Bonnar: The one thing that scares me is brain damage
“Every day you go through hell,” said Stephan Bonnar of the training camp for his TUF 12 Finale bout vs…
“Every day you go through hell,” said Stephan Bonnar of the training camp for his TUF 12 Finale bout vs Igor Pokrajac. “Pretty soon you’re like, I’m so sick of this. Then you settle in and it just starts growing on you. You kind of accept that the fun’s over. It’s probably kind of like being locked up in jail: the first month or so it sucks and you can’t wait to get out, but then you kind of get used to it and you forget how the good life is.”
“I can’t help it. I go in there and it’s the only way I know how to fight, really. I’ve tried before to listen to coaches and slow it down and out-point the guy and not take many risks. I just can’t do that, so I’ve stopped trying. I know now what I’m going to do when I go in there, and the fans love it. Maybe it’s just my insecurity, but that really feels good, knowing that people like the way I fight.”
“I’m not so much worried about those type of fights (vs Soszynski and Jones) taking years off my career. I guess I’m more worried about them affecting my creativity and my quick wit. That’s what I care about. I want to be able to think clearly and process information. I’m pretty creative and I’m not too dumb for a fighter, you know? I’m a Purdue grad. That’s the one thing that scares me, is losing that. I’m not too worried yet, though. You’ve seen me take the shots and I’m still there, I’m still witty. In the back of my mind, I do worry about it a little though.”
“Really, what I’m banking on is all the advancements they’re making in stem-cell research. In ten years, when I’m hobbling around, I’ll just take myself into a stem-cell clinic and get some fetuses IV’d to me. …Okay, so I don’t know how it works, but whatever it is I’m probably going to be a candidate some day for it.”
The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale
December 4, 2010
Las Vegas, Nev.
Broadcast: Free Spike TV
Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac
Finalist No. 1 vs. Finalist No. 2
Kendall Grove vs. Demian Maia
Rick Story vs. Johny Hendricks
Ian Loveland vs. Tyler Toner
Will Campuzano vs. Nick Pace
Pablo Garza vs. Fredson Paixao
Rich Attonito vs. Dave Branch