Six weeks after Dana White first announced his intentions, the UFC president has now officially inducted retired light heavyweights Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar into the UFC Hall of Fame. White and longtime executive producer of "The Ultimate Fighter" Craig Piligian today made the pair's enshrinement official at a ceremony that took place at the promotion's UFC Fan Expo Las Vegas 2013 inside Sin City's Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Griffin and Bonnar were the light-heavyweight finalists on Season 1 of "The Ultimate Fighter." During the live finale, the two engaged in one of the most memorable slugfests in MMA history, with Griffin coming out ahead with a 29-28 unanimous-decision win. That fight is largely credited with fueling the UFC's meteoric rise in popularity around the globe, and White has long praised both fighters for their contributions to the company. "In the grand scheme of things, fighting is not that big of a deal," Griffin said at the ceremony. "It's not like a hero profession even though sometimes it's treated as one. It's not being a soldier on foreign soil or being a firefighter. But sometimes, with special moments, it feels like that. It's the greatest thing I've ever been a part of, and I really appreciate all of you being a part of it with me. Source: MMAJunkie.com [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXfyzBZzisQ]Free Fight: Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar - YouTube[/ame]
The UFC made a ton of money because of these two's fight. Bonnar had a decent career, but I don't think based on what they accomplished, either of them should be HOF
Depends on your criteria...are they two of the greatest ever? Not really...Forrest was pretty good for a minute, but Bonnar was always on the fringe. However, they might have done more for the sports current popularity than anyone else in it's history. UFC was still just barely making it (and usually losing money) before TUF1. MMA was still kind of a niche sport for the most part, definitely nowhere near the level of popularity it enjoys now...then TUF hit, the crap exploded, and that one single, freaking amazing, fight was really what lit it up for the general public. If that had been a "boring" to the casual fan (ie: most of the UFC fans back then), technical jiujitsu match it could have very well ended UFC. That fight was the Namath guarantee moment of the league, and Forrest and Bonnar have to be recognized for that if nothing else.
