Evan Tanner

Name	Evan Tanner
Birth date	February 11, 1971
Birth place	Amarillo, Texas, U.S.
Death date	c. September 05, 2008
Death place	Near Palo Verde, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Height
Weight
Weight class	185
Style	Freestyle, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling
Foughtoutof	Gresham, Oregon
Team	Hard Knocks Kickboxing
Years active	1997-2008
Mma win	32
Mma kowin	8
Mma subwin	21
Mma loss	8
Mma draw	0
Sherdog	212

Evan Loyd Tanner (February 11, 1971 – c. September 8, 2008) was an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a former UFC Middleweight and USWF Heavyweight champion with a professional record of 32 wins and 8 losses. He was also the first American to win the Pancrase Neo-Blood tournament in Tokyo, Japan.

Tanner won his first championship when he defeated Heath Herring at USWF 7, and went on to successfully defend that title five times. Tanner then won the UFC Middleweight title at UFC 51, stopping David Terrell with strikes in the first round.

Biography

Tanner was born in Amarillo, Texas and graduated from Caprock High School in 1989 where he won the Texas State Championships in wrestling as a junior and senior despite only entering the sport in his sophomore year of high school. Tanner attended college but dropped out because he felt that he was not receiving a "real world" education that he was searching for.

After dropping out, he travelled the country and eventually returned to Amarillo where he entered a local mixed martial arts tournament. What he thought would be an isolated event served as a springboard to his professional career. In 2008, he relocated to Oceanside, California.

Mixed martial arts career

Tanner, with a wrestling background, began fighting in 1997 when he was convinced by friends to enter a local MMA tournament, hosted by the now defunct Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation. Tanner won the tournament, defeating three fighters including future UFC Heavyweight contender Paul Buentello, in one night.

After his initial success, Tanner taught himself submission and grappling techniques using instructional videos created by the famous Gracie family. He continued to fight in local shows and tournaments in Texas and Iowa before travelling across the world to Japan to compete in the Pancrase organization. Tanner won five fights overseas and competed in the USWF once more before being asked to join the UFC.

Tanner made his UFC debut in 1999 at UFC 18, submitting fellow Amarillo native Darrell Gholar by rear naked choke in the first round. Tanner's next fight in the UFC was against Valerie Ignatov at UFC 19. Ignatov was widely known for his leg submissions and because of this, Tanner decided to fight barefoot for the first time in his career, citing that shoes sometimes make it easier for an opponent to gain a submission.

Tanner fought once more in Pancrase and defended his title two more times in the USWF before deciding to take the first of multiple breaks from fighting in his career. He returned to action in July 2000 and remained undefeated in the USWF, successfully keeping his Heavyweight belt in victories over Raoul Romero and Vinny Nixon. Tanner made his next appearance in the UFC at UFC 29, beating Lance Gibson by TKO.

A new outlook on fighting

With three victories in the UFC, Tanner received a title shot against UFC Light Heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz at UFC 30. Unfortunately, Tanner suffered his first UFC loss in just 32 seconds, being knocked unconscious due to a high level slam by Ortiz. It was after this defeat that Tanner began to become a more disciplined fighter.

Also during that time, Tanner began training with Oregon-based Team Quest. He returned to the Octagon at UFC 34, taking on Homer Moore, who he stopped in the second round with an armbar. At UFC 36 he defeated Elvis Sinosic by TKO (cut), and at UFC 38 won a unanimous decision over Chris Haseman in an unaired undercard bout. In his next fight, at UFC 42, he faced Rich Franklin. He was defeated by TKO (strikes) in the first round.

After his loss to Franklin, Tanner decided that his frame was not large enough for Light Heavyweight, prompting his decision to drop to Middleweight, where he would be more physically imposing than many of the opponents in that division.

Baroni I and II

Upon becoming a Middleweight, Tanner faced Phil Baroni in consecutive fights at UFC 45 and UFC 48 respectively. Both of the bouts between the two had their share of controversy. In the early minutes of their fight at UFC 45, Baroni was in control as he stunned and bloodied Tanner. However, Tanner was able to regain his composure and take Baroni to the ground where he threw a series of unanswered punches and elbows. After a brief verbal exchange between Baroni and referee Larry Landless the fight was stopped and Tanner was awarded the victory.

Immediately after the fight, Baroni contended that he did not submit and in the confusion struck Landless in the face twice. Baroni maintained that it was a verbal miscommunication and he never asked for the fight to be stopped. To quell the controversy, the UFC agreed to give Baroni a rematch at UFC 48.

Their matchup at UFC 48 showed Tanner to be the clear-cut victor. It was noted many times during the broadcast that Baroni did not look like himself. After the fight, Baroni stated that his game plan was to prevent fatigue in the earlier rounds by pacing himself. Tanner credited his ability to stand with Baroni to training with his newly hired boxing coach, Curtis Crawford.

Road to the UFC Middleweight title

After winning these fights, Tanner was victorious for a third time in the Middleweight division against Robbie Lawler at UFC 50, submitting him with a triangle choke. Shortly after the Lawler fight, Tanner left Team Quest and began training on his own.

Because of his success, Tanner was given a shot at the vacant UFC Middleweight championship against David Terrell at UFC 51. Despite being the underdog, Tanner fought out of a deep guillotine from the Cesar Gracie student and black belt when Tanner looked to clinch. He went on to control Terrell on the ground against the cage in half guard, delivering punches and elbows until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight in the final seconds of the first round. Tanner became the first UFC Middleweight champion since Murilo Bustamante held the title before leaving for PRIDE Fighting Championships in 2002.

Tanner was next given the opportunity to avenge his loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 53, who had also decided to drop down to the Middleweight division after fighting as a Light Heavyweight for years. Tanner was able to knock Franklin down with a right hand in the first round of the bout but Franklin took control from there, dominating Tanner until the fight was stopped by the ringside doctor.

Tanner's fight against Franklin at UFC 53 proved to decide the winner of the fight as one of the coaches for the The Ultimate Fighter 2 reality show. Tanner had expressed a great deal of interest in being one of the coaches, stating that the opportunity would give him tremendous exposure. Franklin subsequently became a coach on the show along with then UFC Welterweight champion Matt Hughes.

After losing the title, Tanner began training with American Top Team, but lost his next fight to David Loiseau at Ultimate fight Night 2. Tanner was ahead on points until the fight was stopped in the second round due to a cut Tanner received from a Loiseau elbow. After this defeat, Tanner took time away to deal with some personal issues but stated that he would become an official member of the Chute Boxe team.

Tanner returned to the UFC in April 2006 at UFC 59, defeating Justin Levens by way of triangle choke. Levens was a late replacement for Jeremy Horn who was originally scheduled to fight Tanner but was forced to withdraw after a training injury.

2006–08

On December 29, 2006, Tanner unveiled plans to set up a mixed martial arts training camp that would reside in his house in Gresham, Oregon. The focus would be setting up a home for disadvantaged athletes and young men at risk. Tanner travelled from Las Vegas to Gresham in the following weeks and began to set up the project. Tanner remodeled and refurnished the house so it would be fit for the athletes to live in.

In February 2007, Tanner announced further details about the foundation. Twelve athletes would reside in the house from six different weight classes. (Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Middleweight, Welterweight, Lightweight and Featherweight).

In a March 2007 interview with MMA Weekly, Tanner was asked about the possibility of fighting again but indicated that he wanted to focus on developing his foundation. However, he did hint that he would be training year-round with the athletes he would be coaching and that it might only be a matter of time before he returned. UFC president Dana White was interviewed by CBS Sportsline one week later and stated that Tanner would be welcomed back whenever he was ready.

On May 11, 2007, further foundation development was put on hold by Tanner, citing his own training and a bad experience with the first fighter that was invited to the house. Tanner announced through his official website that he would return to active competition and continue his quest to regain the UFC Middleweight title.

Rumours stated that Tanner would make his return to the UFC in December 2007 at UFC 79 against Dean Lister, where he would represent the American Chute Boxe team. That report was dismissed by Tanner, as he did not have an upcoming fight with Dean Lister, and was continuing to battle his alcohol problems. Furthermore he stated that things had not worked out with American Chute Boxe and he no longer trained with them. He then started training at Hard Knocks Kickboxing in Las Vegas Nevada.

On November 8, 2007, Tanner announced the signing of a new 4 fight deal with the UFC. In addition to his signing with the UFC Tanner revealed that he intended to accept no corporate sponsorships in favour of starting "Team Tanner" intended as an exclusive fan club to be represented in his upcoming fights.

In what would be his final fight, Tanner lost to Kendall Grove in a split decision at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale on June 21, 2008. In a post-match interview, Tanner stated that he felt "flat" throughout the fight and that he had begun wondering if his two years of serious alcohol abuse had damaged his body past the point where he could compete at the level he once had. "

Death

Some people expressed concern about Tanner's well being going into the desert alone. Tanner responded to concerns about his plans for a desert adventure in a post on August 27, 2008.

"It seems some MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) websites have reported on the story, posting up that I might die out in the desert, or that it might be my greatest opponent yet, etc. Come on, guys. It's really common down in Southern California to go out to the off-road recreation areas in the desert about an hour away from LA and San Diego. "So my plan is to go out to the desert, do some camping, ride the motorcycle, and shoot some guns. Sounds like a lot of fun to me. A lot of people do it. This isn't a version of 'Into the Wild.'"

Tanner had recently purchased a dirt bike, and on September 3, 2008 he rode into the desert region west of Palo Verde, California to go camping. According to Tanner's manager John Hayner, Tanner called that afternoon to say that his bike had run out of gas, and that he would accordingly walk back to his camp. The Imperial County sheriff's office official cause of death was cited as heat exposure. The film will have its festival premiere in competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June of 2011.

Championships and accomplishments

Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling

1998 Neo Blood Tournament Winner

Ultimate Fighting Championship

* UFC Middleweight Championship (1 Time)

Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation

* USWF Heavyweight Championship (1 Time)

* 7 successful title defenses

Mixed martial arts record

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:85%;" |- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" || Result || Record || Opponent || Method || Event || Date || Round || Time || Location || Notes |-

|Loss |32-8 | Kendall Grove |Decision (Split) |The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale |2008-06-21 |3 |5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |- |Loss |32–7 | Yushin Okami | KO (Knee) ||UFC 82: Pride of a Champion |2008-03-01 |2 |3:00 | Columbus, Ohio, US |- |Win |32–6 | Justin Levens |Submission (Triangle Choke) |UFC 59: Reality Check |2006-04-15 |1 |3:14 | Anaheim, California, US |- |Loss |31–6 | David Loiseau |TKO (Cuts) |UFC Ultimate Fight Night 2 |2005-10-03 |2 |4:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |- |Loss |31–5|| Rich Franklin |TKO (Doctor Stoppage) |UFC 53: Heavy Hitters |2005-06-04 |4 |3:25 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | Lost UFC Middleweight Championship |- |Win |31–4|| David Terrell |TKO (Strikes) |UFC 51: Super Saturday |2005-02-05 |1 |4:35 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US | Won vacant UFC Middleweight Championship |- |Win |30–4 | Robbie Lawler |Submission (Triangle Choke) |UFC 50: The War of '04 |2004-10-22 |1 |2:22 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, US |- |Win |29–4 | Phil Baroni |Decision (Unanimous) |UFC 48: Payback |2004-06-19 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |- |Win |28–4 | Phil Baroni |TKO (Strikes) |UFC 45: Revolution |2003-11-21 |1 |4:42 | Uncasville, Connecticut, US |Drops to 185 lbs |- |Loss |27–4 | Rich Franklin |TKO (Strikes) |UFC 42: Sudden Impact |2003-04-25 |1 |2:40 | Miami, Florida, US |- |Win |27–3 | Shannon Ritch | Submission (Triangle Choke) | FCFF-Fighting Against Cancer | 2003-02-15 |1 |2:19 | Portland, Oregon, US |- |Win |26–3 | Chris Haseman |Decision (Unanimous) |UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall |2002-07-13 |3 |5:00 | London, England |- |Win |25–3 | Elvis Sinosic |TKO (Cut) |UFC 36: Worlds Collide |2002-03-22 |1 |2:06 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |- |Win |24–3 | Homer Moore |Submission (Armbar) |UFC 34: High Voltage |2001-11-02 |2 |0:55 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |- |Loss |23–3 | Tito Ortiz |KO (Slam) |UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk |2001-02-23 |1 |0:32 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, US | For UFC Light Heavyweight Championship |- |Win |23–2 | Lance Gibson |TKO (Strikes) |UFC 29: Defense of the Belts |2000-12-16 |1 |4:48 | Tokyo, Japan |- |Win |22–2 | Travis Fulton |Submission (Triangle Choke) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 18 |2000-11-25 |1 |4:38 | Amarillo, Texas, US |Defended USWF Heavyweight Title |- |Win |21–2 | Raoul Romero |TKO (Strikes) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 17 |2000-07-17 |1 |6:59 | Amarillo, Texas, US |Defended USWF Heavyweight Title |- |Win |20–2 | Vinny Nixon |Submission (Keylock) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 14 |1999-04-24 |1 |1:07 | Amarillo, Texas, US |Defended USWF Heavyweight Title |- |Loss |19–2 | Leon Dijk |TKO (Knees and Palm Strikes) |Pancrase: Breakthrough 4 |1999-04-18 |1 |11:39 | Yokohama, Japan |- |Win |19–1 | Mike Cizek |Submission (Strikes) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 13 |1999-03-20 |1 |2:06 | Amarillo, Texas, US | Defended USWF Heavyweight Title |- |Win |18–1 | Valeri Ignatov |TKO (Elbows) |UFC 19: Ultimate Young Guns |1999-03-05 |1 |2:58 | Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, US |- |Win |17–1 | Darrel Gholar |Submission (Rear Naked Choke) |UFC 18: Road to the Heavyweight Title |1999-01-08 |1 |7:57 | New Orleans, Louisian, US |- |Win |16–1 | Ryushi Yanagisawa |Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) |Pancrase: Advance 12 |1998-12-19 |1 |2:24 | Chiba, Japan |- |Win |15–1 | Gene Lydick |Submission (Rear Naked Choke) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 12 |1998-10-24 |1 |4:15 | Amarillo, Texas, US |Defended USWF Heavyweight Title |- |Win |14–1 | Kiuma Kunioku |Decision (Lost Points) |Pancrase: 1998 Anniversary Show |1998-09-14 |1 |20:00 | Tokyo, Japan |- |Win |13–1 | Justin McCully |Technical Submission (Kimura) |Pancrase: 1998 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 2 |1998-07-26 |1 |5:07 | Tokyo, Japan |- |Win |12–1 | Kousei Kubota |Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) |Pancrase: 1998 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 1 |1998-07-07 |1 |2:23 | Tokyo, Japan |- |Win |11–1 | Ikuhisa Minowa |Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) |Pancrase: 1998 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 1 |1998-07-07 |1 |4:05 | Tokyo, Japan |- |Win |10–1 | Tony Castillo |TKO (Knees) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 9 |1998-06-20 |1 |4:06 | Amarillo, Texas, US |Defended USWF Heavyweight Title |- |Win |9–1 | Dennis Reed |Submission (Triangle {Choke) |Gladiators 2 |1998-04-18 |1 |1:20 | Iowa, US |- |Win |8–1 | Wade Kroeze |TKO (Knees) |Gladiators 2 |1998-04-18 |1 |1:00 | Iowa, US |- |Win |7–1 | Rusty Totty |Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 8 | 1998-03-28 |1| |1:36 | Amarillo, Texas, US |Defended USWF Heavyweight Title |- |Loss |6–1 | Heath Herring |Submission (Rear Naked Choke) |PSDA |1997-11-22 |1 |8:20 | Texas, US |- |Win |6–0 | Jesse Gonzalez |Submission (Choke) |PSDA |1997-11-22 |1 |1:15 | Texas, US |- |Win |5–0 | Joe Frailey |Submission (Strikes) |PSDA |1997-11-22 |1 |0:56 | Texas, US |- |Win |4–0 | Heath Herring |Verbal Submission (Exhaustion) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 7 |1997-10-18 |1 |6:19 | Amarillo, Texas, US |Won USWF Heavyweight Title |- |Win |3–0 | Paul Buentello |Submission (Rear Naked Choke) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 4 |1997-04-12 |1 |2:20 | Amarillo, Texas, US |- |Win |2–0 | Gary Nabors |Submission (Keylock) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 4 |1997-04-12 |1 |2:21 | Amarillo, Texas, US |- |Win |1–0 | Mike Kennedy |Submission (Position) |Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 4 |1997-04-12 |1 |1:29 | Amarillo, Texas, US

References

Evan Tanner's myspace page. myspace.com. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.

Evan Tanner's fight record courtesy of Sherdog. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.

Evan Tanner Fighter Info. MMAforum.com. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.

Evan Tanner Interview 6/30/06. MMA365. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.

UFC Fighter Page UFC.com. Retrieved November 28, 2006.

Evan Tanner Fighter Profile. Ultimate-fighter.ca. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.

Evan Tanner Interview. ufighting.com. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.

Team Quest: As Iron Sharpens Iron. Boxing Insider. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.

Postal Connections: The Reason Evan Tanner Left Team Quest. Real Fight Gear. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.

Evan Tanner Post-UFC 59 Video Interview. Sherdog. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.

Sherdog.com Preview: UFC 59 "Reality Check" Part I Sherdog. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.

Tanner Pays Dues to Rake in Profits Sherdog. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.

From Common Competitor to Middleweight Monarch Sherdog. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.

Jeff Cain. Breaking The Silence MMA Weekly. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.

Marc Wickert This Fight is Wide Open Knuckle Pit. Retrieved on December 18, 2006.

Marc Wickert The Desert Warrior Knuckle Pit. Retrieved on December 18, 2006.

Marc Wickert UFC's Lone Wolf Knuckle Pit. Retrieved on December 18, 2006.

Mick Hammond Evan Tanner Returns With A New Vision MMA Weekly. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.

Sam Caplan Five Ounces of Pain CBS Sportsline. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.

Kenny and Ozone Show. Retrieved on November 8, 2007.

External links

Official Site

Official Blog

MySpace

Obituary

Official site of documentary on Tanner's life

Category:Accidental deaths in California Category:American mixed martial artists Category:Middleweight mixed martial artists Category:People from Amarillo, Texas Category:People from Gresham, Oregon Category:American practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Category:Deaths from hyperthermia Category:1971 births Category:2008 deaths