Evan Tanner dead at 37
Peace for a restless soul
Evan Tanner died on Monday September 8 in the California desert from apparent heat exhaustion. His death is a shock to thousands of fans, myself included who had come to know him well throughout his career as a fighter.
Tanner was the middleweight champion of the UFC when I became a fan of MMA, and was one of the reasons why I became a fan. He was such a soft-spoken, humble gentleman out of the octagon. In the octagon he demonstrated a warrior spirit like no other. There are so many examples of Evan being at the very place where others lost their fights, yet hung in there, turned it around and won. Even when he didn't win, he gave an inspiring performance and was gracious to the victor.
Evan's struggle with alcohol and fall from the spotlight was well known by many thanks to Evan's blog, which read more like a journal than the simple notes to fans most celebrities would share. The way Evan fought in the octagon was perfectly analogous to the way he struggled outside of the octagon. 
We saw him as the middleweight champion at the peak of his career. We saw him suffer a series of tough losses and eventually get cut from the UFC. We read about him hitting the proverbial bottom with no place to go but up - and up he went. Evan confronted his alcohol problem and began training again with hopes of a return to the UFC. That he died this way, after successfully winning a contract with the UFC is so tragic. I don't think many would have been surprised to hear that Evan had taken his own life during his worst moments - he openly talked about it. It is a shock to lose him now. This was one of his latest blog entries about his upcoming trip to the desert where he died. It's haunting to read it now.
Evan Tanner was definitely a restless soul. Here's to praying that he found that rest with God the Father. We'll miss you Evan.
Tanner was the middleweight champion of the UFC when I became a fan of MMA, and was one of the reasons why I became a fan. He was such a soft-spoken, humble gentleman out of the octagon. In the octagon he demonstrated a warrior spirit like no other. There are so many examples of Evan being at the very place where others lost their fights, yet hung in there, turned it around and won. Even when he didn't win, he gave an inspiring performance and was gracious to the victor. Evan's struggle with alcohol and fall from the spotlight was well known by many thanks to Evan's blog, which read more like a journal than the simple notes to fans most celebrities would share. The way Evan fought in the octagon was perfectly analogous to the way he struggled outside of the octagon. We saw him as the middleweight champion at the peak of his career. We saw him suffer a series of tough losses and eventually get cut from the UFC. We read about him hitting the proverbial bottom with no place to go but up - and up he went. Evan confronted his alcohol problem and began training again with hopes of a return to the UFC. That he died this way, after successfully winning a contract with the UFC is so tragic. I don't think many would have been surprised to hear that Evan had taken his own life during his worst moments - he openly talked about it. It is a shock to lose him now. This was one of his latest blog entries about his upcoming trip to the desert where he died. It's haunting to read it now. Evan Tanner was definitely a restless soul. Here's to praying that he found that rest with God the Father. We'll miss you Evan.