By: Mike Samuels
When I think of Stephan Bonnar the word warrior comes to mind. He is a throwback to the time of the samurai warrior. They were men of honor who would fight to the death or to the last man standing. They had no fear of pain or death.
Standing 6”4 and weighing 205lbs makes for an imposing sight when standing across the octagon from him. He walks to the center of the ring for fight instructions and you see the seemingly crazed look in his eyes and you wonder what have I got myself into?
When you see Bonnar fight this is the picture that you see in your head. He has lost fights, but he has never been knocked out or submitted during his 11 year professional career. He just keeps coming. He has never been afraid to take a punch or kick in order to gain an advantage in a fight.
I have seen this guy in bloody wars and he has no concept of the word quit. He just keeps coming. He seems to have that extra gear that allows him fight as long as he needs to fight. He had one of the best fights in UFC history against Forrest Griffin. These were two guys who had nothing to lose and everything to gain. They were fighting for a six figure contract with the UFC. Both of the warriors fought the fights of their lives. In my opinion, the best fight I have ever seen. When the fight was all over and Forrest Griffin won the six figure contract, but UFC President Dana White was so impressed with Bonnar, he was awarded a six figure contract also.
Bonnar trains year round and he is always in great shape. Conditioning is not a problem for him. Bonnar has been training as a warrior since he was ten years old. He started out as a wrestler and has escalated into a full blown mixed martial artist.
Bonnar holds a degree in Sports Medicine from Purdue University. Not only does know how to fight, he knows how to heal himself. In MMA that can be a very helpful thing. He is intelligent, articulate and can knock you out with hands or feet.
He will be fighting tonight at UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at HSBC Arena against the pound for pound best fighter in the world Anderson ‘Spider’ Silva. The question on everyone’s mind is: Can Bonnar ‘shock the world?’ by beating Silva who has not lost a fight in six years. The last time Silva lost was in 2006 to Yushin Okami. Bonnar has a slight advantage in weight considering they are fighting at Bonnar’s natural weight of 205lbs. Silva is stepping up from 185lbs.
Bonnar has an opportunity to bring his 11 year career to a close on a very positive note. I might be crazy, but I actually think if Bonnar fights as he is capable of, he will win this fight. I cannot wait to see this fight to see if the ‘America Psycho’ can untangle the web that is Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva.
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