Evan Tanner

The world of mixed martial arts was shocked to hear about the passing of Evan Tanner this past weekend.

Tanner was found in a desert in California after leaving to 'cleanse himself' earlier in the week. He had sent a text message to a number of friends informing them he had run out of motorcycle petrol and was low on water in his flask. This prompted a rescue attempt but it ended in vain.

He was a former World middleweight champion in the UFC and was seen by some as an enigma.

Tanner was a free-spirit who, according to those who knew him, fought for an extra paycheck. He liked surfing and lived his life on a whim. The fact that he had decided to go on out to camp as a mental retreat plays into this characteristic.

I read his blog and I feel he knew this was going to be his last journey. Here is an extract:

'It seems some MMA websites have reported on the story, posting up that I might die out in the desert, or that it might be my greatest opponent yet, etc. Come on guys. It's really common down in southern California to go out to the off road recreation areas in the desert about an hour away from LA and San Diego [...] I do plan on going back pretty far, so I did mention in one of my posts that I wanted to make sure to have good quality gear. Any failure of gear out in the desert could cause a problem.'