Evan Tanner Has “Serious Health Problems”, Considering Retirement
In his latest blog post on Spike TV, entitled “I’m Done, I’m Retiring”, former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner, who was defeated by Kendall Grove via split decision in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale on Saturday, discusses his fighting future:
“Losing sucks. It’s been pretty tough the last couple of days. I’ve been keeping to myself. I haven’t felt like talking with anyone. I haven’t seen anything about the fight. I know I looked really bad. I don’t need to see it, or hear about it to know that. I’ve been having some serious health problems for a while now. They’ve caused me some problems in my daily life and have seriously affected my training. I obviously haven’t been the same guy in the ring.
I’m going to be taking a little time off to see a doctor. If we can’t get this health issue figured out, I’m done, I’m retiring. I don’t want to step back into the Octagon unless I’m 100%, and I can give the fans the type of fight they deserve to see.
I don’t see it coming to that though. Tomorrow I’m hopping on the bike, and riding up to Oregon to visit the good doctor. I’ve got a good feeling about things.”
Tags: Evan Tanner
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Sir, you will be missed.
Yeah it sucks seeing Tanner lose like this…he used to be a beast…seems like alot of the old legends are startin to get there butts wooped by the younger crowd….
Yeah I guess that’s why the phrase, “Out with the old, in with the new” exists. However, I do look forward to 1 more win from Randy… I hope that happens and he can retire on a good note.
tanner needs to quit hes not even a shadow of his former self.
on a diffrent note i haven’t heared anything from randy in a long time any1 no anything about what him an dana r doing? and if he is still refuseing to fight then y hasn’t he been stripped of the ufc hw belt? hope it gets sorted because randy is the man
Well his health problems can’t be anything like a heart condition or something like that because don’t they have to take a full medical before fighting ???
He’s got phsycological issues, depression …..etc Was on the road, sleeping in his car, working random jobs for 2 years and was an alcoholic, who knows what else ……..
I think a lot of these ” old timers ” loose there mental edge, its not so much physical, i think it has to do with motivation and that hunger….even Tito seems to have lost it a little.
Look at Couture, he goes in , not afraid to take shots, hes got that hunger inside of him still……… Even Matt Hughes, hes strong as hell still, i think he also lost his mental edge……….
Dirty,
Lost their mental edge is right……It’s going to be bitter sweet watching some of the older generation fighters start retiring. Too bad there isn’t a MMA promotion for old fighters 40+yrs old.
Yep I’m waiting on the new Geriatric league. Oh wait…that’s affliction isn’t it? hehe j/k
It has been bittersweet to watch former champions and pioneers of the sport (ie. Tanner, Tito Ortiz, and Matt Hughes) lose to younger, more well-rounded fighters. I hope for the best for Tanner, but I think his 2 years of excessive boozing may have damaged his body beyond repair, as far as competing in MMA. Nonetheless, the newer contenders and champs (ie. GSP, Thiago Aves, Lyoto Machida, et al.) consistently showcase a variety of MMA skills. They are masters on their feet and on the ground. This is evidence of the evolution of MMA, as it becomes more mainstream and more and more gifted, intelligent athletes are choosing MMA over other professional sports.
lol dannyboy…good call
Concerning Randy Couture and Dana White. I heard it this way : Randy came out of retirement for a fight with Fedor. Dana White was unable to lure Fedor over to the UFC so Randy retired. Randy was able to fight Fedor through another organization. Dana was mad that another organization was going to put together the fight that he has been trying to do. He then sued Randy for breach of contract preventing him from fighting amywhere other than the UFC until he finishes the terms of his contract. If this is true, It is sad that it came to this. All Dana would’ve had to do is be a little more lenient with the contract clause concerning fighting in other organizations. If he had done that, Fedor vs. Randy would’ve been set up the very next day!
AGE IS NOT A HEALTH PROBLEM!!!!!!
no offense but he was just slow that comes when you are old if his bones muscles are creaking thats because your body is taping out that is all i am not a doctor and can tell you that.
it would look like you are punching sandbags dust flying everywhere in the octagon.
It isn’t for Randy, but Tanner, Hughes, and Horn all seem to be heading down the same path and it can’t be just a coincidence…
I think most of it is alchol related. When I saw that tier member structure on his website I could tell he is desperate for cash and that is a shame because he is clearly a driven man.
has anybody heard what his condition may be? i dont buy the whole “mental issues” thing…
I think it is time for Hughes, Tanner, and Horn to all hang it up. Check the link for why I think it is time.
However I love to see them all fight, their experience alone puts them in a place that many will never reach.
curtis,
That was a very good read.People like you amaze me when you write these elegant lillte articles and I have trouble putting two sentences together.I swear if I could figure out a way to put a decent living out of BJJ/MMA writing or blogging I woould.
And hear I go with typos to prove my point…
is it me or has the ufc really sucked recently? All I see are brawlers banging into each other and rolling around on the ground like cavemen hoping to win by luck or someone to tire. This is far cry from art. It seems the more money they dump into it the worst it becomes.