UFC
Stephan Bonnar reflects on Anderson Silva bout at UFC 153, says "part of me is in awe of him"
Oct 17, 2012 - 9:40:21 PM Stephan Bonnar reflects on Anderson Silva bout at UFC 153, says "part of me is in awe of him"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Last Saturday's UFC 153 main event saw Stephan Bonnar step up for what was possibly his final career fight, taking on the greatest fighter the UFC has yet seen in Anderson Silva. He was toyed with before ultimately getting stopped with a brutal knee to the solar plexus, and on Wednesday he reflected on just how incredible Silva is in the cage.

"I've never been kneed like that," he said on Wednesday in an interview with MMAFighting.com. "I couldn’t breathe at all. I couldn't move. I was just crippled, waiting for my body to be able to get some air. It felt like an eternity and the ref stepped it. When I saw the fight, I was like, 'Whoa, that was pretty quick.' It felt like I was trying to breathe longer than that."

"The way he placed that knee and timed it, the little trip and push, the whole setup and transition, yeah, there's a part of me that is in awe of him."

Still, despite suffering his first decisive loss inside the Octagon, Bonnar remains very thankful for the opportunity the UFC gave him with that bout.

"I'm definitely happy," he said. "I'm so thankful they gave me that fight. I'm apologetic that I didn't do better but whatever. I've got to get over that. But I'm happy. I have nothing to be ashamed of. Losing sucks and it's hard to swallow. I went in there with Anderson and followed my game plan and did what I had to do. That's MMA. One little mistake, one little opening is all it takes."

"With a guy like Anderson Silva, that's all he needs. He landed a perfect knee at a perfect time, and got the victory. Hats off to Anderson. I can honestly say I never had a fight where I look back and said I choked or didn't come to fight or I wasn't prepared. Even through terrible injuries and fighting sick, I still sucked it up and did my best. I have nothing to be ashamed of."

Penick's Analysis: That's a great outlook for Bonnar, and really the one he should have on the fight. There's nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to facing Anderson Silva. No one has defeated him in the Octagon. Being another person who is unable to do so isn't a mark against you, it just puts you in the same company of fighters who have been vanquished by the man. Bonnar performed as well as could have been expected, and though he had a decisive "L" added to his record, it was the opportunity more than anything that he can look back on.