R.I.P.
UFC Fighter Found Dead

TMZ has learned former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner went missing in the California desert and his body was found yesterday.

Law enforcement tells us the 37-year-old went out into the desert near San Diego last Friday. That same day, Tanner sent a text message to a friend that he was out of water and needed help. There was a massive search that ended abruptly yesterday.

Tanner blogged last month he was going to the desert because of his friends talking about "treasure hunting and lost gold, and my own insatiable appetite for adventure and exploration." Tanner continued, "I plan on going so deep into the desert, that any failure of my equipment could cost me my life."

Tanner's song of choice on his MySpace page was "Guaranteed" by Eddie Vedder from the movie "Into the Wild." The movie was about a guy who goes off into the wilderness against the advice of everyone he knows. Guess how it ended.

Tanner was featured on Spike TV's, "The Ultimate Fighter." He lost his last bout in June at the Ultimate Fighter 7 finale.

Cause of death is undetermined.

Reader Comments

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46. post #47 you should be ashamed of yourself your worthless comments compliment your worthless soul

Posted at 1:36AM on Sep 9th 2008 by jt

47.
further, that does not necessarily means they would consider

diving into to a wet and drying up mirage like shauna's sandbox.....

Posted at 1:45AM on Sep 9th 2008 by jeffrey dahmer

48. This is way too sad. I saw it when Sherdog reported it. Poor Evan Tanner. He was always a great fighter :(
R.I.P. Evan Tanner

Posted at 2:14AM on Sep 9th 2008 by Ayane Saeki

49. I'm crying right now, I have never heard of this man before tonight and I just visited his spike page for a few minutes, Oh man, his writing just makes you feel like you know him. So sad! I'm really am sorry for anyone who did know him, I'm sorry he will not be in your life, I feel like I wish I would have know him, just think how lucky you were to actually have know him.

I think I am going to take a lot from this loss. I know this is a silly thought that people just come to rag on others to make themselves feel good. It really is the whole purpose of the TMZ concept, but maybe this loss can help us all in some wierd way. I thought I had a doctors appointment tomorrow, I spent all day depressed thinking about if I only had a few more weeks, the doctor would not have to see me in my current state. LOL, well it ends up that the appointment is actually for my son, who knows why I wrote my doctors name with his doctors address. I heard the message they left today and not until after I heard of this loss did I realize that I now have a chance to act on all those things I told myself I would do if I just had a few more weeks. well, hopefully I do have a few more weeks and I can tell you when the date comes I will not be saying what I should have done. I am going to be glad I acted. I am 37 and I feel like I am going to die everyday. I am so stressed and WHY??? Life is good, I need to be grateful!!!! We all need to be grateful to be alive! Thanks for sharing the link to his page!

Posted at 2:45AM on Sep 9th 2008 by Man, how horrible!

50. You people dont know anything do you? Evan Tanner was never a part of "The Ultimate Fighter". He was a blogger ON SPIKE.com. Morons. You idiots are whats wrong with america. Any sensational story is a good story right TMZ? Even if you dont have the right facts or if you think you know what your publishing might be true but you go ahead any way. Your ignorance is unacceptable. And what does Evan Tanner have to do with your buisness anyway? He hated this kind of crap. He despised it. If he were still alive, God rest his soul, and you printed this about someone he knew, he'd find you and break your neck. You morons at TMZ really crossed the line this time. You can have your Brittney and Paris B.S. but leave people like Evan Tanner alone. Their not part of your ego-driven fantasy world where money makes the world go around...Maybe if you actually knew who the hell Evan Tanner was you might not ever print anything about him or anybody like him again. Evan Tanner was a rare person in this confusing world we live in. I cant stand anymore of this crap. This business you morons are in is making money off of making people miserable. While you think you make people look like idiots, in truth you, TMZ, end up looking like the miserable ones who have nothing better to do than repeat the cycle with whomever is dumb enough to live the life of a celebrity. A celebrity Evan was not. So why mention him...

Posted at 4:11AM on Sep 9th 2008 by mbungle

51. Post above , your message is so cryptic in a sense of , are you in some sort of trouble ?

Posted at 3:39AM on Sep 9th 2008 by To " Man, how horrible "

52. Very sad to hear, R.I.P Evan.

Posted at 6:26AM on Sep 9th 2008 by Trax

53. this is sad, he was a great warrior and a good person its a sad day for MMA. Unlike this idiotic celeberties this guy was for real, he didnt have stunt men or cut scenes, his life was as real as it gets. Anyone bashing on this him on this sire should realize they could never fill his shoes

Posted at 5:26AM on Sep 9th 2008 by faisal Khan

54. . I didnt know palins pregnant daughter was really pregnant by a black guy

Posted at 10:37PM on Sep 8th 2008 by Tracey

You are an idiot, no compassion low life bottom feeder. Get the hell off of this site if that's all the heart you have for a man just found dead in the desert.

Posted at 4:26AM on Sep 9th 2008 by sam

55. 27. I didnt know palins pregnant daughter was really pregnant by a black guy

Posted at 10:38PM on Sep 8th 2008 by Tracey

I'm sure you don't know a lot of things. But this is not the place to be talking about Bristol and really it's NONE of your business you moron.

Posted at 4:27AM on Sep 9th 2008 by Greg

56. " And to think, there are still places in the world where man has not been, where he has left no footprints, where the mysteries stand secure, untouched by human eyes. I want to go to these places, the quiet, timeless, ageless places, and sit, letting silence and solitude be my teachers."

-Evan Tanner

Posted at 4:27AM on Sep 9th 2008 by :-(

57. SARAH PALIN IS UNDER INVESTIGATION AGAIN. SHE IS UN-ELECTABLE.

Sarah palin's lesbian lover is a fan of Evan Tanner.

Posted at 3:54AM on Sep 10th 2008 by Sarah Palin is under investigation again.

58. Not suicide just stupidity - in America it is abundant, just look at the presidents they elect!

Posted at 5:23AM on Sep 9th 2008 by Brad

59. From Evan tanner's blog page on Spike.com

"Treasure" doesn't necessarily refer to something material.

Today, I ran to the store to pick up a few things, and with the lonesome, quiet desert thoughts on my mind, I couldn't help but be struck with their brutally stark contrast to my current surroundings, the amazing congestion in which we exist day to day.

The landscape as far as I could see, crowded, choked, with me and the rest of the species, an almost writhing mass of organisms, fighting over space and resources,....on the highways, in the parking lots, on the sidewalks, and in the ailse of the stores. And to think, there are still places in the world where man has not been, where he has left no footprints, where the mysteries stand secure, untouched by human eyes. I want to go to these places, the quiet, timeless, ageless places, and sit, letting silence and solitude be my teachers." - This type of talk almost sounds like suside.

Most people are fighting for more "resources" or cash. Maybe Tanner's investments were going down, and this was his way of exiting this earth with statements like: "Treasure" doesn't necessarily refer to something material."

Tanner's friend Sara, talked of treasure hunting and lost gold. - In the san diego desert? Hippie suside fantasy.

Posted at 6:11AM on Sep 9th 2008 by pie

60. Here's another part of his blog after finding out that some MMA site were reporting that he was putting himself into a dangerous situation after he said on his blog that if any of his equipment failed it would cost him his life.

"On his personal Spike TV web blog, Tanner discussed the trip and how a failure of equipment could be fatal, but in a subsequent blog, he downplayed such fears, writing, “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. So my plan is to go out to the desert, do some camping, ride the motorcycle, and shoot some guns. Sounds like a lot of fun to me. A lot of people do it. This isn't a version of "Into the Wild". I'm not going out into the desert with a pair of shorts and a bowie knife, to try to live off the land. I'm going fully geared up, and I'm planning on having some fun.”

Posted at 7:24AM on Sep 9th 2008 by Trax

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