It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I guess I’ve been on a bit of a break, nothing has really motivated me to write in the past month or so. But last week a post on bloodyelbow.com reminded me that its been about a year since Evan Tanner died. In addition to being one of my favorite fighters, Tanner seemed to be a true free-spirit and warrior. His Spike-TV blog was painfully honest and was great fun to follow. From his thoughts on fighting, to philosphies on life, Tanner was - if nothing else – a true original and a breath of fresh air. He was, in some senses, a prodigy – having taught himself jiu jitsu by watching instructional videos and earning two Texas high school state wrestling championships, despite the fact that he didn’t start wrestling until 10th grade. His blog ended eerily, with a description of his preparations for the trip into the desert that ended his life.
There are some really great tribute videos out there, some of which provide great footage of Tanner’s early fights in Pancrase. You can check them out at http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/9/4/1015328/remembering-evan-tanner-september.