“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.”
I spoke with Evan’s family today and they have finalized Evan’s memorial. 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. If you are interested in donating to his memorial fund, please email me for details.
I have received so many emails about purchasing a shirt, beanie, etc. I do not know Evan’s family’s plan for Team Tanner so I do not have the information you are looking for. The family has a lot to absorb and also needs time to mourn the loss of Evan so please respect that. If and when they decide to move ahead with shirts, etc, I have kept all of the emails and someone will be able contact them with the details.
If you haven't already heard, the sport of MMA lost a true warrior yesterday, Evan Tanner. Though not all details have surfaced, it appears that Tanner embarked on a trip to the desert, ran out of gas, attempted to walk his way out, and ultimately was overcome by dehydration in the mountains near Palo Verde, CA. The unfortunate circumstances of his death mirror the manner in which he lived his life both in and out of cage, which was loose and on the edge. Travelling in the desert alone is dangerous for even the most experienced of outdoors men, but Evan Tanner only did life one way. In the ring, Tanner was a throwback fighter, never one for a game plan he entered the ring with an "Anywhere, Anytime" attitude. His style in the ring screamed "Me Against the World" and he was very successful using it. He became the USWF Heavyweight Champ in 1997 and successfully defended his title seven times. He then headed off to the UFC, where he immediately faced Tito Ortiz for the light heavyweight title and lost, but he eventually took home the middleweight crown in 2005. Life outside the ring was a bit more difficult for the wild man. Tanner admits in his blog that he has battled substance abuse for much of his life and has every job known to man. Following a devastating loss to Rich Franklin, which cost him his UFC crown, Tanner could never seem to get back on the wagon. He attempted to start his own fight camp in 2006, which would essentially consist of seven or so fighters training and living in the same compound full time, but he was never able to get it off the ground. Disheartened and confused he spent nearly two years away from the fight game travelling around the US on his motorcycle. What was he doing? Where was he going? As one of his many fans I wanted to know what had happened to him and why he had left us with so many fights left in his career. In 2007, he returned to the UFC, but faced two of the strongest new competitors in the sport and lost. Had the game passed him by? Maybe. But maybe he was looking for something more than money and wins in the UFC. Perhaps his motorcycle trip was an effort to look deep within himself and find out just who he wanted to be, unfortunately, we will never know. I never met Evan Tanner, I can't say I know him at all really, just that I watched him put on a great show for the fans and do his best to build the sport to what it is today. Certainly we'll miss him as a fighter, but I am also sure that the people of the MMA world will miss the human being even more.
“Authorities have not confirmed if the body is that of missing mixed martial arts fighter, Evan Tanner, who had fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Tanner, 37, has been missing since last weekend. Tanner’s friends from Oceanside, where Tanner resides, had been texting him without reply since Wednesday before they reported him missing on Friday. On Sunday, a campsite was discovered in the Clapp Springs area of the Palo Verde mountains. Tanner’s motorcycle was found at the campsite. A body was found today when a sheriffs deputy was flying around the general location of the campsite. The Imperial County deputy coroner is being flown in to retrieve and identify body.”
“I’ve been gathering my gear for this adventure for over a month, not a long time by most standards, but far too long for my impatient nature. Being a minimalist by nature, wanting to carry only the essentials, and being extremely particular, it has been a little difficult to find just the right equipment. I plan on going so deep into the desert, that any failure of my equipment, could cost me my life.”
“He was in a real positive state of mind, he wasn’t having any drinking problems or any of those types of problems. He was really feeling good about his life,” Hayner told CagePotato.com.
Hayner said that Tanner had gone into the desert on a motorcycle expedition and had run out of gas. Tanner was attempting to walk out of the desert, Hayner said, but apparently didn’t realize how far away from civilization he was and died of exposure in the triple-digit heat. Tanner’s empty campsite was spotted Sunday, and an aerial search located his body earlier this afternoon.
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