she said they have a surprise for evan that she wants me to take part in so she's going to give me a buzz tonight to tell me about it. not sure what she has lined up...always something up her sleeve, that one. i'm guessing she wants a few of us to give evan a call on friday and wish him luck. we did the same for dan when he fought frank mir, but it didn't work out for him that time.
wow! that sounds exciting! give me shout tonight if you hear from her, and tell me about it!
i'm glad i won't be the cause of an angry smithers...
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
Thanks mookie! I don't get the fight network despite paying comcast an exorbitant amount of money each month. Fitch is probably my third favorite fighter after GSP and Gray. I'm a little surprised he isn't getting a better fight this time. He has obviously already proven himself by beating some of the top guys in the weight class.
dirty comcast! :mad: well, i found it and i'll send it to you tonight if you'd like to watch it. i just really enjoyed it because it's refreshing to see guys like jon fitch talking about the sport and competition. he seems like a level headed guy who has his priorities straight.
i totally agree about him proving himself. in my opinion, he's #2 behind georges right now at WW. his original fight with gono would have been awesome, but chris wilson could prove challenging. certainly not on gono's level in terms of experience but he should give jon a good fight. in all fairness, though, had it not been for the hold up on the WW belt because of the tuf show, he'd probabaly be fighting for the belt at this point. good for him for taking another fight, as it puts his title shot at risk, but i don't see him losing this one.
if georges can regain his title and fitch wins this weekend, i know there are a lot of people who would like to see fitch vs. st-pierre. i'd like to see it!
ceg, they're doing a collage for evan of all the team sponsors wearing their team tanner t-shirts...or at least how many kyria can get to send in a photo. how cool is that, eh? i think it's a great gift and he'll appreciate it!
speaking of evan tanner, maybe i'll post an article about him. i don't think i've done that yet...;):D
Tanner back after near two-year hiatus
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Watching the sun set over Death Valley. Hiking in Hawaii. Touring the U.S. on his 1999 Harley-Davidson Softail. Surviving ``some bad things'' in Huntington Beach and Hollywood. Not shaving for eight months.
Evan Tanner experienced his own version of ``Into the Wild'' in his two years away from the UFC, living life to the fullest.
``I've been a traveller my entire life, constantly on the move, searching for new adventures, seeking knowledge, looking for the truth of things,'' the former middleweight mixed martial arts champion wrote in a journal entry on http://www.evantanner.net. ``It has been my way of life.
``The last two years were a little bit more extreme than usual though.''
Tanner, who returned to training last October, fights for the first time since UFC 59 in April 2006 when he steps into the cage Saturday night against Japanese middleweight Yushin Okami at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio.
``I never left fighting really. I just stepped away to take a break,'' Tanner explained in an interview from Las Vegas. ``I've been competing for over 10 years pretty consistently. It's a stressful occupation and that kind of wears you down after a time,'' he added. ``So after so long, I decided I wanted to take a little time to myself, take care of things in my personal life and kind of recharge my spirit.''
The 37-year-old Tanner says he knew it was time to close out his adventure when he survived a near shipwreck. He was taking his boat Vaya, a 1939 Tahiti ketch sailboat, last fall down the coast of California looking for a place where he could store and work on it.
``We were about four miles out, got hit with a big swell and some of the planks started popping loose so we started taking on water. We were bailing out water like crazy about four miles out, had a third person on the tiller pointing it straight to the harbour. We barely made it.''
``I think she had seen her best days. Her time was done,'' he added.
But Tanner wasn't.
He reckoned he had a few more fights in him, once he whipped his body back into shape _ which wasn't easy. ``I lived off of fast food, drank a lot of beer and did no training,'' he admits in his online journal.
He still weighed about 195 pounds. ``But not proportioned well, though.''
``I was in terrible shape,'' he told The Canadian Press. ``It almost made me tired just to walk in the gym and look around, see other people working out. ... I'm definitely back in fight shape now. It took a while though.''
Tanner's fighting days date back to 1997 in his native Texas. Back then, in the raw world of Unified Shoot Wrestling, it was fighting with no gloves and open hand (fists were allowed to the body). Two years later, he was in the UFC, debuting with a win over Darrel Gholar at UFC 18.
Not bad for someone who learned many of his submissions and other moves from instructional videotapes.
The former light-heavyweight dropped down a division and went on to win the vacant 185-pound UFC title in February 2005 when he defeated David Terrell, surviving an early guillotine choke attempt to post a dominating win by putting the young gun Terrell on the ground at the fence and pounding away until the fight was stopped.
He lost the championship to Rich Franklin at UFC 53 in June 2005, at the wrong end of a fourth-round stoppage. Tanner felled Franklin with a right to the chin late in the first round, but was beaten up the rest of the bout. His face was a bloody, swollen mess when the contest was finally called. It was his second career loss to Franklin, but also a gutsy performance.
``If he's awake, there's fight in him,'' UFC commentator Joe Rogan said approvingly of Tanner during that fight. Tanner was beaten again four months later, suffering a TKO at the hands of Montreal's David Loiseau, before submitting Levens at UFC 59 and then going on his walkabout. He left on a high note, unmarked after winning by a slick first-round triangle choke.
``I had some things going on in my personal life right at that time and after I got that fight done, . . . I decided I just really needed some time off,'' he said.
There was no plan outside the cage, other than travelling, some adventuring and exploring. ``Had some fun, had some bad times,'' he said.
Asked about the down times, he chuckles. ``Yeah, those are things I'll write about in a book some day. I don't want to share those really.''
But Tanner (34-6, including 11-4 in the UFC) will say his beer-drinking days are over.
``There's a long story behind that and I'll tell that story if I write a book someday too. . . . But it was getting to be too much of a distraction and was causing me a lot of problems. I just decided to put that down and really see what I could do with the fighting, totally dedicate to the training and fighting.
``So yeah I've put down all my bad vices, I still get caught up in caffeine every once in a while, drinking too much coffee or Mountain Dew or stuff like that. But I've put down all the bad stuff.''
While other elite fighters surround themselves with coaches and advisers, Tanner has essentially been a one-man show over the years other than a brief affiliation with Team Quest. For this fight, he trained in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, with fellow UFC veteran Josh Burkman, and will have coach Renzo Assaria from Hard Rocks Muay Thai in Las Vegas in his corner Saturday night.
``I never really had a crew. That's what a lot of people don't realize. I've always been independent. I was with Team Quest for a little bit but other than that I've been independent my whole career, managed myself, pretty much handled everything myself.''
Tanner's spartan lifestyle is reflected in pictures on his website of his modest one-bedroom apartment in Las Vegas. No Hummers for Tanner. He drives a 1978 Toyota Land Cruiser.
``I don't need all the fancy stuff. I have what I need. All I want is to be comfortable. So it's not about trying to be a movie star or a rock star,'' he said. ``It's not about the fame or glory or anything. It's about a personal journey, it's about a search and it's about hopefully doing something that's going to have some meaning, some positive meaning to everyone else out there.''
To that end, he has eschewed sponsors in his comeback fight, other than clothing manufacturer Sprawl with whom he has had a longstanding relationship.
Instead he has launched Team Tanner, which allows anyone to donate $50 on up. It's a cross between a fan club and a grassroots movement. Those who contribute will get special access to Tanner online plus clothing and other mementoes depending on their investment.
``Financially it was risky but the main thing is it stands for something, it stands for something real. And that's what means more than anything else. It stands for something.''
During his time off, Tanner only checked on the sport periodically. When he did, he noticed that companies were jumping on the UFC bandwagon.
``I just didn't like the idea of going out there and representing these companies that really had no part bringing the sport to where it is, representing products that I don't even use. I feel like I'd be selling out,'' he said.
``I can only speak for myself. I feel like I'd be selling out, negotiating the prices for how big of a logo and where on your shirt and shorts and this and that. I just wanted to do something pure, do something directly with the fans.
Because it's the fans who let you get out there, it's the fans that make this possible and I wanted to do something for the fans.''
Tanner's book promises to be a good read, if it ever gets written. In addition to being a cage fighter, he has worked as a bouncer, cable TV contractor and builder, to name just a few jobs.
``I've washed dishes, I've been a baker, I've dug ditches, I've been a salad prep, I've mowed lawns. I've worked at a slaughterhouse, was night security at Big Sky of Montana Ski Resort, worked the ski rental shop for Mammoth Mountain in California. I'm sure I've forgotten a few,'' he writes in his http://www.ufc.com bio.
``And right now, I'm a fighter. In the future, a husband, a father, a lover, a writer, a poet, a philosopher, a teacher, and definitely a surfer again. The best is yet to come.''
hey lbc, i just caught the west coast feed of the apprentice. sorry to see tito get fired. :( at least he was able to raise some money for st. jude children's hospital. it would have been nice to see him stick around longer and win some more for them, but he did make it pretty far.
i was just changing a couple of my picks over at the ufc fantasy site and noticed they have a couple of new features...AND an updated league standings list. i'd say we're doing pretty good! 10th place! (of course, i don't know how many leagues are out there...) i hope you guys are happy with our league name, after seeing a couple of these ones...:D
League Standings:
This scoring group will include : UFC 80, UFC Fight Night: Swick vs Burkman, UFC 81, UFC 82, UFC 83.
Current standings:
League Name / Avg Points
BombSquad 153.40
The Gundersons 150.58
los tigres 146.00
C-BUS MMA Bet Team 141.25
USBDT 139.83
Toronto Top Team (T3) 137.50
Cabool Fight Club 137.33
The Fighting Furburgers 132.90
Kent Krushers 131.83
The Evolution Fight Club 130.55
Texags 129.69
wvmmacrew 128.90
EliteMMAsbsfs 128.77
Gym of Bling 128.27
ULTIMATE FIGHTING FREAKS!!! 127.77
Jeremy Chopek Licks 126.73
Little Boys 126.70
Canadian Rush 126.24
tito ortiz 125.90
Ufc:Enter the cocktagon 125.50
i was just changing a couple of my picks over at the ufc fantasy site and noticed they have a couple of new features...AND an updated league standings list. i'd say we're doing pretty good! 10th place! (of course, i don't know how many leagues are out there...) i hope you guys are happy with our league name, after seeing a couple of these ones...:D
League Standings:
This scoring group will include : UFC 80, UFC Fight Night: Swick vs Burkman, UFC 81, UFC 82, UFC 83.
Current standings:
League Name / Avg Points
BombSquad 153.40
The Gundersons 150.58
los tigres 146.00
C-BUS MMA Bet Team 141.25
USBDT 139.83
Toronto Top Team (T3) 137.50
Cabool Fight Club 137.33
The Fighting Furburgers 132.90
Kent Krushers 131.83
The Evolution Fight Club 130.55
Texags 129.69
wvmmacrew 128.90
EliteMMAsbsfs 128.77 Gym of Bling 128.27
ULTIMATE FIGHTING FREAKS!!! 127.77
Jeremy Chopek Licks 126.73
Little Boys 126.70
Canadian Rush 126.24
tito ortiz 125.90 Ufc:Enter the cocktagon25.50
hey commish! thanks for the update... i'm glad they finally got the league thing up and running... i was very interested to see where we were in the standings...
i love our name.... but the two above made me LOL....
IT'S EVOLUTION, BABY!!
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
i was just changing a couple of my picks over at the ufc fantasy site and noticed they have a couple of new features...AND an updated league standings list. i'd say we're doing pretty good! 10th place! (of course, i don't know how many leagues are out there...) i hope you guys are happy with our league name, after seeing a couple of these ones...:D
League Standings:
This scoring group will include : UFC 80, UFC Fight Night: Swick vs Burkman, UFC 81, UFC 82, UFC 83.
Current standings:
League Name / Avg Points
BombSquad 153.40
The Gundersons 150.58
los tigres 146.00
C-BUS MMA Bet Team 141.25
USBDT 139.83
Toronto Top Team (T3) 137.50
Cabool Fight Club 137.33
The Fighting Furburgers 132.90
Kent Krushers 131.83
The Evolution Fight Club 130.55
Texags 129.69
wvmmacrew 128.90
EliteMMAsbsfs 128.77
Gym of Bling 128.27
ULTIMATE FIGHTING FREAKS!!! 127.77
Jeremy Chopek Licks 126.73
Little Boys 126.70
Canadian Rush 126.24
tito ortiz 125.90
Ufc:Enter the cocktagon 125.50
everybody made weight for the show tomorrow night. i am psyched! kongo looked like a monster as always, herring looked better than i've seen him in a bit, and sakara looked way better at 185 than he did at 205. andrei arlovski had a nice icy stare for jake o'brien, and anderson silva was nose to nose with dan henderson and his grin. it looks like it's going to be a good one.
...still waiting on my team tanner shirt. there's one last mail truck that comes in at 7, so if it's not on it, i can't wear it for the show. :( evan was wearing his and looked in great shape, and a lot closer in size to okami than i was expecting too.
Main Card:
Dan Henderson (184.5) Vs. Anderson Silva (185)
Cheick Kongo (233.5) Vs. Heath Herring (248)
Evan Tanner (185) Vs. Yushin Okami (184.5)
Jon Fitch (170) Vs. Chris Wilson (169.5)
Alessio Sakara (185) Vs. Chris Leben (185)
Pre-lims:
Andrei Arlovski (241) Vs. Jake O'Brien (231.5)
Luke Cummo (170) Vs. Luigi Fioravanti (170.5)
Josh Koscheck (169.5) Vs. Dustin Hazelett (170)
Diego Sanchez (169.5) Vs. David Bielkheden (170)
Jorge Gurgel (154.5) Vs. John Halverson (155)
WOO-HOO!!!! My computer is fixed!!!!! Just in time for the event. I cannot tell y'all how excited I am to finally have a functioning computer again. Now I just need to re-download A LOT of PJ shows, etc. Sadly, I lost the video of Gray's 9 second TKO of Joe Veres with the wink (swoon) !
I hope your Team Tanner shirt came on the last mail truck Mooks!
awesome, releash! well, not about the lost materials, but that you have your computer back...let me see what i can do about the maynard vs. veres match for you...
sadly, i just checked on the last truck that came in last night and there was nothing on it for me. :( it will get here monday, with my luck! haha
can't wait for tonight!
edit: i still have that fight, so i'll send it to you tonight or tomorrow if that's cool...
daydreamining about the tanner / okami match...i'm picturing evan coming out and trying to utilize some of his refined muay thai, maybe having some moderate success...okami will probabaly get a takedown or two and evan will scramble well back to the feet. maybe evan will get a takedown of his own. some clinching and pop shots by both fighters in the first. we'll probabaly see an attempt at something unorthodox from evan in the first.
evan might take a little heat to start the second, but will build momentum into a david terrell-esque tko finish...all the while rogan is saying "okami does not like being dominated..."
awesome, releash! well, not about the lost materials, but that you have your computer back...let me see what i can do about the maynard vs. veres match for you...
sadly, i just checked on the last truck that came in last night and there was nothing on it for me. :( it will get here monday, with my luck! haha
can't wait for tonight!
edit: i still have that fight, so i'll send it to you tonight or tomorrow if that's cool...
Sorry your Team Tanner shirt didn't get to you in time for the event. :( Maybe the mailman is a Evan Tanner fan and he/she "borrowed" it for the event tonight?
Can't wait for tonight either! And looking foward to my pre-event nap as well.
aww thanks mookie! You always come through with the videos! I'd love to have the video again.
Sorry your Team Tanner shirt didn't get to you in time for the event. :( Maybe the mailman is a Evan Tanner fan and he/she "borrowed" it for the event tonight?
Can't wait for tonight either! And looking foward to my pre-event nap as well.
aww thanks mookie! You always come through with the videos! I'd love to have the video again.
i hadn't thought about that! you're probably right...darn shady mailpersons!
no worries on the video...just have to find it first. it's on one of the pre-lim discs in my cabinet, but like you i'm trying to get in an afternoon nap, so i'll look for it tomorrow.
i hadn't thought about that! you're probably right...darn shady mailpersons!
no worries on the video...just have to find it first. it's on one of the pre-lim discs in my cabinet, but like you i'm trying to get in an afternoon nap, so i'll look for it tomorrow.
Canadian mailpersons are just as shady as their US counterparts, eh?
No "rush" on the Gray video. Whenever you have a chance. Enjoy your nap!
i like that, no "rush"...that's a good one. not much luck with the sleep...too excited!
no sleep for me either ... too much residual caffeine from this morning. And I had to deal with comcast about ordering the PPV. They decided it needed to be more difficult so I had to order by phone. But it all worked out, so I'm set for tonight.
PS Thanks for the Jon Fitch interview. Interesting viewpoint on performance enhancing drugs, supplements, etc. I'm not sure if I agree with him on giving fighters a temporary permit to use HGH to recover from injuries if they aren't fighting. But he does make a very good point about having a government body (the State Athletic Commissions) test for banned substances. It probably wouldn't work for MLB or the NFL because of the sheer number of games and the crossing of state lines. He has probably the most logical stance on supplements I have heard from a fighter. If you have a good diet then you really don't benefit from the supplements. Most of the ingredients are water soluble and you just urinate out the excess amounts. Plus since the supplements aren't regulated well, who knows what they actually contain. Remember that All Access with Sean Sherk before his fight with Hermes Franca ... he was taking a ridiculous amount of supplements everyday. It is possible that one of them contained nandrolone, although I still believe he was taking it intentionally.
no sleep for me either ... too much residual caffeine from this morning. And I had to deal with comcast about ordering the PPV. They decided it needed to be more difficult so I had to order by phone. But it all worked out, so I'm set for tonight.
PS Thanks for the Jon Fitch interview. Interesting viewpoint on performance enhancing drugs, supplements, etc. I'm not sure if I agree with him on giving fighters a temporary permit to use HGH to recover from injuries if they aren't fighting. But he does make a very good point about having an government body (the State Athletic Commissions) test for banned substances. It probably wouldn't work for MLB or the NFL because of the shear number of games and the crossing of state lines. He has probably the most logical stance on supplements I have heard from a fighter. If you have a good diet then you really don't benefit from the supplements. Most of the ingredients are water soluble and you just urinate out the excess amounts. Plus since the supplements aren't regulated well, who knows what they actually contain. Remember that All Access with Sean Sherk before his fight with Hermes Franca ... he was taking a ridiculous amount of supplements everyday. It is possible that one of them contained nandrolone, although I still believe he was taking it intentionally.
i'll say it again...darn comcast! :mad:
no worries on the fitch interview. i thought you'd enjoy it. i found it really interesting, hearing his viewpoints and outlook on the sport. hearing him talk about how he got into mma was good stuff too. i think it says a lot about a person's personality when they say the little things...like when he corrected mauro to say that he wasn't captain at purdue, but rather co-captain. he does seem like a pretty logical and level headed guy. definitely one of my favourite "one on one" shows yet.
+1 on your thoughts about the supplements and nutrition stuff...and sean sherk, too. i still don't get how hermes got a heavier penalty, even though he admitted to it, while sherk continues to deny and got his suspension reduced on appeal. anyway...
no worries on the fitch interview. i thought you'd enjoy it. i found it really interesting, hearing his viewpoints and outlook on the sport. hearing him talk about how he got into mma was good stuff too. i think it says a lot about a person's personality when they say the little things...like when he corrected mauro to say that he wasn't captain at purdue, but rather co-captain. he does seem like a pretty logical and level headed guy. definitely one of my favourite "one on one" shows yet.
+1 on your thoughts about the supplements and nutrition stuff...and sean sherk, too. i still don't get how hermes got a heavier penalty, even though he admitted to it, while sherk continues to deny and got his suspension reduced on appeal. anyway...
DAMN comcast! :mad:
Yeah, the athletic commission's ruling doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I guess because Hermes Franca admitted to the steroids, they viewed it as accepting the punishment. I do not agree with reducing Sherk's suspension. His tests were positive, it doesn't matter if he took the nadrolone intentionally or not. Unless he can prove that someone was dosing him without his knowledge, the suspension should stand. It is his responsibility as a fighter to know what he is taking.
I can't remember all the exact methods and rounds, but these are my picks.
Main Card:
Dan Henderson (184.5) Vs. Anderson Silva (185) - Henderson by TKO
Cheick Kongo (233.5) Vs. Heath Herring (248) - Kongo by KO
Evan Tanner (185) Vs. Yushin Okami (184.5) - Tanner by submission
Jon Fitch (170) Vs. Chris Wilson (169.5) - Fitch by choke
Alessio Sakara (185) Vs. Chris Leben (185) - Leben
Pre-lims:
Andrei Arlovski (241) Vs. Jake O'Brien (231.5) - O'Brien by decsion
Luke Cummo (170) Vs. Luigi Fioravanti (170.5) - Fioravanti
Josh Koscheck (169.5) Vs. Dustin Hazelett (170) - Koscheck
Diego Sanchez (169.5) Vs. David Bielkheden (170) - Sanchez
Jorge Gurgel (154.5) Vs. John Halverson (155) - Halverson
I can't remember all the exact methods and rounds, but these are my picks.
Main Card:
Dan Henderson (184.5) Vs. Anderson Silva (185) - Henderson by TKO
Cheick Kongo (233.5) Vs. Heath Herring (248) - Kongo by KO
Evan Tanner (185) Vs. Yushin Okami (184.5) - Tanner by submission
Jon Fitch (170) Vs. Chris Wilson (169.5) - Fitch by choke
Alessio Sakara (185) Vs. Chris Leben (185) - Leben
Pre-lims:
Andrei Arlovski (241) Vs. Jake O'Brien (231.5) - O'Brien by decsion
Luke Cummo (170) Vs. Luigi Fioravanti (170.5) - Fioravanti
Josh Koscheck (169.5) Vs. Dustin Hazelett (170) - Koscheck
Diego Sanchez (169.5) Vs. David Bielkheden (170) - Sanchez
Jorge Gurgel (154.5) Vs. John Halverson (155) - Halverson
holy pie, going with o'brien! i hope we are all on about the tanner win! bon chance!
holy pie, going with o'brien! i hope we are all on about the tanner win! bon chance!
yup ... I'm officially crazy. I'm either going to do really well or get totally killed by you and Ceg in the fantasy league! I just have not been impressed with Arlovski in his last few fights. O'Brien will have his work cut out for him, but I think he can come out on top.
what a bogus stand up! Who is this new ref? Fitch was staying busy enough on the ground. :mad:
Rogan-ism #1 of the Night: I think if a guy can hold you down and molest you for five minutes, then that's the round.
Close first round, I would give it slightly to Fitch
Dominant second round for Fitch. Wilson couldn't do anything on the ground. Fitch was winning all the scrambles and doing a fair bit of damage with ground and pound. Wilson looks gassed now.
Comments
wow! that sounds exciting!
i'm glad i won't be the cause of an angry smithers...
dirty comcast! :mad: well, i found it and i'll send it to you tonight if you'd like to watch it. i just really enjoyed it because it's refreshing to see guys like jon fitch talking about the sport and competition. he seems like a level headed guy who has his priorities straight.
i totally agree about him proving himself. in my opinion, he's #2 behind georges right now at WW. his original fight with gono would have been awesome, but chris wilson could prove challenging. certainly not on gono's level in terms of experience but he should give jon a good fight. in all fairness, though, had it not been for the hold up on the WW belt because of the tuf show, he'd probabaly be fighting for the belt at this point. good for him for taking another fight, as it puts his title shot at risk, but i don't see him losing this one.
if georges can regain his title and fitch wins this weekend, i know there are a lot of people who would like to see fitch vs. st-pierre. i'd like to see it!
will do, unless she calls me in the middle of the night...:D
nah, smithers will be cool. i was just kidding. he only yells when the round is starting and i'm still out here typing.
one more day...and a bit...;)
Tanner back after near two-year hiatus
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Watching the sun set over Death Valley. Hiking in Hawaii. Touring the U.S. on his 1999 Harley-Davidson Softail. Surviving ``some bad things'' in Huntington Beach and Hollywood. Not shaving for eight months.
Evan Tanner experienced his own version of ``Into the Wild'' in his two years away from the UFC, living life to the fullest.
``I've been a traveller my entire life, constantly on the move, searching for new adventures, seeking knowledge, looking for the truth of things,'' the former middleweight mixed martial arts champion wrote in a journal entry on http://www.evantanner.net. ``It has been my way of life.
``The last two years were a little bit more extreme than usual though.''
Tanner, who returned to training last October, fights for the first time since UFC 59 in April 2006 when he steps into the cage Saturday night against Japanese middleweight Yushin Okami at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio.
``I never left fighting really. I just stepped away to take a break,'' Tanner explained in an interview from Las Vegas. ``I've been competing for over 10 years pretty consistently. It's a stressful occupation and that kind of wears you down after a time,'' he added. ``So after so long, I decided I wanted to take a little time to myself, take care of things in my personal life and kind of recharge my spirit.''
The 37-year-old Tanner says he knew it was time to close out his adventure when he survived a near shipwreck. He was taking his boat Vaya, a 1939 Tahiti ketch sailboat, last fall down the coast of California looking for a place where he could store and work on it.
``We were about four miles out, got hit with a big swell and some of the planks started popping loose so we started taking on water. We were bailing out water like crazy about four miles out, had a third person on the tiller pointing it straight to the harbour. We barely made it.''
``I think she had seen her best days. Her time was done,'' he added.
But Tanner wasn't.
He reckoned he had a few more fights in him, once he whipped his body back into shape _ which wasn't easy. ``I lived off of fast food, drank a lot of beer and did no training,'' he admits in his online journal.
He still weighed about 195 pounds. ``But not proportioned well, though.''
``I was in terrible shape,'' he told The Canadian Press. ``It almost made me tired just to walk in the gym and look around, see other people working out. ... I'm definitely back in fight shape now. It took a while though.''
Tanner's fighting days date back to 1997 in his native Texas. Back then, in the raw world of Unified Shoot Wrestling, it was fighting with no gloves and open hand (fists were allowed to the body). Two years later, he was in the UFC, debuting with a win over Darrel Gholar at UFC 18.
Not bad for someone who learned many of his submissions and other moves from instructional videotapes.
The former light-heavyweight dropped down a division and went on to win the vacant 185-pound UFC title in February 2005 when he defeated David Terrell, surviving an early guillotine choke attempt to post a dominating win by putting the young gun Terrell on the ground at the fence and pounding away until the fight was stopped.
He lost the championship to Rich Franklin at UFC 53 in June 2005, at the wrong end of a fourth-round stoppage. Tanner felled Franklin with a right to the chin late in the first round, but was beaten up the rest of the bout. His face was a bloody, swollen mess when the contest was finally called. It was his second career loss to Franklin, but also a gutsy performance.
``If he's awake, there's fight in him,'' UFC commentator Joe Rogan said approvingly of Tanner during that fight. Tanner was beaten again four months later, suffering a TKO at the hands of Montreal's David Loiseau, before submitting Levens at UFC 59 and then going on his walkabout. He left on a high note, unmarked after winning by a slick first-round triangle choke.
``I had some things going on in my personal life right at that time and after I got that fight done, . . . I decided I just really needed some time off,'' he said.
There was no plan outside the cage, other than travelling, some adventuring and exploring. ``Had some fun, had some bad times,'' he said.
Asked about the down times, he chuckles. ``Yeah, those are things I'll write about in a book some day. I don't want to share those really.''
But Tanner (34-6, including 11-4 in the UFC) will say his beer-drinking days are over.
``There's a long story behind that and I'll tell that story if I write a book someday too. . . . But it was getting to be too much of a distraction and was causing me a lot of problems. I just decided to put that down and really see what I could do with the fighting, totally dedicate to the training and fighting.
``So yeah I've put down all my bad vices, I still get caught up in caffeine every once in a while, drinking too much coffee or Mountain Dew or stuff like that. But I've put down all the bad stuff.''
While other elite fighters surround themselves with coaches and advisers, Tanner has essentially been a one-man show over the years other than a brief affiliation with Team Quest. For this fight, he trained in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, with fellow UFC veteran Josh Burkman, and will have coach Renzo Assaria from Hard Rocks Muay Thai in Las Vegas in his corner Saturday night.
``I never really had a crew. That's what a lot of people don't realize. I've always been independent. I was with Team Quest for a little bit but other than that I've been independent my whole career, managed myself, pretty much handled everything myself.''
Tanner's spartan lifestyle is reflected in pictures on his website of his modest one-bedroom apartment in Las Vegas. No Hummers for Tanner. He drives a 1978 Toyota Land Cruiser.
``I don't need all the fancy stuff. I have what I need. All I want is to be comfortable. So it's not about trying to be a movie star or a rock star,'' he said. ``It's not about the fame or glory or anything. It's about a personal journey, it's about a search and it's about hopefully doing something that's going to have some meaning, some positive meaning to everyone else out there.''
To that end, he has eschewed sponsors in his comeback fight, other than clothing manufacturer Sprawl with whom he has had a longstanding relationship.
Instead he has launched Team Tanner, which allows anyone to donate $50 on up. It's a cross between a fan club and a grassroots movement. Those who contribute will get special access to Tanner online plus clothing and other mementoes depending on their investment.
``Financially it was risky but the main thing is it stands for something, it stands for something real. And that's what means more than anything else. It stands for something.''
During his time off, Tanner only checked on the sport periodically. When he did, he noticed that companies were jumping on the UFC bandwagon.
``I just didn't like the idea of going out there and representing these companies that really had no part bringing the sport to where it is, representing products that I don't even use. I feel like I'd be selling out,'' he said.
``I can only speak for myself. I feel like I'd be selling out, negotiating the prices for how big of a logo and where on your shirt and shorts and this and that. I just wanted to do something pure, do something directly with the fans.
Because it's the fans who let you get out there, it's the fans that make this possible and I wanted to do something for the fans.''
Tanner's book promises to be a good read, if it ever gets written. In addition to being a cage fighter, he has worked as a bouncer, cable TV contractor and builder, to name just a few jobs.
``I've washed dishes, I've been a baker, I've dug ditches, I've been a salad prep, I've mowed lawns. I've worked at a slaughterhouse, was night security at Big Sky of Montana Ski Resort, worked the ski rental shop for Mammoth Mountain in California. I'm sure I've forgotten a few,'' he writes in his http://www.ufc.com bio.
``And right now, I'm a fighter. In the future, a husband, a father, a lover, a writer, a poet, a philosopher, a teacher, and definitely a surfer again. The best is yet to come.''
http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma/2008/02/27/tanner_return/
League Standings:
This scoring group will include : UFC 80, UFC Fight Night: Swick vs Burkman, UFC 81, UFC 82, UFC 83.
Current standings:
League Name / Avg Points
BombSquad 153.40
The Gundersons 150.58
los tigres 146.00
C-BUS MMA Bet Team 141.25
USBDT 139.83
Toronto Top Team (T3) 137.50
Cabool Fight Club 137.33
The Fighting Furburgers 132.90
Kent Krushers 131.83
The Evolution Fight Club 130.55
Texags 129.69
wvmmacrew 128.90
EliteMMAsbsfs 128.77
Gym of Bling 128.27
ULTIMATE FIGHTING FREAKS!!! 127.77
Jeremy Chopek Licks 126.73
Little Boys 126.70
Canadian Rush 126.24
tito ortiz 125.90
Ufc:Enter the cocktagon 125.50
hey commish! thanks for the update... i'm glad they finally got the league thing up and running... i was very interested to see where we were in the standings...
i love our name.... but the two above made me LOL....
IT'S EVOLUTION, BABY!!
10th in the league standings! Not too shabby, eh?
it would be nice to know how many there are. i mean, even if it's 10th out of 50, that's pretty good for a bunch of PJ fans just having fun with it.
there HAS to be more than 50 involved, though...;)
not too shabby indeed!
...still waiting on my team tanner shirt. there's one last mail truck that comes in at 7, so if it's not on it, i can't wear it for the show. :( evan was wearing his and looked in great shape, and a lot closer in size to okami than i was expecting too.
Main Card:
Dan Henderson (184.5) Vs. Anderson Silva (185)
Cheick Kongo (233.5) Vs. Heath Herring (248)
Evan Tanner (185) Vs. Yushin Okami (184.5)
Jon Fitch (170) Vs. Chris Wilson (169.5)
Alessio Sakara (185) Vs. Chris Leben (185)
Pre-lims:
Andrei Arlovski (241) Vs. Jake O'Brien (231.5)
Luke Cummo (170) Vs. Luigi Fioravanti (170.5)
Josh Koscheck (169.5) Vs. Dustin Hazelett (170)
Diego Sanchez (169.5) Vs. David Bielkheden (170)
Jorge Gurgel (154.5) Vs. John Halverson (155)
I hope your Team Tanner shirt came on the last mail truck Mooks!
sadly, i just checked on the last truck that came in last night and there was nothing on it for me. :( it will get here monday, with my luck! haha
can't wait for tonight!
edit: i still have that fight, so i'll send it to you tonight or tomorrow if that's cool...
evan might take a little heat to start the second, but will build momentum into a david terrell-esque tko finish...all the while rogan is saying "okami does not like being dominated..."
...ideally...or something like that....:)
Sorry your Team Tanner shirt didn't get to you in time for the event. :( Maybe the mailman is a Evan Tanner fan and he/she "borrowed" it for the event tonight?
Can't wait for tonight either! And looking foward to my pre-event nap as well.
aww thanks mookie! You always come through with the videos! I'd love to have the video again.
i hadn't thought about that! you're probably right...darn shady mailpersons!
no worries on the video...just have to find it first. it's on one of the pre-lim discs in my cabinet, but like you i'm trying to get in an afternoon nap, so i'll look for it tomorrow.
Canadian mailpersons are just as shady as their US counterparts, eh?
No "rush" on the Gray video. Whenever you have a chance. Enjoy your nap!
no sleep for me either ... too much residual caffeine from this morning. And I had to deal with comcast about ordering the PPV. They decided it needed to be more difficult so I had to order by phone. But it all worked out, so I'm set for tonight.
PS Thanks for the Jon Fitch interview. Interesting viewpoint on performance enhancing drugs, supplements, etc. I'm not sure if I agree with him on giving fighters a temporary permit to use HGH to recover from injuries if they aren't fighting. But he does make a very good point about having a government body (the State Athletic Commissions) test for banned substances. It probably wouldn't work for MLB or the NFL because of the sheer number of games and the crossing of state lines. He has probably the most logical stance on supplements I have heard from a fighter. If you have a good diet then you really don't benefit from the supplements. Most of the ingredients are water soluble and you just urinate out the excess amounts. Plus since the supplements aren't regulated well, who knows what they actually contain. Remember that All Access with Sean Sherk before his fight with Hermes Franca ... he was taking a ridiculous amount of supplements everyday. It is possible that one of them contained nandrolone, although I still believe he was taking it intentionally.
i'll say it again...darn comcast! :mad:
no worries on the fitch interview. i thought you'd enjoy it. i found it really interesting, hearing his viewpoints and outlook on the sport. hearing him talk about how he got into mma was good stuff too. i think it says a lot about a person's personality when they say the little things...like when he corrected mauro to say that he wasn't captain at purdue, but rather co-captain. he does seem like a pretty logical and level headed guy. definitely one of my favourite "one on one" shows yet.
+1 on your thoughts about the supplements and nutrition stuff...and sean sherk, too.
DAMN comcast! :mad:
Yeah, the athletic commission's ruling doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I guess because Hermes Franca admitted to the steroids, they viewed it as accepting the punishment. I do not agree with reducing Sherk's suspension. His tests were positive, it doesn't matter if he took the nadrolone intentionally or not. Unless he can prove that someone was dosing him without his knowledge, the suspension should stand. It is his responsibility as a fighter to know what he is taking.
Main Card:
Dan Henderson (184.5) Vs. Anderson Silva (185) - Henderson by TKO
Cheick Kongo (233.5) Vs. Heath Herring (248) - Kongo by KO
Evan Tanner (185) Vs. Yushin Okami (184.5) - Tanner by submission
Jon Fitch (170) Vs. Chris Wilson (169.5) - Fitch by choke
Alessio Sakara (185) Vs. Chris Leben (185) - Leben
Pre-lims:
Andrei Arlovski (241) Vs. Jake O'Brien (231.5) - O'Brien by decsion
Luke Cummo (170) Vs. Luigi Fioravanti (170.5) - Fioravanti
Josh Koscheck (169.5) Vs. Dustin Hazelett (170) - Koscheck
Diego Sanchez (169.5) Vs. David Bielkheden (170) - Sanchez
Jorge Gurgel (154.5) Vs. John Halverson (155) - Halverson
holy pie, going with o'brien!
yup ... I'm officially crazy. I'm either going to do really well or get totally killed by you and Ceg in the fantasy league!
a nice blend of picks is keeping our average near the top kiddies!
Here we go!
Did you catch his entrance music? Cash's version of Rusty Cage!!
Rogan-ism #1 of the Night: I think if a guy can hold you down and molest you for five minutes, then that's the round.
Close first round, I would give it slightly to Fitch
Dominant second round for Fitch. Wilson couldn't do anything on the ground. Fitch was winning all the scrambles and doing a fair bit of damage with ground and pound. Wilson looks gassed now.