Sign the petition to have Evan Tanner inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame A posthumous induction is...

Sign the petition to have Evan Tanner inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame

A posthumous induction is thus far unheard of for the UFC's HoF, but I can't think of a more appropriate fighter to be the exception to the rule. Let's tell the powers that be that fans recognized Evan Tanner as a true MMA legend, and urge them to give him his rightful spot alongside Gracie, Couture, Shamrock, Severn and Coleman.

Spread the word.

Props to BJJDenver and AJB for the idea.

about 1 year ago Chris Nelson 14 comments 4 recs |

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thanks guys for bringing up the idea. All BE members and MMA fans alike should really sign. The man did alot for the sport and always took time to recognize his fans. It the least we could do as MMA fans to show respect to the man and give him his rightful place among greats.

by asmiley420 on Sep 9, 2008 6:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for setting this up, Chris, BJJ and AJB.

by mythbuster on Sep 9, 2008 6:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This should be plastered on every MMA website and every MMA forum around.

by dedstrk911 on Sep 9, 2008 6:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes!

Off to a good start, 100+ signatures in just over an hour.

by Chris Nelson on Sep 9, 2008 8:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

it's just been put up on mannia too.

good call, guys.

by Ronnie Liddle on Sep 9, 2008 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Three hours in, and we’re at 163. I’ve linked to it from my article over at TKOxtreme (http://tkoxtreme.com/2008/09/09/the-legacy-of-evan-tanner/) and I would encourage everyone else to spread the word. Blogs, journals, Facebook and Myspace, or plain old e-mail, get the word out.

Also, thanks to everyone from here who is leading the charge. I see a lot of familiar names. You guys and gals are definitely the best.

by AJB on Sep 9, 2008 9:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Excellent job Chris. Way to get the ball rolling.

The UFC should run a tribute piece and induct him immediately, possibly as soon as next weeks UFN, ala Roberto Clemente.

Tanner was very important to the sports growth and was a great fighter.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Sep 9, 2008 10:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

HALL OF fame Career ?????

I love tanner great guy he will be greatly missed as for the hall of fame talk I don’t know my views are mixed. I know every one is upset over his death and they should be its very tragic but do you really think Tanner was Hall of fame Material when looking at this career as a whole? In my opinion he is not hall of fame Material close to it yes maybe but not a Elite fighter a great one yes but not Elite and the hall should be for the Elite fighters of there time. Maybe if he would of retired after the David Terell fight with that record I would consider him a hall of fame canidate but the last 4 out of 5 fights that he lost really hurt him being a Hall of famer in my opinion. But on the other hand it would not upset me to see him there eather. Eather way me was a great fighter who has always fun and exciting to watch. Thanks for the Memories Evan

by Shocbomb on Sep 10, 2008 12:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Sadly I agree...

It isn’t anything against Tanner. But I just don’t think he ranks among the elite fighters in the short history of this sport. I loved watching the guy fight and he made a fan for life with the Baroni beatings…but looking at it beyond the “I’m really sad we lost the guy” level I just don’t see him as a hall of fame type guy.

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Sep 10, 2008 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I disagree

especially with the whole “if he’d retired after Terrell” part.
To me you gauge a fighter’s career on their peak years, not on their decline.
Tanner’s importance to the sport is three fold —
       He came up out of the first wave of grassroots MMA events in America and rose to the top of the sport in the US and Japan.
       He was one of the first fighters who combined effective wrestling, effective standup (mainly in the clinch) and effect submissions
       He was consistently a top 10 fighter for the better part of a decade with at one run at being #1 in his weight class.

I think the UFC Hall of Fame should be for those fighters who made a unique and significant contribution to the sport and IMO Tanner compares very favorably with Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn and Randy Couture, all of whom had very up and down careers.

by Kid Nate on Sep 10, 2008 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

My main problem...

is that he doesn’t have many “wow” wins on the record. He beat Baroni…who has always been a rather flawed fighter and has proven that he is very beatable. And he beat Terrell who never really peaked. He was never the dominant fighter in his weight class. I’m more of an “elite fighters only” in the hall. WHich is why I also don’t like Shamrock in…

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Sep 10, 2008 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs