Forrest Griffin has paid tribute to his former opponent Stephan Bonnar.<\/p>\n
Bonnar passed away on Thursday<\/a> from presumed heart complications while at work. The news shocked many<\/a> in the MMA community as he was only 45 years old.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “Everything changed,\u201d Bonnar said about his fight with Griffin. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d 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 \u2018Hey Bonnar.\u2019 And everywhere you go, someone knows who you are. It was wild.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Forrest Griffin took to social media to share some thoughts on Stephan Bonnar.<\/p>\n 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\u2019ll always miss you, brother. https:\/\/t.co\/lXuMgRgaJV<\/a><\/p>\n — Forrest Griffin (@ForrestGriffin) December 28, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n