When Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White announced Stephan Bonnar would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, "The American Psycho" was as surprised by the news as anyone else.

Following Forrest Griffin's retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA) at the UFC 160 post-fight press conference last month, White revealed to media members that Griffin and Bonnar would be inducted into the Hall of Fame together for their contributions to the sport and historic fight at The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale on April 9, 2005.

At the time of the announcement, Bonnar hadn't spoke to White since testing positive for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) following his knockout loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 153 in Oct. 2012.

The 36-year-old light heavyweight was unsure of where he stood with the organization's head honcho, so needless to say when the news surfaced he was somewhat stunned.

"I never even dreamed [of being in the Hall of Fame]," Bonnar said on Friday's (May 31) edition of "Inside MMA" on AXS TV. "I did this as a hobby, I got picked for the show and just that was enough for me -- I could have died happy there."

Being picked for the reality show was just the beginning for Bonnar, though. In the years following he would go on to become one of the most beloved fighter to ever compete under the UFC banner.

Despite an underwhelming 8-7 record with very few standout wins in his 15-fight career, White firmly believes his company wouldn't be where it is today without the three-round brawl between Bonnar and Griffin on that fateful night, and wants to reward both men for their efforts.

Bonnar admits he never really anticipated to be inducted alongside legends of the sport such as Royce Gracie, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and others, but knows how significant this moment is to his career, especially because he didn't see it coming.

"If they want to put me in the Hall of Fame then like, my god what an honor," said Bonnar. "I never really expected it."

Bonnar is a personality who rarely struggles to find words to describe what he's feeling; however, in this scenario there's only so much that can be said when given a distinction only nine other of the sport's pioneers have received.

"Just what an honor," he said.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at the upcoming UFC Fan Expo which goes down as part of the annual "International Fight Week" that coincides with UFC 162 on July 4-6 in Las Vegas, Nevada.