The precise circumstances surrounding Evan Tanner’s closing days stay a thriller, one that’s tackled within the newest episode of VICE’s Darkish Facet of the Cage sequence.
Tanner, a former UFC middleweight champion, died in September 2008 and was discovered within the California desert. His official explanation for dying was warmth publicity, although questions nonetheless remained round why Tanner determined to take his fateful journey out to Imperial County and the way the state of affairs escalated to the purpose of tragedy.
On Wednesday, The Closing Days of Evan Tanner explores these questions, and you’ll watch an unique clip from the episode beneath.
Former UFC champion Evan Tanner died in 2008 and questions nonetheless stay about precisely what occurred on that fateful September day within the California desert.
Watch an unique clip from @VICETV’s latest episode of “Darkish Facet of the Cage: The Closing Days of Evan Tanner” beneath.
The… pic.twitter.com/I8NGMToFhN
— MMA Combating (@MMAFighting) January 21, 2025
Within the clip, Tanner will be seen calling childhood good friend Wade Goldstein, who discovers that Tanner is in a foul state of affairs. Nonetheless, any makes an attempt to succeed in Tanner afterwards have been unsuccessful, and the worst would quickly come to cross.
Tanner was a well-liked UFC fighter through the promotion’s rise within the 2000s. He captured the middleweight title with a first-round TKO of David Terrell at UFC 51, then dropped the belt to Wealthy Frankling in his first protection. His notable wins embody Terrell, Robbie Lawler, Phil Baroni, Elvis Sinosic, and Heath Herring, amongst others.
He was 37 on the time of his dying.
Darkish Facet of the Cage: The Closing Days of Evan Tanner premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on VICE TV.
