Evan Tanner

Evan Tanner was a professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight and United States Wrestling Federation heavyweight champion.

Tanner was reported missing on Friday, September 5, 2008. A body of a man was found near a desert campsite on the border between California and Arizona, on Monday, September 8, 2008. The body was determined to be that of Tanner. Tanner died at the age of 37.FOXNews: Evan Tanner Found Dead in Desert (September 9, 2008)

Evan Tanner Career

Tanner fought with the UFC in the middleweight division since debuting with them in 1999. Tanner won the Texas State Championship in wrestling when he was a junior at Caprock High School.

Tanner began fighting in 1997 when he entered a local MMA tournament for fun, defeating three fighters in one night! After finding his niche, Tanner self taught himself submission moves by watching the Gracie Family instructional DVD. Tanner continued to fight locally while training before traveling to Japan to compete in the Pancrase.

In late 2007, Tanner announced his comeback to the UFC. In 2008 Tanner lost his comeback match to Yushin Okami in UFC 82.