» Fighter: Evan Tanner

It was really sad to hear about the passing of Evan Tanner. Evan was a true pioneer of MMA and someone whom I really looked up to and I enjoyed watching him fight. Evan made an impression on many fighters and fans so he may be gone but he will not be forgotten. RIP Evan

- Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked lightweight “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-3-1)

Evan Tanner was one of the guys I watched and was in awe of before I seriously got into fighting.  I was lucky enough to train with him a few times, and am glad I had the opportunity to do so.  I had one of those “wow I’m fighting on the same card as this guy I look up to” moments when I realized we shared a warm-up room during my last fight.  He will missed and remembered by us all.

- Amir Sadollah (1-0), TUF 7 Champion

It always saddens me when we lose a fellow MMA fighter, especially one like Evan.  His memorable fights and his class act will be missed greatly.  RIP Evan and relax and enjoy you are in better place!

- “Yamato Damashi” Enson Inoue (11-8), former Shooto Heavyweight Champion

I think that Evan Tanner is a legendary man, and unfortunately like all true legends, has passed.  I didn’t have the opportunity to really get to know the man, so really, who am I to say anything about him, but I know this- he lives on in his warrior spirit- something we can all just attempt to emulate.

- Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked middleweight “Mayhem” Jason Miller (20-5)

Evan Tanner was one of the pioneers of the sport that I looked up to when I started my MMA career. Its sad to see him go and I hope he is resting in a better place.

- “Quick” Mike Swick (12-2), UFC welterweight

I’m really saddened by the news… Evan first fought for me in 1998 and was one of the guys I always enjoyed seeing at the shows, whether he was competing or not.  He always had a big smile and a handshake waiting whenever we bumped into each other.  The MMA community and everybody who was touched by him  will miss him greatly.

- Monte Cox, Adrenaline MMA President and MMA Agent

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner’s (32-8) body was discovered Monday in the Sonoran Desert, between Los Angeles and Phoenix, by a helicopter pilot from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.

Tanner was 37-years old.

A search for Tanner began Friday when friends became concerned about Tanner’s solo camping trip in the desert.

“The idea going into the desert came to me soon after I moved to Oceanside,” said Tanner at his SpikeTV blog 16 August.  ”It was motivated by my friend Sara’s talk of treasure hunting and lost gold, and my own insatiable appetite for adventure and exploration.  I began to imagine what might be found in the deep reaches of the untracked desert. It became an obsession of sorts.

“‘Treasure’ doesn’t necessarily refer to something material.”

Tanner returned to the Octagon in 2008 after a two-year absence, but suffered losses to “Spyder” Kendall Grove (9-5) in June and Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked middleweight “Thunder” Yushin Okami (22-4) in March.

Tanner won the UFC middleweight title in a first-round TKO over “Soul Assassin” David Terrell (6-2) in February 2005.

Evan Tanner (32-8) announced on his SpikeTV blog Tuesday that he may retire.

Tanner lost to “Spyder” Kendall Grove (9-5) in a split decision on The Ultimate Fighter 7 finale Saturday night, and has been taking the loss hard.

“I was pissed off about the fight, fucking sad, fucking raging, on edge, all of it heavy with me, trying to maintain, trying not to explode.”

“I haven’t seen anything about the fight. I know I looked really bad. I don’t need to see it, or hear about it to know that,” he added.

Tanner mentioned “serious health problems” that he has been dealing with, that have affected his daily life and his training.

He said, “If we can’t get this health issue figured out, I’m done, I’m retiring.”

“I don’t want to step back into the Octagon unless I’m 100%, and I can give the fans the type of fight they deserve to see. I don’t see it coming to that though.”

Tanner will be taking time off to see a doctor, and has “a good feeling about things.”

Three TUF champions highlighted the action in Las Vegas Saturday night: the original, the past, and the future.

The future shines brilliantly for The Ultimate Fighter’s newest blast into the mainstream consciousness, Amir Sadollah (1-0).

In his professional debut, Sadollah tapped “Doberman” CB Dollaway (6-1) in an armbar at 3:02 of round one to win the seventh season of the popular SpikeTV reality show contest.

“Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2), one of the two original Ultimate Fighters, looked physically fitter than ever in his third-round TKO of American Top Team’s Luigi Fioravanti (12-4) at 4:07.

After back-to-back “embarrasing” losses, “Spyder” Kendall Grove (9-5), TUF 3 champion, recaptured past glory in a three-round split decision over former UFC titlist Evan Tanner (32-8).

The likeable young TUF walk-on from Virginia, Sadollah, versus the cocky All-American favorite, Dollaway, was a rematch of an exhibition fight fought on the final episode of last season’s The Ultimate Fighter.

Saturday’s finish was almost a replay of that fight’s end.

Read More About Sadollah Taps Dollaway…Again, Sanchez Renewed…

It’s with a heavy heart that Fighters.com’s June Middleweight Rankings saw legendary “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (22-7) fall from the top ten.

But, the cold, hard ledger reveals Hendo’ hasn’t had a win at 185-pounds in two years.

Hendo’s previous rank was filled by tenth-ranked “Mayhem” Jason Miller (20-6), falling a notch to newly ninth-ranked “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-1).

Souza debuted in the top ten after pulling off a tight two-round unanimous decision over Miller in DREAM’s Middleweight Grand Prix 15 June.

Also in June Japanese action, “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2) cemented his seventh ranking with a UD over “Pink Pounder” Logan Clark at Sengoku.

Misaki now seeks revenge over new Sengoku add-on, seventh-ranked “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (16-6).

No Sengoku match-up has been announced for Trigg; but, one would assume Misaki’s home nation promotion wants to match the old enemies as soon as Trigg is ready.

Sixth-ranked “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4) was pulling away from “Hands of Stone” Scott Smith (13-4) in the third round of their EliteXC title fight 31 May in Newark, west of New York City, when a thumb to Smith’s eye rendered the result a No Contest.

Lawler held steady in June, as did the entire middleweight top five.

Read More About Fighters.com’s June Middleweight Rankings…