Published on September 13th, 2012 | by McKinley Noble
0UFC 153: Stephan Bonnar Forever Cements His Legacy
Stephan Bonnar is fighting Anderson Silva at UFC 153.
Let me repeat that.
Stephan Bonnar, tough-but-middling light heavyweight, is fighting the consensus top pound-for-pound fighter in mixed martial arts.
It’s amazing. It’s insane. At worst, it’s a highly irresponsible call by Dana White and company matchmaker Joe Silva’s part—and at the same time, it’s got to be the gutsiest thing any UFC employee has ever done.
Originally, UFC 153 was supposed to feature José Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar for the 145-pound title, with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson against Glover Teixeira on the co-main event.
But everything was shot to Hell when both Aldo and Jackson each went down to injuries, leaving the UFC to repair a broken fight card. Many high-profile names were tossed around, including Chael Sonnen, Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida, and Urijah Faber. No one even thought of Stephan Bonnar.
And just by accepting the fight, Bonnar has forever cemented his legacy.
Sure, Bonnar would always go down in UFC history as someone who played his part in saving the company with a riveting performance in the original Ultimate Fighter Finale, but this can be a fitting bookmark to the end (or revival?) of his long career.
Bonnar’s never been at the top of the 205-pound food chain, but he’s always been tough. In 21 fights, the “American Psycho” has never been knocked out or submitted, going toe-to-toe with the likes of Machida, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, and Jon Jones.
But can he possibly win against Silva? Maybe not. But it doesn’t matter.
Stephan Bonnar may be a historic underdog, but just by stepping up to save UFC 153 and headline the card, he could forever be remembered as the gustiest man in the history of the sport.
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