This Day in MMA - Always a Champion
by Numbers on Jun 21, 2011 7:29 AM EDT
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This date in MMA history three years ago - 6/21/2008 - UFC held its TUF 7 Finale.
A fairly unspectacular card, it will likely be best remembered as the final fight of Evan Tanner before his untimely death on September 8th, 2008.
Tanner is one of the most beloved, colorful, and enigmatic fighters in UFC history. He had made his UFC debut more than 9 years prior, at UFC 18. He fought a total of 17 times in the UFC, including stopping David Terrell at UFC 51 to win the middleweight title. Evan lost the title in his first defense against Rich Franklin, and following a stoppage loss to David Loiseau and a first-round submission of Justin Levens (now also sadly deceased), Tanner took an extended hiatus from competitive MMA for nearly two years.
After a "lost period" of alcohol abuse and aimlessness, Tanner announced a new 4-fight deal with the UFC on November 8, 2007. His return came at UFC 82 against current #1 contender Yushin Okami; he was KO'd in the second round.
His final fight, as it would turn out, was at the UFC TUF 7 Finale. He lost to Ultimate Fighter winner (and recently released from his contract) Kendall Grove in a split, albeit one-sided, decision.
Evans died of thirst (officially, heat exposure) in the California desert, circa September 8th 2008, after journeying out alone on a soul-searching expedition. In death - especially the circumstances of his death - he lives on in MMA fans' memories as he was in life - unique, not bound to convention, enigmatic. Through projects such as Once I Was a Champion and the ripple-like effects of inspiration that he caused in people who met him and those whom he never met, Tanner's place in MMA and in the hearts of its fans is surely and securely set. There wasn't another like him in this sport, nor will there be again.
Evan Tanner (February 11, 1971 - September 8, 2008) fought his last MMA fight three years ago today. RIP Evan.
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figured I would add in
R.I.P. Tanner
yesterday was the anniversary of Joe Louis vs Max Schmelling 1
I miss this guy...
…and I never even met him.
Learn JiuJitsu.
While utilizing his face to absorb karate, Rashad Evans drunkenly explained to Lyoto that he hits like a little b**ch.
I'll never forget this day
Another important day in MMA for me and my MMA friends. We were all planning a get together to watch the fights, specifically to watch Evan as he was one of our old school favorites, and a bunch of us worked in the same company that happened to have a beach party that day. To make a long story short I broke my ankle that day and having no insurance I couldn’t get it fixed, which was fine because my daughter was down for the summer and I didn’t want it to ruin things having a cast on so I limped around for a few months. Anyway, everybody came over and I don’t remember anything about that night of fights other than Evan coming out and fighting. I was rooting so hard for him because , for one, he’s one of my all time favorites, secondly I dislike Grove, and lastly I knew it would be the end for Evan if he lost. You could see it in his eyes after that fight and it killed me to see him upset. But the joy of watching him fight put the pain of my ankle out of my mind for those few hours. MMA is just that for me. A land where I can get lost in the technical aspects of the fight, the characters, the complexities, and all the what if’s. Thanks Evan for that night and for all of the other fights of yours that I have enjoyed over the years.
"What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease."
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