Post by skullion on Sept 9, 2008 15:12:53 GMT -5
Officials on Tuesday confirmed that a body found in a remote area of the Imperial County desert was that of former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder Evan Tanner of Oceanside.
Preliminary reports indicate Tanner, 37, died of heat exposure, said Imperial County Sheriff's Lt. George Moreno. An autopsy to determine the exact cause of death was scheduled for Tuesday.
Tanner had gone to the area about 60 miles northeast of Brawley, in the Clapp Springs area of the Palo Verde mountains, on a solo camping trip Wednesday, authorities said. A helicopter pilot from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma spotted the body on Monday several miles from his campsite, which was located Sunday.
The mixed-martial arts fighter drove to the area Wednesday on a dirt bike that he had recently purchased, said John Hayner, Tanner's manager from San Clemente.
That afternoon, Tanner called to say the bike had run out of gas and that he was going to walk. The fighter told the friend he had spotty cell phone service and was surprised he was able to make a call.
When concerned friends did not hear from Tanner again, they reported the fighter missing on Friday, Hayner said. The fighter was camping several miles into the desert and probably didn't realize how far out he was, the agent said.
“He pushed himself extremely hard as a mixed-martial arts fighter,” Hayner said. He surmised Tanner would have thought he could endure anything including “a couple of miles in the sun.”
Temperatures spiked to 114 degrees that day, authorities said.
Several agencies participated in the search including the Imperial County sheriff's search-and-rescue team, the Marines, the California Highway Patrol and the Border Patrol.
An avid outdoorsman, Tanner assured people who questioned the safety of his trip that he would be fine.
Tanner had fought for about 15 years in some 42 bouts and was still an active member of the UFC, Hayner said. His last fight was just two months ago in Las Vegas.
He rose to the top of the sport – a combination of martial arts, boxing and wrestling – in 2005 when he defeated David Terrell in the first round to win the UFC middleweight championship.
Originally from Amarillo, Texas, Tanner moved about six months ago to a home across from the beach in Oceanside and had taken up surfing.
“Evan Tanner was not a fighter. Evan Tanner was an adventurer and an explorer who happened to also be a fighter,” his manager described him.
In an entry on his Spike TV blog dated August 16, Tanner called his trek to the desert a “treasure hunt” and later explained he was referring to the beauty of the geography he expected to see, Hayner said.
In that same blog entry, Tanner wrote:
“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.”
Hayner said Tanner is survived by a brother and his mother. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Preliminary reports indicate Tanner, 37, died of heat exposure, said Imperial County Sheriff's Lt. George Moreno. An autopsy to determine the exact cause of death was scheduled for Tuesday.
Tanner had gone to the area about 60 miles northeast of Brawley, in the Clapp Springs area of the Palo Verde mountains, on a solo camping trip Wednesday, authorities said. A helicopter pilot from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma spotted the body on Monday several miles from his campsite, which was located Sunday.
The mixed-martial arts fighter drove to the area Wednesday on a dirt bike that he had recently purchased, said John Hayner, Tanner's manager from San Clemente.
That afternoon, Tanner called to say the bike had run out of gas and that he was going to walk. The fighter told the friend he had spotty cell phone service and was surprised he was able to make a call.
When concerned friends did not hear from Tanner again, they reported the fighter missing on Friday, Hayner said. The fighter was camping several miles into the desert and probably didn't realize how far out he was, the agent said.
“He pushed himself extremely hard as a mixed-martial arts fighter,” Hayner said. He surmised Tanner would have thought he could endure anything including “a couple of miles in the sun.”
Temperatures spiked to 114 degrees that day, authorities said.
Several agencies participated in the search including the Imperial County sheriff's search-and-rescue team, the Marines, the California Highway Patrol and the Border Patrol.
An avid outdoorsman, Tanner assured people who questioned the safety of his trip that he would be fine.
Tanner had fought for about 15 years in some 42 bouts and was still an active member of the UFC, Hayner said. His last fight was just two months ago in Las Vegas.
He rose to the top of the sport – a combination of martial arts, boxing and wrestling – in 2005 when he defeated David Terrell in the first round to win the UFC middleweight championship.
Originally from Amarillo, Texas, Tanner moved about six months ago to a home across from the beach in Oceanside and had taken up surfing.
“Evan Tanner was not a fighter. Evan Tanner was an adventurer and an explorer who happened to also be a fighter,” his manager described him.
In an entry on his Spike TV blog dated August 16, Tanner called his trek to the desert a “treasure hunt” and later explained he was referring to the beauty of the geography he expected to see, Hayner said.
In that same blog entry, Tanner wrote:
“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.”
Hayner said Tanner is survived by a brother and his mother. Funeral arrangements are pending.
