Evan Tanner 'Into the Desert' final blog entry found
by MMAmania.com on Sep 24, 2008 2:27 PM EDT
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Props: Spike.com
Quoteworthy:
"It's Tuesday night. Tomorrow I go out into the desert. It has taken over a month to get all the gear together. The preparation for this adventure took far longer than I had expected. I've never done this before, so I took my time reading books, studying the land, and researching gear. A few weeks of solitude in the deep desert, and then back to civilization, and back to training."
The entry above is from former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner, who up until his premature death was a regular blogger on Spike.com. The network apparently uncovered the draft post in the dashboard of the control panel -- Tanner never published the entry. He was eventually found in the California desert in which he sought solitude, succumbing to heat exhaustion from the searing temperatures that soared above 110 degrees. He was just 37 years old. There is a memorial service in his honor this weekend. Dan Christison provided MMAmania.com with all the details ... check them out after the jump.
His memorial will be held in Amarillo, TX on September 27th at 2:00 p.m. at the Civic Center. The Civic Center is located at 401 South Buchanan Street.
If anyone wishes to send flowers or cards, they can be sent to Jeff Tanner, 504 S Harrison Street, Amarillo TX 79101. The family has also set up a memorial fund with The Amarillo National Bank. You can call them at 800-ANB-3733 to transfer money into the Evan Tanner Memorial Fund or you can mail them a check at"
Evan Tanner Memorial Fund c/o
Amarillo National Bank
410 S Taylor street
Amarillo, TX 79101
A side note: Your bank may charge you for a wire transfer.
Also my wife has set up an email address where people can email the family directly evantannerfamily@gmail.com. If anyone has any questions they can email her, Kyria, at teamtanner@gmail.com.
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mania, two days in a row that I can’t get a comment posted, is there any specific reason why???
by kevin doesn't know shit on Sep 24, 2008 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions
all we can do is thank him kevin. j/k somedays it seems like i can’t get a post up either others they go right up.
by roy on Sep 24, 2008 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
lol yeah, but the relevant ones that I posted go unposted! good one though, I was thinking the same thing!
by kevin doesn't know shit on Sep 24, 2008 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Lol I’m pretty sure Mania does that on purpose. 10 of your comments are moderated for a couple of hours and the second you complain about it that comment instantly goes up. Its like a slap in the face. What I’d like to know is why there is such a delay in posts going up does everyone else have to wait ten minutes for their post to show?
by Cogito Ergo Sum on Sep 24, 2008 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions
And the ironic thing is, the relevant comments are monitored while the worthless ones get easily posted…Hehe!
by The Negation on Sep 24, 2008 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions
you’re not kidding negation, i didnn’t abswer you the other day, I work swing shift at sysco foods. Product goes out in the middle of the night for next day delivery. Shitty schedule but pays great. Maybe going on strike though, we want 15k raise a year and they wanna give us like 15 hundred. If we strike, it will last a day at most, but some guys hear strike and get scared (lesser money makers), the sales outlook for sysco san fran is 625 million this year, our raise would equal a million and a half…no brainer to me!
by kevin doesn't know shit on Sep 24, 2008 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions
There’s a time and a place and this is not it.
by MMAmania on Sep 24, 2008 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions
right on! no need for this junk on the thread, no offence, I just don’t really want to read about anything that’s unrelated.
by DB on Sep 24, 2008 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Hay Kev., WHO GIVES A SHIT! You know, there are about 20 posts above mine and NOT ONE has anything to do with Even.
by iagoof22 on Sep 24, 2008 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions
who’s even???
I’m sorry, I should type RIP
or we’ll remember
or we’ll miss you
all over again right? it’s been weeks guys, get over it!
by kevin doesn't know shit on Sep 25, 2008 7:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Even with all the research and preparation, nature can still prove deadly. Really wish he sought refuge during the heat and then go out at night, i thought it was common sense
that or use his cell/gps/something to get help
RIP Evan
by jerrolds on Sep 24, 2008 2:44 PM EDT reply actions
HE did use his cell phone to texted for help the Wednesday before he was found on monday dead. nights in the desert are just as bad…temperatures can drop down close to freezing. sand is a horrible insulator. extreme changes in temperature can also lead to quicker dehydration.
by santiago69us on Sep 24, 2008 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
did not realize he tried to use his cell to text for help – just thought he ran out of gas while riding his bike and decided to walk it back to cilivization
tragic
by jerrolds on Sep 24, 2008 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Not sure if I’m the only one here, but some details of his death still don’t make sense. From what I’ve read he ran out of gas and tried to walk out but didn’t make it, all on Wednesday. His supposed text message for help was on Wednesday, too. His actual website though implied that he died on Monday, but from all news accounts I’ve read that’s just when they finally found the body.
Now we have his blog from Tuesday night stating he was beginning his trek on Wednesday and he planned to stay out there for a couple weeks. So am I supposed to believe that he began a multi-week trek Wed morning and then ran out of gas and water, texted for help, and finally succumbed to the elements all before nightfall that same day?
Does anyone have a better timeline of how this tragedy all went down?
by just1fix on Sep 24, 2008 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions
just1fix, Great name. Thanks for putting that together. Is that why the services are Sept. 27th? Did they just find him? If this is try, someone lied. That’s F’ed.
by iagoof22 on Sep 24, 2008 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Man, I sure hope he gets inducted into the UFC hall of fame.
by belfort_fan on Sep 24, 2008 2:49 PM EDT reply actions
What for? The guy was an awesome fighter and a genuine hero but dying earlier than expected is not a reason to get inducted into the hall of fame.
by Cogito Ergo Sum on Sep 24, 2008 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions
His accomplishments and longevity in the sport could very well have been enough to get him into the UFC Hall of Fame. But with his tragic death, I think that it is certain that he will get in.
by ViolentMike on Sep 24, 2008 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions
great guy but if he gets into hall of fame then who doesn’t…you have to draw a line somewhere…
by McArthur on Sep 24, 2008 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Watch a bunch of Tanner’s fights.. from his 16 or a so UFC appearances.. Evan Tanner is a UFC Hall of Famer in my book.
by PhilQNY on Sep 24, 2008 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not trying to cut on the guy and I think it would be cool if he did get into the hall of fame because it’d be a nice way to ensure his name is always remembered by the MMA fans of today and tomorrow but Tanners history in the ring doesn’t suggest he should be in the Hall of Fame. His fights may have been great and I admit I enjoyed watching all of his fights but what would he be in the Hall of Fame for. Evan Tanner hall of famer for his exciting fights?
by Cogito Ergo Sum on Sep 24, 2008 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Put him in, after all he was World Champ. Former UFC Middleweight Champion
• Formerly fought at heavyweight against the likes of Heath Herring, Justin McCully, and Paul Buentello, beating all three and losing to Herring in their rematch.
• 11 year veteran of pro MMA
• Fought Tito Ortiz for the UFC title in 2001, getting KOed by a slam in the first round.
• 22 wins, including his first seven, have come by submission.
• Won 13 in a row in a stretch from 1998 to 1999. Hell he has 34 wins in MMa and 11 in the UFC. That is more than Dan Severn(10), Mark Coleman(8, 15-8 overall),Shamrock(7),and Gracie(11). All HOF’ers. If Coleman is in there, Even should be there.
by iagoof22 on Sep 24, 2008 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree w/ Cogito. No one considered him as a HOF’er before he died. A tragic and premature death does not equal greatness.
Good fighter = yes. HOF = no.
iagoof22 – Excellent research but there are alot of fighters who earn solid stats. That does not make them great.
Best example : Jeremy Horn
Wins 88
By knockout 19
By submission 49
Losses 18
Draws 5
No contests 0
by OJR on Sep 25, 2008 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
I considered him a hall of famer before he died!!!
by belfort_fan on Sep 25, 2008 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Hey…do you guys know if the UFC did any special mention of showed any highlights of Evan’s career on the last UFC Fight Night? I tuned kind of late so I think I missed the first part of the show.
I was really expecting to see any tribute or something like that, I hope the UFC to do something special on their next PPV event.
by Anlienq on Sep 24, 2008 3:13 PM EDT reply actions
They did @ the beg of the night. they are going to do more and will induct him in the hall.
by slaughter time on Sep 24, 2008 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions
according to tanners family, the ufc has been very supportive of them, behind the scenes, where it counts most.
by b.w. on Sep 24, 2008 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions
They showed a still picture o fhim at the very beginning for a whopping total of maybe 45 seconds…
They need to do something bigger and better…
by CageFightingKip on Sep 24, 2008 3:40 PM EDT reply actions
45 seconds is a pretty long time when considering sponsors pay several thousands for 1 min commercials, but I get what your saying. They need to do an unleashed type deal highlighting his career or something.
by James S on Sep 24, 2008 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions
i’m sure i read somewhere that spike tv was going 2 do a special on EVAN ! i hope so ! he deserves it! RIP!! EVAN TANNER!!!
by neon on Sep 24, 2008 3:49 PM EDT reply actions
What is “the dashboard of the control panel”? Did they tear apart his vehicle? Too bad about Evan, he will be sorely missed.
by Mike on Sep 24, 2008 4:29 PM EDT reply actions
No. It is “behind the scenes” lingo for what bloggers use to write their posts.
by MMAmania on Sep 24, 2008 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Also,
I was being generous with the 45 seconds…
If this was price is right I would have guessed 15 seconds…
Oh yeah, if you plan on buying a Team Tanner shirt…
make sure you trust them when they say the shirts run small and get a size bigger than you normally would…
by CageFightingKip on Sep 24, 2008 4:34 PM EDT reply actions
Tanner was such an adventurer… The Hall of Fame issue seems strange to me, I can’t be the only one who followed Tanner’s fights and career closely ? I found his blog especially to be remarkably interesting and insightful… Watch some of his fights, especially the ones the man lost – I mean, damn, he had heart – if he ain’t Hall of Fame material, then, honestly, I don’t know what IS.
I really think this Hall of Fame issue is going to be definitive for and of UFC. The sport SHOULD honor it’s greats.
by Todd on Sep 24, 2008 5:01 PM EDT reply actions
Hmm… It appears he had no attention of suicide. Sorry, I can’t let go of the idea that he may have planned his last days. My apologies to those that may be offended. I’m sure it was simply a horrible accident.
by Kimura by Fedor on Sep 24, 2008 7:00 PM EDT reply actions
RIP
Anyone else find it odd that he was going for three weeks, read all of these books, and only had a couple days worth of water?
by introvert on Sep 24, 2008 7:45 PM EDT reply actions
If being in the UFC since 1999, having 17 fights in the UFC, and being a former champion doesnt make u worthy of Hall of fame i dont know what does.. Cogito and mcarthur, You guys obviously dont know much about Tanner.
by YouAint_NoDaisy on Sep 24, 2008 8:27 PM EDT reply actions
R.I.P.
short life and short carrer, nothing else to say awsome guy and figher you will be ever missed and keep fighting in the name of tanner, he would have wanted the sport to live long and forever youg.
by RR #1 on Sep 24, 2008 8:52 PM EDT reply actions
Evan was a good fighter, but it’s his personality and his story that will get him into the hall of fame. Personally I’m fine with that. He was a good fighter and an even better man. Put him in the Hall of Fame as a tribute for all his years of service in the UFC as well as being a great champion.
by DB on Sep 24, 2008 11:58 PM EDT reply actions
evan was a great fighter, but even more so a great man. the way he lived his life is a true inspiration to me and many others. many times when a person dies we hear all these good things about them and wonder if we would have been singing the same tune if they were still with us. with evan that was absolutely not the case. in death hes had many people say great things pertaining to his adventurous nature and his lust for life and generosity. i was reading some articles on evan recently and i came across an article that to me cemented who evan really was. sure i didnt know evan, but listening to people talk so highly about him in an article published while he was still alive i didnt really need to know anymore about him. i think the following truly explains who the man was and what he was about. http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2007/11/16/16403/932
please share your thoughts!!
by tank on Sep 25, 2008 12:56 AM EDT reply actions
Thank you for that link. I knew Evan was a good guy, but he was much more than just that. He was a selfless guy, who may have had some personal issues, but he was giving and caring toward others. Thats more than you can expect from anyone at this day in age. You think Dana White would be out there helping build a playground without advertising the sh*t out of it for personal gain? Absolutely not. Evan did this because he was a good human being. The world needs more people like that. F*ck all these power hungry idiots that say pro fighters are nothing but brutal savages, while they do everything in their power to rape people of their money and livelihood.
R.I.P. Evan Tanner…A great human being and role model for anyone.
by --utaptout-- on Sep 25, 2008 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions
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