The mysterious circumstances surrounding the final days of Evan Tanner are explored in the latest episode of VICE’s Dark Side of the Cage series.
Tanner, a former UFC middleweight champion, tragically passed away in September 2008 in the California desert due to heat exposure. However, questions still linger about why Tanner embarked on his fateful trip to Imperial County and how the situation escalated to such a tragic end.
Join us on Wednesday for The Final Days of Evan Tanner as we delve into these unanswered questions, and catch an exclusive clip from the episode below.
Former UFC champion Evan Tanner died in 2008 and questions still remain about exactly what happened on that fateful September day in the California desert.
Watch an exclusive clip from @VICETV‘s newest episode of “Dark Side of the Cage: The Final Days of Evan Tanner” below.
The… pic.twitter.com/I8NGMToFhN
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) January 21, 2025
In the clip, Tanner reaches out to his childhood friend Wade Goldstein for help, signaling a dire situation. Despite Goldstein’s efforts to assist Tanner, they were ultimately unsuccessful, leading to a tragic outcome.
During his time in the UFC, Tanner was a prominent figure, winning the middleweight title by defeating David Terrell at UFC 51. He faced Rich Franklin in his first title defense and also secured victories against notable fighters like Robbie Lawler, Phil Baroni, Elvis Sinosic, and Heath Herring.
Tragically, Tanner’s life was cut short at the age of 37.
Dark Side of the Cage: The Final Days of Evan Tanner premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on VICE TV.