Classic Fighter: Evan Tanner

This week, we begin our first installment in a series that will be published each Monday. “Classic fighters” will examine some of the most talented, popular, and unusual fighters in MMA history. Click to read about our first choice: Evan Tanner.

It was obvious that Tanner was destined for greatness when, in a local MMA tournament, he beat three fighters in one night. Among the fighters was future UFC star Paul Buentello. Tanner’s UFC successes are well known but what usually falls under the radar is his time with the Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation. Tanner won the belt by submitting future star Heath Herring in just his fourth professional fight. He then defended his belt a record number seven times.

His UFC career was not without gold, either. Tanner won his first three UFC bouts before losing a title fight to Tito Ortiz. However, Tanner would be back in the title hunt soon enough, beating David Terrell to take the UFC middleweight title. Despite losing the belt on a cut to Rich Franklin, Tanner was always in title contention. He’s known for defeating Robbie Lawler once and Phil Baroni twice in some of the most interesting matches UFC have fans have ever seen.

Evan Tanner’s untimely death brought a void to the MMA world, but his body of work is an easy reminder of the monumental contribution he has made.

Read More...