Stephan Bonnar Saves TUF 1 Jersey From Devastating House Fire
Stephan Bonnar has miraculously managed to save The Ultimate Fighter 1 jersey – signed by fellow castmates and fighters after his family residence was engulfed in flames earlier this week and burnt down.
Bonnar, who competed on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter under the UFC banner, made his way to the final against former light heavyweight champion, Forrest Griffin – turning in a tremendous finale performance in an eventual loss.
Earlier this week, reports began to emerge, detailing how Bonnar’s family residence had been engulfed in flames and had burned down, with thankfully neither Bonnar nor family members suffering injuries during the tragedy.
Stephan Bonnar, along with Forrest Griffin are credited with bringing the UFC to mainstream audiences with their TUF 1 finale display
A GoFundMe page was subsequently set up in a bid to aid Stephan Bonnar and his family, with former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley generously donating a sum of $4,000 to Bonnar and his family.
“As sh*tty as losing ur house & memories is I’m not the type to ask for anything,” Stephan Bonnar posted on his Instagram. “Unbeknownst to me, someone in my wife’s FB (Facebook) group opened a GoFundME.. It was a few hundred (dollars) this morning & went to $5k in a few minutes, mostly cuz of @twooodley (Tyron Woodley). I only met Tyron a few times, and this just blew me away. Thanks to everyone who gave & huge God bless to Tyron.. Wow! You’re a great dude, much love bro! Thanks for sharing @adamcomedian.”
On his story, Bonnar also shared footage of himself with his fight-worn gloves from his Ultimate Fighter 1 finale battle with Griffin, as well as the jersey from that inaugural season, which had been signed by castmates and fellow fighters. Bonnar is said to have jumped through a window in order to save the items during the fire at his family residence.
Retiring from professional mixed martial arts boasting a 15-9 record, Bonnar, a UFC Hall of Fame inductee, retired from the sport back in November 2014 after competing under the Bellator MMA banner.
Bonnar would manage to score significant victories over the likes of Brian Ebersole, Terry Martin, James Irvine, Keith Jardine, and Kyle Kingsbury during his 15-year professional career.
