Evan Tanner, The Fighting Champion Who Reminded You Of Your Friends
Longtime ultimate fighter and former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner was found dead in the California desert yesterday. He had apparently become stranded without water and succumbed to the heat. Tanner, 37, always looked more like a mountain man or a brooding surfer than a brutal fighter. But he kicked ass with the best of them. He rose to fame along with his sport itself, and his crossover appeal—which was immense—will probably only increase as the full story of his death becomes known. Rest in peace, dude.