant rival-turned-friend Forrest Griffin and also in memory of Andrea’s late brother, Brandon Brown. Griffin, later on, became a close friend of Bonnar. However, no additional information is available on Bonnar’s other family members.
Bonnar’s wife, Andrea Bonnar currently works as a publicist, stylist, and talent manager for Stephan Bonnar Enterprises. She has also worked in different companies before.
Andrea first kicked off her career as a producer for Hubbard Broadcasting. After a few years, she started working at Fox News Miami as Special Projects, Consumer, and Investigative Producer. Before her current job, Andrea worked for MGM Resorts International as a PR Manager.
Andrea along with Bonnar’s friends, and family, the MMA community was deeply saddened by the tragic death of the former UFC fighter. The UFC paid a tribute to Bonnar and sent their condolences to his family and friends.
