Evan Tanner, the former UFC middleweight champion has been found dead in the Palo Verde Mountain in the southern California desert. Tanner’s manager John Hayner confirmed this news recently when the body was discovered. Hayner said that apparently Evan Tanner took a motorcycle excursion into the desert. When his bike ran out of gas he apparently tried to walk out of the desert. Apparently the heat was in triple digit figures that day and Tanner underestimated the long walk back to civilization. His empty campsite had been spotted and then an aerial search found his body this afternoon. This death comes as a shock to both the UFC world and the rest of the world as Tanner was only 37.

Evan wrote this on his Spike TV blog about his plan for his trip:

“I’ve been gathering my gear for this adventure for over a month, not a long time by most standards, but far too long for my impatient nature. Being a minimalist by nature, wanting to carry only the essentials, and being extremely particular, it has been a little difficult to find just the right equipment. I plan on going so deep into the desert, that any failure of my equipment, could cost me my life. 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.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Evan Tanner’s family and friends. He was a great fighter and will be missed.