R.I.P. Evan Tanner

The death of Evan Tanner shows the fragility of life. Even those few individuals, who are seemingly invincible, like UFC fighters, are ultimately just human. The way he lived his life was envious. Tanner did so on his own terms, attempting to value each day, while living life to the fullest.

From my perspective, I remember Tanner as a warrior. Tanner was a quirky, eccentric personality, who fought with a never-say-die attitude. His heart was always on display and despite losing several fights, he never backed down from a challenge.

Tanner died searching for an adventure. I hope he understood that his life was one big adventure and the legacy he left behind teaches us seize each day. He will be sorely missed in the MMA community.

Diaz gets the W

At Fight Night 15, Nate Diaz eked out a victory over a very game Josh Neer. What ended up being primarily a ground battle, was entertaining from start to finish. Ultimately though, Diaz certainly did enough to win, with both fighters showing true tenacity.

What was impressive about Diaz’s performance was that despite never being able to secure the submission he clearly wanted, he remained composed. At no point did Diaz seem flustered, gassed or worried. He kept chipping away at Neer and controlling the fight. His escapes were top notch, his wrestling was solid and overall I thought he performed admirably.

His problem remains his striking. It’s humorous because his striking style is exactly like his brother, but even less technical. It’s’ almost as if he paws at his opponent, with very little power. Yet, he throws quite a lot when he chooses to engage. Against a disciplined striker though, Diaz would be overmatched.

Another win though, elevates him further up the ladder. With Tyson Griffin, Sean Sherk, Joe Stevenson and Kenny Florian all involved in upcoming matches, it’ll be interesting to see who he fights next. A showdown with wild and aggressive Roger Huerta would be explosive.

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