Evan Tanner Dies While Motorcycle Camping

Past UFC middle-weight champion, Evan Tanner’s body was found in the Palo Verde area of California. According to some reports he had run out of gas and was attempting to walk out of the area in the 114 degree heat when he collapsed and died from heat stroke. Some of Tanner’s friends became worried when they didn’t hear from him and called authorities who began a ground and air search for the missing fighter. Prior to the trip he had said, "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, and sit, letting silence and solitude be my teachers." When some of Tanner’s friends tried to dissuade him from going he said, “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.” Evan recently wrote on his blog "I plan on going so deep into the desert, that any failure of my equipment, could cost me my life," wrote Tanner on the adventure in August. "I’ve been doing a great deal of research and study. I want to know all I can about where I’m going, and I want to make sure I have the best equipment." His motorcycle was found parked at his campsite.