Evan Tanner
| Evan Tanner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
February 11, 1971 Amarillo, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | September 5, 2008 (aged 37) Near Palo Verde, California, U.S. Heatstroke |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Division |
Middleweight Light Heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Reach | 74.0 in (188 cm) |
| Team | Hard Knocks Kickboxing |
| Years active | 1997–2008 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 40 |
| Wins | 32 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 21 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Evan Loyd Tanner (February 11, 1971 - September 8, 2008) was an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a former UFC Middleweight Champion and was also the first American to win the Pancrase Neo-Blood tournament in Tokyo, Japan.
Tanner won his first championship when he defeated Heath Herring at USWF 7, and went on to successfully defend that title seven times. Tanner then won the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 51, stopping David Terrell with strikes in the first round.
Tanner was born in Amarillo, Texas and graduated from Caprock High School in 1989 where he won the Texas State Championships in wrestling as a junior and senior despite only entering the sport in his sophomore year of high school. Tanner attended Simpson College in Iowa but dropped out when he was 19 because he felt that he was not receiving a "real world" education that he was searching for. After dropping out, he travelled the country working various jobs as a bouncer, a cable television contractor, a framer building beach houses, a dishwasher, a baker, a ditch digger, and slaughterhouse worker. After a brief one semester stint at the University of Oklahoma he eventually returned to Amarillo and entered a local mixed martial arts tournament. What he thought would be an isolated event served as a springboard to his professional career. In 2008, he relocated to Oceanside, California.
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. Tanner won the tournament, defeating three fighters including future UFC Heavyweight contender Paul Buentello, in one night.
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