Remembering Evan Tanner

Posted by Dustin James on 09.15.2008

On September 8, 2008 the MMA world lost a great man. Former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner passed away at the young age of 37 due to heat exhaustion while on a camping trip. Join the crew at 411mania.com as we remember the life of Evan Tanner......


Evan Tanner: February 11, 1971 - September 8, 2008

On September 8, 2008 the MMA world lost a hero, a great fighter, and an all around great guy. Former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner was found dead at the age of 37, an apparent victim of heat exhaustion after a camping trip in the desert-like region just north of Brawley, California. We here at 411mania.com remember the life of Evan Tanner and all the good memories he brought us as MMA fans:

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Larry Csonka: I want to clarify something before I begin this. I freely admit that I was not a long time Evan Tanner fan. I didn't closely follow his career, I don't know all of the intimate details of his life, I didn't anticipate his fights like sex on prom night and I didn't think he was the world's greatest Mixed Martial Artist. What I do know is that Evan Tanner was a crazy cat that lived life his way, and he didn't care what anyone thought about that. He also had one of the world's greatest beards. I am not saying that to be funny, I wish I could crow a beard that cool.

Evan Tanner may have developed his MMA skills in the oddest way possible, he watched Gracie DVD's to learn submission skills and he actually made himself a great fighter by doing so. The man didn't dedicate his life to training like many fighters, he drank; he was a drifter and just experienced life. He lived life his way, and he didn't care what anyone thought about that.

Evan Tanner wasn't caught up in the politics of MMA. The man didn't kiss ass with the corporations in order to get sponsors. He was anti-sponsor. He created TEAM TANNER, and his FANS could be his sponsors if they donated, in return for some personal memorabilia. He lived life his way, and he didn't care what anyone thought about that.

Fans of Evan Tanner over these last few days have told tales of his generosity. The man would work for and support causes just because they sounded like a good thing. There is a story that the man wanted to set up a home for wayward fighters. Tanner did these things with no fanfare, publicity or attention. He didn't want it, because he lived life his way, and he didn't care what anyone thought about that.

We all know the story by now. Tanner, in a adventure only he could embark on decided to get on his motorcycle and roll out into the desert for a personal cleansing that ended in tragedy.

Evan Tanner lived life his way, and he didn't care what anyone thought about that. I think that about sums up his life, and really, maybe that is one thing people can learn from Evan Tanner. As I said earlier, I freely admit that I was not a long time Evan Tanner fan. I didn't closely follow his career, I don't know all of the intimate details of his life, I didn't anticipate his fights like sex on prom night and I didn't think he was the world's greatest Mixed Martial Artist. But after reading so much about him, I wish I were a long time Evan Tanner fan. I wish I had closely followed his career. I wish I knew more first hand information about him and I wish I had anticipated his fights like many others did. Evan Tanner may be one of the most interesting people I never knew.

R.I.P.



I came up right behind him in high school. He never passed himself off as the baddest dude in the school. He was so quiet you didn't even know he was there. You would always see him on the other side of the schoolyard. He was always bundled up, whether it was winter or in the dead of summer. He always wore a beanie and a sweater. He was always cutting weight. He liked to be alone, do his own thing. Every time he wrestled, he pretty much had the place full. - Paul Buentello

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Scott Kuczkowski: I'd be lying if I said Evan Tanner was my favorite fighter, but I was definitely a fan of him.

The first time I can remember seeing Tanner fight was at UFC 45 when he fought Phil Baroni. The fight ended in controversy as Baroni claimed he didn't give up but the referee thought he did. The two had a rematch at UFC 48 that saw Tanner soundly defeat Baroni via unanimous decision. Based on Baroni's brash style and Tanner's "everyday-man" approach to fighting, I instantly became a Tanner fan. I guess I became a big fan when I learned he was mostly self-taught from watching grappling videos.

I next saw Tanner defeat Robbie Lawler via triangle choke in one of the first fights after Lawler moved up to Middleweight. After that, Tanner won the Middleweight title by beating Dave Terrell for vacant title at UFC 51. I thought it was great that someone from such humble beginnings could rise to that level and be a champion.

To me, Evan Tanner seemed like a very simple guy with a simple approach to fighting. He didn't seem to talk much trash and he seemed content to do his talking in the octagon. I like the fact that he didn't try to make a spectacle of things.

I guess I should also mention (as I'm sure others will as well) that I used to look forward to seeing what hairdo he might be sporting when he walked to the ring. Tanner had some of the craziest hair (without shaving or coloring it) I had seen. Crew cut, corn rows, samurai, afro; he used to rock them all and I thought it was hysterical.

Rest in peace Evan Tanner. You brought a smile to many people's faces and entertained us all while you fought. You will be missed.



He was a quiet, unassuming guy, very to himself in everything he did, but he was always a gentleman and he was always someone who -- he liked being different. He liked the fact that he was a fighter, but he didn't want people looking at him like a fighter. He wanted to be more than that.

Evan was always calm, just very business-like. He never looked like he was worried about the fights or anything like that. He never did. He was Evan. He was just a different duck. - "Big" John McCarthy

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Dustin James:Evan Tanner is the meaning of the word "free spirit". It always seemed like the guy wanted to prove to himself that he could accomplish something he thought might be a little out of reach. The first thing he did was teach himself how to fight in MMA by watching DVD's. I know a lot of people who are hardcore UFC fans and think to themselves "I have watched an incredible amount of MMA, so I must be a great fighter" only to go out and talk big to somebody and get laid out flat. Not Evan Tanner. He was a tremendous wrestler who was convinced by some of his buddies to enter a local MMA tournament, and WON! That's when he started watching some of the Gracie Family DVD's and taught himself submission holds and other techniques. I don't care who you are, that's impressive.

I have to admit that I didn't hear a lot about Evan Tanner until he joined up with Team Quest in Oregon. Team Quest fighters almost automatically shoot up my list of favorite fighters. However, Tanner left Team Quest in 2004. That didn't matter however. At UFC 51 he went on to win the UFC's middleweight title which signified the fact that Tanner was just plain awesome. When Tanner left the UFC in 2006 I was bummed, but that didn't last long.

On November 8 of last year Tanner had announced that he just signed a new 4-fight deal with the UFC and was planning on making his return. How excited was I? Incredibly excited. I was geared up to see him compete again. Had I known that we would only get to see Tanner fight twice moreafter that, I might have appreciated them more than I did at the time.

R.I.P. Evan Tanner



I remember in Japan when he'd get there, he'd go for these freaking long-ass walks. We'd be in, like, Shinya Yokohama outside the city itself, outside the immediate part of Shinya Yokohama, and nothing's in English. And this dude would be walking for hours just because he wanted to check it out. I was always like, "Dude you're crazy! You'll get lost!"

But he was always kinda strange like that. Not strange in a negative way, but strange in that he had a real sense of adventure. It doesn't surprise me that he was out there riding around in the freaking desert because he just wasn't scared of anything. He's the type of guy who would backpack through the Middle East. He always struck me as a straightforward guy, sometimes a little too straightforward. I'd read some of his blogs and I'd be like, "Dude, that's a little more information than we need!"

It's just a real shame because he was a good guy. I'll miss him. - Guy Mezger

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Jeremy Lambert: When I think of Evan Tanner, I think of William Regal's "He's A Man" theme in WWE. Don't ask. Evan Tanner was a man though. He was his own man and a man who shared his life with the world. Tanner wanted to help others before he helped himself. He set up a house to help out fighters who didn't have the luxuries that most fighters had. Instead of being sponsored by Affliction or Xyience or CageFighter, Tanner was sponsored by the fans. He set up Team Tanner to be closer to his fans and to allow the fans to be part of something. He wanted fans to "Believe in the Power of One" and that one wasn't just Tanner.

Tanner put his life on public display through the readings of his online journal. If you knew nothing about Tanner before these readings, you knew everything after. Tanner was a guy who enjoyed fighting but enjoyed his adventures more. He stepped away from the sport during its peak for two years so he could pursue adventures. He spent the time away on his boat, growing his beard, drinking his beer. A man after my own heart. Instead of going into Tanner's fighting career, I'm just going to end with a series of quotes by Tanner himself.

"This is nothing fancy or flashy. My website never will be. I'm not here to put on fronts, to try to convince you that I'm some kind of superstar, or that I'm rich, or that I'm any kind of a player. I'm just me. I struggle the same as everyone else. I'm here to tell the truth of things, the truth of a story. I hope I can give something back for everything that has been given to me."

"I've never trained year-round, and I think I'm infamous for the amount of drinking I've done."

"The house would provide structure and discipline, and opportunity. It would help the guys develop self-respect and respect for others. It would engender a sense of belonging, a sense of brotherhood or family. It would be a good start towards helping them be better men."

"The next wave in the set was just breaking 100 feet away, when suddenly a dolphin flew out of the top of it right where it was cresting, sailed about five or six feet above it and fifteen fifteen feet down, and then dropped back into the smooth face. for a moment or two I could see it's silhouette flying along the wave inside it, just ahead of the breakwater, incredibly smooth and fast. Then it was gone."

"There are fighters that are just plan scary, ones that have the capacity, that have those moments of incredibly explosive raw and powerful athleticism. Combine that with solid technique, and the destruction of an opponent can take only a fraction of a second."

"Then you've got The Ironman, those fighters who aren't amazingly graceful athletes, who aren't going to blow you away with beautifully excuted techniques. They are just steady, heavy, in your face. Hard to hurt, hard to stop, they are just going to keep coming at you."

"I'm tired. I'm tired of drinking, I'm tired of living out of bags, I'm tired of not feeling home. And where is home? I imagine being in the gym again. I imagine stepping into the Octagon again, and in some strange way, those thoughts bring me comfort. That is my home."

"I'm going to get in there and figure it out as we go. I don't have a clue if I'll win. I just know it's fun again."

"A fighter burns to be champion, struggles, pushes himself to the limits to get there,.....and then what? The fire seems to slowly go away, the desire burns less intense, and fresh, hungry fighters rise up."

"Believe in yourself. Believe in your own potential for greatness. Believe that you can change the world. It is something that is within each of us."

R.I.P. Evan Tanner



He wasn't a really big fan of the sport. I don't think he ever watched it, unless he knew somebody that was fighting. I remember he didn't know who Sakuraba was back when he was a top dog. Evan enjoyed competing. I think in the later part of his career when he started blogging and doing his MySpace, getting to interact and letting fans see him for who he was, just not a guy who went in there and beat people up, I think he really enjoyed that. - Jason Leigh (friend of Tanner's)

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Jonathan Solomon: I was not a huge Evan Tanner fan as by the time I got back into the sport (circa 2005), he had just went on his losing streak. Still, looking back on his life and career and you can't help but have nothing but respect for the man. He was a person who was more than just a fighter. He lived his life on his own terms and he apparently passed away doing something he enjoyed. We should all be so lucky.

He was a guy I rooted for when I saw him fight. The last time, back in June, in what was billed as a 'Loser Leaves Town' fight with Kendall Grove, there was something holding him back it seemed. Whatever it was, he gave it his all in losing a split decision. After all he had been through, he still had the tools to succeed in a sport that some said passed him by.

He may have been a complex man and on the surface, I can only try to understand what he was about. Whether it was being a successful amateur wrestler, training himself and being successful in MMA. Or his out of the cage/ring past of trying to help down-on-their luck fighters, persevering through alcoholism and just living life.

I hope wherever Tanner is today, he found the peace he sought in his life.



"I respected him as a fighter and as a person. He was fighting in UFC before I even fought my first fight. I was like,''Wow, I'm fighting a legend. The sport has lost a great person and also an awesome fighter." - Kendall Groves

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Bren Oliver: When words like "unfair", "shame", and "tragic decision" are used in MMA circles, fans and journalists alike are typically referring to an early stoppage, a wrongful point deduction, or a shocking Cecil-Peoples-esque decision to favor an undeserving fighter on the scorecards. In such cases, our faces often turn a various shade of crimson, our fists clinch, and our voices raise. The reaction for many of us...and I do mean "us", as I truly believe one of the things that makes Mixed Martial Arts so special is the sense of community found within...is one based in emotion because we find ourselves invested in what we've seen unfold before our very eyes. In such a way, Evan Tanner's death was much like the sport he made his name in can often be - unfair, a shame, and the result of a tragic decision; an early stoppage to say the least. Our cheeks have been left red, though from a different sort of emotional investment than what we feel when watching a bout. It's one that reminds us MMA is only an athletic endeavor; a game, though one with very high stakes, and something men were doing long before six-figure contracts and sponsorships entered the picture. Evan Tanner lived life his own way, even when it came to his exit from this speck of dust in the cosmos we all call home. And, while it's easy to recognize the world is a little less colorful for his passing, the pain should be eased by the notion we're feeling it so that Tanner no longer has to. He is in a better place, probably watching VHS tapes and teaching himself how to master the afterlife.



"He's someone that will be with me forever. That's one way of keeping him with me in a physical way," Dawe said. "He will be with me forever spiritually.I think most people knew Evan was cut from a different mold, and that would probably be the way he'd be happy to be remembered." - Ian Dawe (friend of Tanner's)

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Evan Tanner Tribute Video

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You can sign an online petition to help get Evan Tanner posthumously inducted into the UFC Hall-Of-Fame by clicking here.

Thanks to Sherdog.com for contributing the quotes.