Issue 055
October 2009
There are upsides to the sport of MMA being so young in comparison to older, established sports such as football or boxing. Everything feels like an adventure, as so much new ground is being broken every day. We’re witnessing constant evolution, and it is exciting for everyone involved.
One thing about MMA being such a young sport is that the generations who started it off are still very much around, with some members of the original forebears still active today. There is one downside to this, I suppose. Because we’re so used to seeing and hearing about the original fighters and trailblazers, it’s tough to imagine a world without them. When they die their legacy will remain, but we’re going to lose a piece of history in the process. This is something I find sad.
The last 12 months have seen the passing of a number of people from the world of MMA. Charles Lewis, aka Mask of Tapout, died in a car crash, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu grand master Helio Gracie finally went to the big dojo in the sky at the grand old age of 95. Their deaths deeply touched members of the MMA community and fans around the world.
It is near enough a year since another figure from the world of MMA passed away. Former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner died on September 5, 2008. He was 37.
Evan Tanner started fighting way back in 1997 in his native Texas. He was talent-scouted to Japan and later signed by the UFC. He first appeared in the Octagon in 1999 at UFC 18 and fought for them a total of 17 times, capturing the 185lb title in 2005. His last fight for the promotion was in June 2008, when he lost a split decision to Kendall Grove.
Tanner was an unusual sort. He wasn’t your average fighter. He didn’t have the shaved head or the gnarly tattoos. He didn’t run his mouth off or flash his cash. He was a private, quiet person who preferred riding his motorbike on back roads to living a life in the limelight.
His death was the source of some controversy at the time. He was found dead in the Californian desert, a victim of heat exposure. A seasoned traveler and something of an adventurer, it was questioned whether Tanner, who was exploring the area on an extended camping trip, intentionally left his well-stocked camp to venture out into the desert, knowing what fate awaited him. Investigators believe he attempted to refill his water bottle at a nearby spring that was unexpectedly dry, and succumbed to the heat before he could return back to his camp.
Tanner’s death raised questions not just because of his alternative lifestyle, but because of the public journals he kept. Brutally honest, Tanner bared many aspects of his life and attracted everything from criticism to concern. He admitted to being a borderline alcoholic, to losing everything from money to his house and relationships.
But video footage taken of Tanner in Las Vegas mere weeks before his passing quash any ideas that he was a man on the edge. His life may have seemed reckless to some, but he was a man that did things differently – different doesn’t mean wrong. In the video, he talks about everything from his position in the public eye to making the world a better place. He talks about the future, about helping to make a difference, and about teaching the children he was yet to have how to be good human beings.
Tanner was a mindful, intelligent, thoughtful and caring person. Yes, he was flawed. He wore his heart on his sleeve and certainly made no bones about his troubles, but he was no lesser man because of it. If anything, he showed his true strength of character in his ability to be honest about himself. How many of us can admit to being the same?
“Find yourself… Who’s to say you ever lost yourself?” he said. “Finding yourself is easy. Most people are afraid to acknowledge their true self, that’s the problem. It’s there. Everybody knows themselves. Most people do. It’s just having the courage to face it.”
When we talk of legacies and contribution and such, we think of the things a person has done with their life, their achievements, their successes, what they have left behind. Gracie gave the world an art with his name attached, and begat a family with fighters in every generation. Lewis founded an empire that grew alongside, but helped propagate, the very industry it was a part of. These are lasting, physical remnants of their lives.
Tanner leaves no such evidence of his time on this earth, but his effect on people is no less powerful. The two ten-minute videos of him talking about his outlook, ideas and philosophies are more endearing and potent than any athletic achievement he could have made. When he talks of responsibility, of faith, the power of intention and of destiny, he does so from the heart. One year on from his death, his words resonate with a power that is hard to ignore. I hope that more people choose to remember him by his ideals than by his actions, and, one day, I hope people will remember me in the same way.
To watch the videos, go to www.fightersonlymag.com/blog.
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