With the news hitting news sites/tv channels world wide that Christian Bale took "best supporting actor" for his role in "the fighter" can MMA fan's get high hopes for finally a motion picture taking their sport out of underground clubs and into the arms of waiting ticket buyers in theatres across the globe?
My answer is, YES
2011 has little started, and already the MMA turntable has its needling wearing thin, over and over tournament's and pound4pound lists are discussed and elaborated, I myself am guilty of diving head first into the hype and striking when the iron is colder than Brittany Murphy.
This morning it hit me, i need to write something and i was well on my way to writing yet another drawn out over elaborate verse to keep myself by when the television in-front of me
lit up the room, and my ears.
Immediately I ignored Bale's shit eating grin, having seen the movie and enjoyed it (although its not exactly a fair representation of exactly how things went down) the only thing i heard was the SKY News reporter asking if maybe its time for some of the same.
Sure maybe it was in reference to something else, but all i could think about
was Evan Tanner.
Evan Tanner best known for his tenure in the UFC, where he held the Middleweight Title
was a multi-weight champion holding the USWF Heavyweight title he won from PRIDE and UFC veteran Heath Hearing, Tanner would successfully defend the title 7 times, also being the first American to win the Neo-Blood tournament in Pancrase.
When Tanner entered the UFC he did so riding a 10 fight win streak and boasting a 16-1 record including wins over Justin Mcully and Ikuhisa Minowa, the afore mentioned Hearing and Paul Buentello
During his career Evan would fight for the UFC light heavyweight title against Tito Ortiz, and lose the Middleweight title during his first defence facing Rich Franklin.
But to me Tanner will always be associated with Phil Baroni, the two squared off in two back to back bouts and UFC 45 & 48 respectively and i still have to sit up in my seat to watch them now.
Victories aside, Evan Tanner had a professional mixed martial arts career spanning over a decade, filled with personal issues, alcoholism, miscommunication, a longing for a "real world education" and the desire to help and teach others
in 2006 Evan set up a charitable foundation/year round training camp for young men at risk and disadvantaged athletes, a house remodelled and set up so the athletes could live in it, featuring 12 fighters from 6 weight classes (in theory), sadly the foundation was put on hold shortly after it began, Tanner cited "his own training and a bad experience with the first fighter invited into the house"
Continuing his battle with alcoholism Tanner got his mind on track, and found his body willing
and again on November 8th Tanner signed a deal with the UFC, along with confirming the signing Evan would notably he would accept no corporate sponsoring and instead set up "Team Tanner" as a fan club represented by, and promoting his upcoming fights
His first fight back, on his 4 fight deal, Evan was knocked out by Yushin Okami.
Braving his own storm Tanner would once more step inside the octagon
this time against Kendall Grove, in what was his last fight.
After the loss to Grove, Evan stated he felt "flat" and seemed discouraged explaining he thought the years of alcohol abuse he put his body through were past the point where he felt he could compete at this level any more
While many can speculate his reasoning, the events that unfolded just months later were as unexpected as anyone could think, on September 8th 2008, news broke that Evan's body had been found.
Days previous his friends had become worried, amd shown concern that he wanted to "go out into the desert, go camping, ride my bike and shoot some guns"
One MMA website in what now is a cruel jolt of irony wrote "perhaps it will be his greatest opponent yet" speculating Tanner may never return from his trip.
And he never did
I can't help but think Evan should be on screen, in minds, in stories, everywhere
and i thought long and hard, and remembered, there is a project int he works, detailing his life,
going where he went, doing what he did, talking to who he did and tyring to understand what he felt.
If anyone deserves the spotlight to be theirs, one last time, its Evan Tanner, the sport is reaching the greatest height it ever has, and i know its not only I that hopes Evan goes right up there with it, which is why i urge you to read, support, follow, do anything possible to make sure to us, he's as coveted as the title itself
Aand finally
Evan Tanner: adventure seeker, fighter, philosopher, writer and alcoholic died on September 8th, 2008 in the desert region north of Brawley, California. He was on a quest to find buried treasure. "Treasure" does not necessarily refer to something material.
There was a huge hole in the MMA community the day that former UFC Champion, Evan Tanner was pronounced dead, a hole that needs to be filled. More so than his actions in the ring, his antics out where followed by many. The man lived several lives within his thirty-seven years.
He poured his heart out in his blogs and remained honest through the harsh times, as well as the good. When he made mistakes, it wasn’t just him that learned from them, but a community of over thirty thousand. He walked his own path, but became a leader. When Evan made it public that he was an alcoholic and that he wanted to change himself, the amount of people he inspired was tremendous.
The more you get to know Evan Tanner, the more you want to know. The details of his adventures are always interesting, and never predictable. The purpose of this documentary is to learn more about him, his stories and his philosophy on being a better person.
Evan’s blogs inspired a lot of people, but in particular they inspired this film's course. We want to go to the places he went, meet the people he talked about - the people who were important to him, and learn more about his message.
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College dropout, adventurer, seeker, traveler, ditch digger, dishwasher, cable tech, concrete worker, steel worker, salad prep, busboy, ski resort security, ski resort rental shop technician. I've worked in a slaughterhouse. I've been a landscaper. I've done drywall, tile, countertops, wood flooring, roofing. I have been a plumber, worked as a bottle collector at a bar, a bouncer, a doorman, a head of a security team. I have been a basket room clerk, a carpenter, a framer building beach houses, a truss builder. I've lived on a farm. I've lived in the city. I've earned money mowing lawns, selling on ebay, and fighting. A teacher, a trainer, and a coach sometimes. There was a time when I was younger that I didn't know any better than to be a liar, a cheater, and a thief. I have since learned to despise those things. I have had great friendships. I have had great loves. I have been a lover, I have been a son, a brother, and a friend. And I was once
A WORLD CHAMPION.
Evan Tanner : February 1971 - September 2008
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