More than 12 years ago, the MMA world lost one of its greats. In a cruel and unfortunate turn of events, former UFC middleweight champion and hellbow pioneer Evan Tanner tragically perished in a desert excursion gone wrong.
Any fan of old school mixed martial arts will remember Tanner as a menace to deal with in the clinch and on the ground. As the opponent, your night is about 50% done once he closes the distance gets a hold of you.
Phil Baroni knew that coming into their fight at UFC 45 on November 21, 2003. “The New York Bad Ass” initiated the action with a short right hand that had Tanner wobbled and briefly compromised.