Hey guys, spoke with Stephan Bonnar this week, before his fight with Tito. Hope you enjoy the story.
"...About a decade of big fights, wins, injuries and other tribulations later, Bonnar retired for a second time, and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Stepping away from active competition was not easy on Bonnar, however much his body may have appreciated the break. But his mind, which had almost his whole identity wrapped up in being a professional fighter, had a harder time making the adjustment.
“Yeah it was hard,” he says, of retirement.
“I had stepped down from fighting, and had a position with the UFC, was getting my health insurance and all that. Then, I was offered the fight with Anderson [Silva]. Once again, opportunity knocked. I thought that I might as well jump on it. Things didn’t work out, though.
“I ended up getting suspended, losing my job, and all that. That’s when it really crumbled. I took stock and realized that every part of my identity was UFC-related. I was doing a lot of TV work, I had the t-shirt company, I was working with the company. My whole life was UFC, and when that all got wiped away, I had to look at what was left. It was a hard thing to go through. It was good for me to have had to deal with it, then, though. I got into day trading and finally found something outside of fighting that I could pour my heart and energy into. It got easier. It was kind of a relief to be able to pour my energy into something outside of fighting, and the day trading also became kind of my security blanket, financially. There was no longer the pressure of, ‘I’ve got to win to support my family.’”
Of course, Bonnar is back in fighting. At least, for now...."