UFC Hall of Famer Stephan
Bonnar’s death late last year was a result of an accidental
fentanyl overdose.
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The Clark County (Nev.) coroner’s office informed
MMAFighting.com via email that Bonnar’s death was a result of
“Fentanyl, Parafluorofentanyl and Mitragynine intoxication.” Bonnar
died on Dec. 22 at 45 years old. Further details regarding Bonnar’s
death were not available due to medical privacy laws.
According to DEA.gov, fentanyl is a “potent synthetic opioid drug
approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an
analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic. It is approximately 100
times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than
heroin as an analgesic.” Fentanyl has been linked to numerous
overdoses in the United States and is currently a focal point of
the country’s opioid crisis.
The UFC initially
announced Bonnar’s passing in a statement, adding that the
cause of death was “presumed heart complications while at
work.”
Bonnar is perhaps best known was his time on “The Ultimate Fighter
1,” where he reached the finals of the reality show and received a
UFC contract after losing a unanimous decision to Forrest
Griffin in a memorable clash on April 9, 2005. That bout was
later enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame’s “Fight Wing.”
That led to a seven-year career with the Las Vegas-based promotion
that saw “The American Psycho” compile an 8-7 mark in the Octagon.
He earned wins over the likes of Keith
Jardine, James Irvin
and Krzysztof
Soszynski and also squared off against noteworthy foes such as
Anderson
Silva, Jon Jones,
Mark
Coleman and Rashad
Evans.
Bonnar initially announced his retirement following a loss to
Anderson
Silva at UFC 153 in October 2012, but he made a brief return to
MMA two years later, falling to Tito Ortiz via
split decision at Bellator 131 on Nov. 15, 2014.