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We presented a new question to MMATorch readers on Monday, asking whether or not they felt it was right for the UFC to induct Stephan Bonnar into the UFC Hall of Fame alongside Forrest Griffin given the steroid test failures of Bonnar and the fact that Griffin actually captured the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Here's our first batch of responses.
Tyler C. (via Facebook): Yes they both should be getting inducted together. People seem to not be aware of what constitutes a UFC Hall of Famer. It isn't about a win/loss record, it isn't about championships, it's about their contributions to the sport and what they've done to help build it. If it weren't for the Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar fight at the Ultimate Finale then the majority of us wouldn't even be watching MMA right now. Also add in Bonnar's contributions as a coach and training partner, his work as a commentator in WEC, then of course the fight with Anderson Silva.
Everybody goes on about how Anderson Silva "saved" UFC 153 after the original main event got scratched, but Bonnar deserves just as much credit for stepping out of retirement for one last fight to give the fans in Brazil and those of us watching on Pay-Per-View a show. While I'm against PEDs in any sport, the fact that he lost in decisive fashion anyway softens the blow a bit. I think his contributions to the sport far outweigh a couple of mistakes he's made. He deserves to be a Hall of Famer.
MMATorch Forum User Raven-Curse: I have always been a Bonnar Fan, he may not have accomplished much in the UFC, but his attitude going into every fight that he has had made him fun to watch. he has every right to be in the hall of fame as Griffin does. If they didn't have that fight at the TUF 1 Finale, they both probably would have been cut from the UFC long ago and we would not be having this discussion. Since the TUF 1 Finale, Bonnar has gone 8-7 and Griffin has gone 10-5. Without the first fight, which means to much to the sport in general, those records are not exactly spectacular. So in point, Both of them being inducted at the same time makes perfect sense. they are really only being inducted due to the first fight on TUF1 and they both had to be there for that fight to happen the way it did.
Shawn O. (via email): As far as Bonnar going into the UFC Hall of Fame with Forrest, I don't have a problem with it. I'm assuming both Griffin and Bonnar are going in solely for their EPIC match at the TUF 1 finale that kick started the UFC's rise to power in the UFC. Neither fighter had a HOF career in my opinion but Dana White and the rest of Zuffa will forever be indebted to both men for that fight. For that reason alone they should both be inducted.
Jason R. (via Facebook): Neither fighter is Hall of Fame worthy. Their fight may have been a crucial turning point for the UFC but neither fighter has the credentials to stand out as worthy of being considered a Hall of Famer.
Griffin won a LHW title yes, but he lost it in his first defense and never recovered. He was never an elite fighter. Bonnar just wasn't that good of a fighter. He was a tough "out" but never elite.
Wes P. (via email): Stephan Bonnar does not deserve to be in the UFC Hall of Fame. I liked him and enjoyed watching him fight but he wasn't HOF material. Yes, he was one-half of the fight that many consider the most historic fight in UFC history but, to me, that shouldn't give him an automatic spot in the HOF. The fact that he was busted not once, but twice for using steroids seals it for me. I think it sends a bad message. Look at other sports. Baseball hasn't put the greatest hitter of all time in the HOF because of suspected steroid use. Barry Bonds never even tested positive! We just all know he was using. Maybe there needs to be a committee or a panel that votes in fighters in the UFC Hall of Fame. Matt Serra just retired too and, in my opinion, had the biggest upset in the history of the UFC and won the welterweight belt and he's not even in the discussion of being inducted! Also, Bonnar's record isn't even close to warranting a spot in the HOF. This proves to me that he is being inducted only becuase of his first fight with Griffin and that's just not enough for me.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
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