Evan Tanner: A Few Thoughts on Dying Young in MMA

Well, I made a hopeful post when I heard the rumors, and a solemn post when the rumors were confirmed. It is now many hours later and I am still left wondering about the life and career of Evan Tanner: what was and what might have been. And perhaps in a self-centered way, I am also left wondering why the passing of Evan Tanner has had such a significant effect on me. Why I keep dwelling on it...

I had a great deal of respect for Evan Tanner, but I wouldn't say that I was necessarily a devoted fan. I did not lose one of my utmost heroes and role models today. And while 37 is far too young for the world to lose anyone, it is not the type of shockingly youthful death like that of NHL defenseman Luc Bourdon (age 21) of the Vancouver Canucks earlier this summer. And for whatever reason, Ryan Gracie (33) seemed more than 4 years younger...

And yet I am left feeling a surprisingly large impact, like the absence of Evan Tanner has left a larger hole in the fabric of MMA than I thought it would.

I was not a die hard Evan Tanner fan. But I respected the man a great deal. He fought with heart and that has always been the biggest thing for me. It's why I still don't mind seeing Ken Shamrock step into the cage when everyone else tells him to quit. It's not in his nature to quit. It's why, despite being a "true MMA fan" I like Kimbo Slice. His refusal to stay down against Sean Gannon said more than any of his quick knockouts of bouncers, boxers or MMA pioneers. And it's why, despite my admitting that Anderson Silva may be the most talented MMA practitioner out there, he has yet to win me over and make me cheer for him. He may have heart, but I haven't seen it shining through yet.

Evan Tanner had heart. He came out of training camp in shape and he walked into the Octagon to fight. And he didn't leave or quit until the fight was over. He overcame more personal demons than possibly anyone else outside the Octagon. And that undoubtedly takes the same kind of heart. And if anything is more tragic to a sport than losing a talented young man, it is losing a talented young man with heart.

His journey of redemption had the possibility to inspire many others battling their own demons, and hopefully it still may.

But as I sit here and type, I begin to wonder if one of the reasons that Evan Tanner seems to be leaving a gap in the sport, a gap in my life as a fan of MMA, and a gap in my life as a fan of athletes who approach their duties with heart... Is that MMA is such a young sport that we have yet to see our MMA heroes head up to the Octagon in the sky.

I've watched and mourned the deaths of Rocket Richard and Gump Worsley (NHL), Wilt Chamberlain (NBA), Mickey Mantle (NBA), Gene Upshaw and Reggie White (NFL). The pioneering legends of sports like Howie Morenz (NHL), Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson (MLB), and Rocky Marciano (boxing) had passed away before I was even born.

But the "dinosaurs" of MMA, the people who were there from the inception of the sport, are 50-ish at the oldest: Dan Severn, Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock. Some of these guys aren't actually even closing in on fifty. Even Ron Van Cleef is only 65! And he seemed like he was 65 already in UFC 5.

So as an MMA fan, I feel safe that my heroes will be healthy for some time to come. As MMA fans, we aren't yet prepared to see the legends, or even anyone in the sport, grow old and frail, much less die. There are probably some hard lessons and adjustments to come in the future. In more ways than one, Evan Tanner was an MMA pioneer.

And of course, we're never prepared to see a healthy man die in his prime.

Rest in peace, Mr. Tanner.