Evan Lloyd Tanner (February 11, 1971 – September 5, 2008) was an American professional

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

fighter. He was a former UFC Middleweight Champion and was the first American to win the

Pancrase is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Tokyo. It was founded in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the An ...

Neo-Blood tournament in Tokyo, Japan. Tanner won the UFC Middleweight Championship at '' UFC 51'', stopping David Terrell with strikes in the first round. He is considered a pioneer in the sport of

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and one of the first fighters to use elbows as an effective striking method in the ground and pound position. Tanner is unusual among MMA-fighters, as he began his professional career with a large degree of success despite primarily learning the sport via instructional

videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually Sound recording and reproduction, sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog signal, analog or Digital signal (signal processing), digital signal. V ...

. He was also one of the first MMA fighters to use

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

as a platform to connect with fans. Tanner earned notable career victories over former UFC

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

Champion Robbie Lawler, former King of

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

and

Champion

Kiuma Kunioku is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist. A longtime veteran of the Pancrase organization, Kunioku captured the King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship and King of Pancrase Welterweight Championship before leaving the organization in 2004 ...

, Heath Herring, Paul Buentello,

Phil Baroni Philip George Baroni (April 16, 1976) is an American former mixed martial artist, kickboxer, boxer, and professional wrestler. Baroni competed in the UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, Cage Rage, DREAM, EliteXC, Bellator MMA, Titan FC, Palace Fi ...

(x2) and

Ikuhisa Minowa is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler currently competing in IGF as . A professional MMA competitor since 1996, he was a longtime veteran of PRIDE and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotion ...

, among others.

Background

Tanner was born in

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

, and graduated in 1989 from Caprock High School, where he won the Texas state championship in

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

as a junior and senior despite only entering the sport in his second year of high school. He attended

Simpson College Simpson College is a Private college, private United Methodist Church, Methodist college in Indianola, Iowa. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and enrolled 1,151 students in ...

in Iowa, but dropped out when he was 19. He worked various jobs around the country as a bouncer, cable television contractor, framer building beach houses, dishwasher, baker, ditch digger, and slaughterhouse worker. He attended the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

for one semester before returning to Amarillo, where he entered a mixed martial arts tournament. During his UFC career, Tanner lived in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

and

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. In 2008, he relocated to

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. The city had a population of 174,068 at the 2020 United States census, making it the most populous city in the Nort ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Tanner, with a wrestling background, began fighting in 1997 when he was convinced by friends to enter a local MMA tournament hosted by the now defunct Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation. He won the tournament by defeating three fighters in one night, including future UFC heavyweight contender Paul Buentello. After his initial success, Tanner taught himself submission and

grappling Grappling is a fighting technique based on throws, trips, sweeps, clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds. Grappling contests often involve takedowns and ground control, and may end when a contestant concedes defeat. Shou ...

techniques using instructional videos created by the famous Gracie family. He continued to fight in local shows and tournaments in Texas and Iowa before traveling to Japan to compete in the Pancrase organization. He won five fights overseas and competed in the USWF once more before being asked to join the UFC. Tanner made his UFC debut in 1999 at '' UFC 18'', submitting fellow Amarillo native Darrell Gholar by rear naked choke in the first round. His next UFC fight was at '' UFC 19'' against Valerie Ignatov, who was known for leg submissions. Because of this, Tanner decided to fight barefoot for the first time in his career. Tanner fought once more in Pancrase and defended his title two more times in the USWF before deciding to take the first of multiple breaks from fighting in his career. He returned in July 2000 and remained undefeated in the USWF, successfully defending his heavyweight belt with wins against Raoul Romero and Vinny Nixon. His next appearance was at ''

UFC 29 ''UFC 29: Defense of the Belts'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 16, 2000 at Differ Ariake Arena in Koto, Tokyo, Kōtō ward, Tokyo, Japan. History The event was the last UFC to be held in Jap ...

'', where he defeated Lance Gibson by TKO.

A new outlook on fighting

With three victories in the UFC, Tanner received a title shot against UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz at '' UFC 30''. He was knocked unconscious 32 seconds into the first round by a high level slam by Ortiz. Tanner was invited to compete in the −88 kg division at the 2001 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship April 11–13, 2001 at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates. He was defeated by Sanae Kikuta on points (6–0) in the first round. Tanner began training with

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

-based Team Quest. He returned to the Octagon at '' UFC 34'', defeating Homer Moore in the second round with an armbar. At '' UFC 36,'' he defeated Elvis Sinosic by TKO (cut). At '' UFC 38,'' he won a unanimous decision over Chris Haseman in an undercard bout. At '' UFC 42,'' he lost to Rich Franklin by TKO (strikes) in the first round. After his defeat by Franklin, Tanner moved to the middleweight division, where he would be more physically imposing than many of the opponents.

Baroni I and II

Tanner faced

in consecutive fights at '' UFC 45'' and ''

UFC 48 ''UFC 48: Payback'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 19, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and was late ...

.'' In the early minutes of their fight at UFC 45, Baroni was in control, but Tanner took Baroni to the ground and landed a series of unanswered punches and elbows. After a brief verbal exchange between Baroni and referee Larry Landless, the fight was stopped and Tanner was awarded the victory. Immediately after the fight, Baroni contended that he did not submit and in the confusion struck Landless twice in the face. Baroni maintained that it was a verbal miscommunication and he never asked for the fight to be stopped. To quell the controversy, the UFC agreed to give Baroni a rematch at

, which Tanner won.

Road to the UFC Middleweight title

Tanner defeated Robbie Lawler at '' UFC 50'' in October 2004, submitting Lawler with a triangle choke. Afterward, Tanner began training on his own. He fought for the vacant UFC middleweight championship against David Terrell at '' UFC 51'' in February 2005. He defeated Terrell to become the first UFC middleweight champion since Murilo Bustamante held the title before leaving for PRIDE Fighting Championships in 2002. Tanner fought Franklin again at '' UFC 53'' in June 2005. Franklin won when the fight was stopped by the ringside doctor due to multiple cuts and swelling on Tanner's face. With the win, Franklin was named as a coach for '' The Ultimate Fighter 2'' reality television show, along with then UFC

champion Matt Hughes. While Franklin and Hughes did not fight at the conclusion of the show, Hughes said he would have challenged Tanner for the UFC middleweight title if Tanner had been a coach on the show. After losing the title, Tanner began training with American Top Team, but lost his next fight to David Loiseau at Ultimate Fight Night 2 in October 2005. Tanner was ahead on points until the fight was stopped in the second round due to a cut received from a Loiseau elbow. Shortly after this fight, Tanner appeared as himself on an episode of '' Beyond the Glory'' on ''

FOX Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...

'' that chronicled the history of the UFC. He also became a member of the Chute Boxe team. Tanner returned to the UFC in April 2006 at '' UFC 59'', defeating Justin Levens in what was Tanner's last victory in MMA. Levens was a late replacement for Jeremy Horn, who was forced to withdraw after a training injury.

2006–08

On December 29, 2006, Tanner unveiled plans to set up a mixed martial arts training camp at his house in

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city in the Willamette Valley, Located in Multnomah County in the U.S. state of Oregon, bordered by Portland to the northwest and partially in the southwest. It was first settled in the early 1850s by the Powell brothers. It ...

for disadvantaged athletes and young men at risk. In February 2007, he announced that 12 athletes would reside in the house from six different weight classes. In a March 2007 interview with MMA Weekly, Tanner was asked about the possibility of fighting again, but said he wanted to focus on developing his foundation. He said he would be training year-round with the athletes he was coaching and that it might only be a matter of time before he returned. UFC president Dana White was interviewed by CBS Sportsline one week later and said Tanner would be welcomed back whenever he was ready. On May 11, 2007, further foundation development was put on hold by Tanner, citing his own training and a bad experience with the first fighter that was invited to the house. Tanner announced through his official website that he would return to active competition and attempt to regain the UFC middleweight title. Speculation arose that Tanner would return to the UFC in December 2007 at UFC 79 against Dean Lister. Tanner dismissed the report as he was battling an alcohol addiction. He left Chute Boxe and began training at Hard Knocks Kickboxing in Las Vegas. On November 8, 2007, Tanner announced the signing of a four-fight deal with the UFC. He chose to accept no corporate sponsorships and instead started "Team Tanner," an exclusive fan club for his upcoming fights. His first fight back in the UFC was at UFC 82, where he lost to Japanese fighter Yushin Okami by knockout in the second round. In what would be his final fight, Tanner lost to Kendall Grove in a split decision at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale on June 21, 2008, the fifth loss in his last ten fights. In a post-match interview, he said he felt "flat" throughout the fight and that he had begun wondering if his two years of serious

alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of alcohol-related substance abuse. This spectrum can range from being mild, moderate, or severe. This can look like consumption of more than 2 drinks per day on average for men, or more than 1 drink per ...

had damaged his body past the point of which he could compete at the level he once had.Tanner, Evan.

, Spike.com, published August 16, 2008.

Death

In the summer of 2008, Tanner announced plans for a solo trip to the Imperial County, California desert. After concerns were raised, he responded on August 27, 2008. "It seems some MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) websites have reported on the story, posting up that I might die out in the desert, or that it might be my greatest opponent yet, etc. Come on, guys. It's really common down in Southern California to go out to the off-road recreation areas in the desert about an hour away from LA and

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. So my plan is to go out to the desert, do some camping, ride the motorcycle, and shoot some guns. Sounds like a lot of fun to me. A lot of people do it. This isn't a version of 'Into the Wild.'" He purchased a

dirt bike In the market, there is a wide variety of types of motorcycles, each with unique characteristics and features. Models vary according to the specific needs of each user, such as ''standard'', ''cruiser'', ''touring'', ''sports'', ''off-road'', '' ...

and on September 3, 2008, rode into the desert region west of Palo Verde, California to go camping.Baker, Debbie.
Body in desert ID'd as UFC ex-champ Tanner
", The San Diego Union-Tribune, published September 10, 2008. According to his manager, John Hayner, Tanner called that afternoon to say that his bike had run out of gas and that he would walk back to his camp. This conflicted with a later report that his bike was found at his camp. He reportedly intended to refill his water bottles at Clapp Spring before heading back to his campsite, but was unaware that the spring was usually dry. Temperatures that day reached 118 °F (48 °C), but in a text message to a friend, he said he thought he could make it back to his camp if he traveled during the later hours of the evening. He told friends to contact authorities if they did not hear from him by the following morning. When friends did not hear from him the next morning, they reported Tanner missing and a search was begun. His body was discovered near Clapp Spring with empty water bottles by a Marine helicopter on September 8, 2008. The Imperial County coroner determined the time of death to be between late September 4 and early September 5, but the legal date of death was recorded as September 8, 2008. According to a military article, Tanner's motorcycle was at his camp and within his provisions were ample supplies of water. The Imperial County sheriff's office gave an official cause of death as heat exposure.

Aftermath

A celebration of life service was held in Amarillo, Texas on September 27. An informal gathering was held at a friend's house in Oceanside and attended by Tanner's sister and close friends. At dusk, a candlelight vigil was held. The UFC honored Tanner during the Spike TV broadcast of UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Neer on September 17, 2008. Pancrase paid tribute to Tanner with a special ceremony during their 15th Anniversary Show on October 1, 2008. Shark Fights also honored Tanner during their inaugural event at the Amarillo National Center on October 24, 2008. The 2008 World MMA Awards show on December 31, 2008 in Las Vegas, was dedicated to Tanner's memory. A documentary about Tanner's life, travels and philosophy, "Once I Was A Champion," was directed by Gerard Roxburgh and premiered in competition at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival as an official selection. It was nominated for "Best Documentary Feature

The film was also an official selection at the 2011 Dallas Video Festival and the inaugural Arclight Documentary Film Festival in November 2011. It won the "Best Documentary Audience Award" at the 2011 Bel Air Film Festival. In March 2014, English film director and producer Bobby Razak released a documentary about Tanner titled "1" which looked at the circumstances surrounding Tanner's death. On June 19, 2019, Variety reported that a biopic about Tanner's life and career titled "The Power of 1" was in the works, slated to go into pre-production at the end of 2019 with principal photography planned for early 2020.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

* Texas University Interscholastic League ** 1988 UIL State Champion (167 lbs) ** 1989 UIL State Champion (167 lbs)

Mixed martial arts

* Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling ** 1998

Neo Blood Tournament Winner ** First non-Japanese fighter to win the

Neo Blood Tournament ** First American to win the

Neo Blood Tournament *

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

** UFC Middleweight Championship (One time) ** UFC Encyclopedia Awards *** Fight of the Night (Four times) *** Knockout of the Night (Two times) *** Submission of the Night (Two times) **UFC.com Awards ***2005: Ranked #7 Fight of the Year * Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation ** USWF Heavyweight Championship (One time) ** Seven successful title defenses ** First and only USWF Heavyweight Champion ** Undefeated in USWF (11–0) * Extreme Challenge ** Heavyweight Tournament Championship (Gladiators 2)

Mixed martial arts record

, Loss , align=center, 32–8 , Kendall Grove , Decision (split) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–7 , Yushin Okami , KO (knee) , UFC 82 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 32–6 , Justin Levens , Submission (triangle choke) , UFC 59 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:14 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–6 , David Loiseau , TKO (doctor stoppage) , UFC Ultimate Fight Night 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:15 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–5 , Rich Franklin , TKO (doctor stoppage) , UFC 53 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:25 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 31–4 , David Terrell , TKO (punches) , UFC 51 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:35 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 30–4 , Robbie Lawler , Submission (triangle choke) , UFC 50 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 29–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 28–4 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC 45 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:42 , Uncasville, Connecticut, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 27–4 , Rich Franklin , TKO (punches) , UFC 42 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:40 , Miami, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 27–3 , Shannon Ritch , Submission (triangle choke) , FCFF-Fighting Against Cancer , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:19 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–3 , Chris Haseman , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , London, England , , - , Win , align=center, 25–3 , Elvis Sinosic , TKO (doctor stoppage) , UFC 36 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–3 , Homer Moore , Submission (armbar) , UFC 34 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:55 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–3 , Tito Ortiz , KO (slam) , UFC 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner suburb, inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 Unit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–2 , Lance Gibson , TKO (punches and elbows) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:48 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 22–2 , Travis Fulton , Submission (triangle choke) , Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–2 , Raoul Romero , TKO (punches) , Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:59 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–2 , Vinny Nixon , Submission (keylock) , Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:07 ,

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–2 , Leon Dijk , TKO (knees and palm strikes) , 1999 in Pancrase#Pancrase – Breakthrough 4, Pancrase: Breakthrough 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 11:39 , Yokohama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–1 , Mike Cizek , TKO (submission to punches) , Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–1 , Valeri Ignatov , TKO (elbows) , UFC 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:58 , Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–1 , Darrel Gholar , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:57 , New Orleans, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–1 , Ryushi Yanagisawa , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , 1998 in Pancrase#Pancrase – Advance 12, Pancrase: Advance 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:24 , Chiba, Chiba, Chiba, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 , Gene Lydick , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:15 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 ,

, Decision (lost points) , 1998 in Pancrase#Pancrase – 1998 Anniversary Show, Pancrase: 1998 Anniversary Show , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 20:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Justin McCully , Technical Submission (kimura) , 1998 in Pancrase#Pancrase – 1998 Neo-Blood Tournament Second Round, Pancrase: 1998 Neo-Blood Tournament Second Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:07 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Kousei Kubota , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , rowspan=2, 1998 in Pancrase#Pancrase – 1998 Neo-Blood Tournament Opening Round, Pancrase: 1998 Neo-Blood Tournament Opening Round , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:23 , rowspan=2,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:05 , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Tony Castillo , TKO (knees) , Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Dennis Reed , Submission (triangle choke) , rowspan=2, Gladiators 2 , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 , rowspan=2, Iowa (U.S. state), Iowa, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Wade Kroeze , TKO (knees) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Rusty Totty , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Heath Herring , Submission (rear-naked choke) , rowspan=3, PSDA , rowspan=3, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:20 , rowspan=3, Texas (U.S. state), Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jesse Gonzalez , Submission (ezekiel choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Joe Frailey , TKO (submission to punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Heath Herring , TKO (exhaustion) , Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:19 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Paul Buentello , Submission (rear-naked choke) , rowspan=3, Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 4 , rowspan=3, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 , rowspan=3,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Gary Nabors , Submission (keylock) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:21 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mike Kennedy , TKO (submission to palm strikes) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:29 ,

References

Evan Tanner's myspace page
myspace.com. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.
Evan Tanner's fight record courtesy of Sherdog
Sherdog.com. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.

MMAforum.com. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.
Evan Tanner Interview 6/30/06
MMA365. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.
UFC Fighter Page
UFC.com. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
Evan Tanner Fighter Profile
Ultimate-fighter.ca. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.
Evan Tanner Interview
ufighting.com. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.
Team Quest: As Iron Sharpens Iron
Boxing Insider. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.
Postal Connections: The Reason Evan Tanner Left Team Quest
Real Fight Gear. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.
Evan Tanner Post-UFC 59 Video Interview
Sherdog. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.
Sherdog.com Preview: UFC 59 "Reality Check" Part I
Sherdog. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.
Tanner Pays Dues to Rake in Profits
Sherdog. Retrieved on December 3, 2006.
From Common Competitor to Middleweight Monarch
Sherdog. Retrieved on December 3, 2006. * Jeff Cain
Breaking The Silence
MMA Weekly. Retrieved on December 3, 2006. * Marc Wicker

Knuckle Pit. Retrieved on December 18, 2006. * Marc Wicker

Knuckle Pit. Retrieved on December 18, 2006. * Marc Wicker

Knuckle Pit. Retrieved on December 18, 2006. * Mick Hammon
Evan Tanner Returns With A New Vision
MMA Weekly. Retrieved on March 18, 2007. * Sam Capla
Five Ounces of Pain
CBS Sportsline. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.

Kenny and Ozone Show. Retrieved on November 8, 2007.

External links

Official Site

Official Blog

MySpace

Obituary

Official site of documentary on Tanner's life
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanner, Evan Accidental deaths in California American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Amarillo, Texas Sportspeople from Gresham, Oregon American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Ultimate Fighting Championship champions American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers Deaths from hyperthermia 1971 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen