Bonnar’s ‘Ready to Do or Die’ in Soszynski Rematch

It’s been more than five years now, but the moment still resonates.

The fight was for a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and it was the promotion’s first fight card on cable television, so the performance of Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin was of paramount importance to building a fledgling fan base. The first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” laid the foundation -- it was up to a couple of wisecracking light heavyweights to finish the job.

For fifteen minutes, they delivered all that was expected and more. During the opening five minutes, as Griffin and Bonnar went fearlessly toe-to-toe, UFC announcer Joe Rogan gushed: “That’s the most exciting round I think I’ve ever seen. That was the Hagler-Hearns first round of Ultimate Fighting Championship history.”

It kept getting better. Bonnar, the Carlson Gracie protégé, and Griffin, who left law enforcement to chase the dream of fighting for a living, battled until the brink of exhaustion.

The two fought as if their entire professional futures depended on the outcome of that one fight, and for all they knew, it did.

When it was announced that Griffin had won by unanimous decision, Bonnar collapsed to the canvas, spent and dejected. Griffin helped his opponent to his feet.

“Oh. My. God. This is what it’s all about right here,” UFC president Dana White said, addressing both the congregation in the cage and the appreciative audience at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

There were no losers that night. Both Griffin and Bonnar were awarded contracts on the spot, the UFC began its drive toward universal acceptance and the “Ultimate Fighter” became a reality TV staple. “It was a good fight, but what made it more than that was the timing,” Bonnar said. “Season one came out, and a lot of people weren’t sure whether they liked it or they were going to like it. That fight happened, and a ton of people saw it. It had a really good feel-good ending, with Dana coming in and giving the contracts.

“And me and Forrest weren’t stereotypical fighters -- both clean cut, good sense of humor. Watching that couldn’t help bring a smile to people’s faces, and I think that’s what helped win people over.”

It’s difficult to quantify how many future pay-per-view buys the UFC generated on the basis of one memorable night, but it’s probably safe to say that number is significant. Would there be a UFC 116 without Griffin-Bonnar, Part I?

Griffin went on to capture the UFC’s light heavyweight title, and although he has had his struggles (see Silva, Anderson), he remains one of the most popular and charismatic figures in the sport today.

For Bonnar, however, the path has been much more arduous. When he faces Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 116 this Saturday in Las Vegas, the guy who was once a household name in MMA could be fighting for his job.

“The American Psycho” has lost three straight fights. A fourth consecutive setback, as the recently released Keith Jardine might attest, could sound the death knell on Bonnar’s time in the UFC.

“It’s do or die. Trust me, I’m ready to do or die,” Bonnar said.

Injuries, suspension and bad luck have derailed a career that began with three straight wins following the epic confrontation with Griffin.

The rematch with Griffin is where the trouble started. As far as sequels go, Griffin-Bonnar II was more flop than blockbuster.

Bonnar lost another decision, and then failed a drug test after the fight, testing positive for Boldenone Metabolite, an anabolic steroid commonly used to treat injured horses. Bonnar claimed that he used the substance to speed his recovery from an elbow injury suffered in preparation for his previous bout against Rashad Evans.

A nine-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission followed, but injuries would continue to haunt Bonnar.

After nearly a year layoff, he returned to the Octagon in July 2007 and won his next two fights, besting Mike Nickels with a rear-naked choke at UFC 73 and beating Eric Schafer at UFC 77 via TKO.

While training for a UFC Fight Night 13 bout with Matt Hamill, Bonnar tore ligaments in his left knee. On the shelf once again -- this time for more than a year -- Bonnar’s second comeback served as little more than a coming-out party for highly regarded 205-pound prospect Jon Jones at UFC 94.

A lackluster loss to Mark Coleman did little to regain his luster. Coleman, who appeared to gas badly in his previous loss to Mauricio Rua, won a surprising decision.

The first encounter with Soszynski was the most frustrating of all. The bout itself, as part of the UFC’s first foray into Australia, was a crowd-pleasing affair. But when an inadvertent headbutt occurred, a cut opened up on Bonnar’s head. The ringside doctor stopped the fight, and referee John Sharp, not aware of the headbutt, awarded Soszynski a TKO victory.

The Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales did not overturn the referee’s decision when Bonnar appealed. He was at a loss when trying to explain the logic behind the ruling.

“It’s hard to deal with athletic commissions, seven thousand miles away consisting of one guy in his basement. That’s really what it came down to. So it was really frustrating,” he said.

The former Golden Gloves boxer has maintained a sense of humor about the whole ordeal. On an episode of HDNet’s “Inside MMA,” Bonnar had a tongue-in-cheek theory to explain his loss:

“I did some investigation, and I uncovered a pretty big conspiracy. Keep in mind, this is still a theory. I have yet to prove any of this, but the gentleman who refereed our bout is a gentleman who goes by the alias of John Sharp. But under further investigation we found out that John Sharp is none other than Vladimir Soszynski, Krzysztof’s father. So how can you expect him to be unbiased?”

Conspiracy theories aside, Bonnar said he’s looking forward to facing Soszynski at 100 percent, something he wasn’t able to do in their first meeting.

“Last fight, three days before the fight, I broke a little bone in my right foot. I remember at weigh-ins walking so slow past Krzysztof, all I was trying to do (was not let him know),” he said. “And then in the fight all I could do with my right leg was throw the front kick. Even that, he kind of blocked one of those -- it hurt like a bitch. I was on crutches for a while after the fight. It’s nice to be healthy.”

Bonnar’s camp in Las Vegas has been split between jiu-jitsu coach Sergio Penha and standup training at One Kick’s Gym with Nick Blomgren. To help with the adjustment of striking against Soszynski, a southpaw, Bonnar has been sparring extensively with Dewey Cooper, a left-hander with professional boxing, kickboxing and MMA experience. Cooper has been impressed with his teammate’s progression.

“He started off kind of slow, not really used to the southpaw, but he improved every week,” Cooper said. “The more we sparred, the more he improved. He’s putting his combinations together really smoothly now. When he started this camp, he was throwing one punch and one kick at a time.”

Along with Cooper, Bonnar has been training with former WEC light heavyweight champion Steve Cantwell and “Ultimate Fighter” housemate Alex Schoenauer.

“He’s definitely in about 10 times better shape than I’ve seen him, since I’ve known him,” Cantwell said.

With three losses in a row comes a sense of urgency. While White has said that Bonnar will always have a place in the UFC, it doesn’t mean that one historic night equals a lifetime guarantee.

“It doesn’t mean I can fight forever. It’s the same thing with Chuck (Liddell). Chuck always has a place in the UFC, he’ll always be a part of it, but he doesn’t want Chuck fighting anymore,” Bonnar said.

Bonnar’s legacy within the UFC is secure. One seminal moment impacted more than just two fighters in the cage, as Cantwell and Cooper, who were both in attendance that night, can attest.

“I thought he won the first fight with Forrest,” Cantwell said. “It was such a war. It was a draw in everybody’s mind. Those guys both went all out…It’s really what’s taken mixed martial arts to the next level.”

Cooper, who eventually met Bonnar that night, believes that fight was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“You’ll never see a fight like that in MMA again I guarantee it. Those guys put their lives on the line,” he said.

Bonnar has already helped pave the way for the next generation with cagefighting aspirations. On Saturday, he works on clearing a path for himself.