Former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner gets us caught up on his life outside the Octagon and discusses his highly anticipated return as he talks about the middleweight division, Anderson Silva and much more. Check it out!
PC: How is everything going Evan?
ET: Everything is going great! I'm out in Vegas now and I got back to training about a month and a half to two months ago and I'm feeling good.
PC: I hear you are taking a different approach to your sponsorship in your return. Could you tell us about that?
ET: Yeah, I started Team Tanner and it's a way for the...you know, I've been fighting for a long time and I've dealt with trying to get sponsors and all of that, making the calls and all of the negotiating and everything. I don't know, you know, the way the sports grown, it's great; it's getting the recognition it deserves, but with that recognition comes a lot of stuff that doesn't really suit me. I wanted to include the fans because really, when you get out there, it's really you and the fans anyway. I wanted to do something that would have the fans directly involved. It's kind of a payback for the fans. Like I said, I've been doing this for 10 years and this is kind of like a tribute to the fans that have made everything possible.
PC: How can the fans get involved. I know you have different packages?
ET: I have different levels of sponsorship. The best way to find out about the packages is to get on EvanTanner.net and all of the information is on there as far as the different levels of sponsorship. It starts at $50 and it goes up from there. I'm not trying to cash in on the fans, you know, but sponsorship money is necessary for training expenses and stuff. That money is going to be coming in one way or another. Either I could go with corporate sponsors or get the fans involved and do something directly with them and that seems like a more pure approach to it.
PC: I actually like that idea and I think it's cool you're doing that.
ET: Thanks! It's a unique approach. That way, the fans are directly responsible for putting a fighter in the ring and when I'm out there, I'm representing them. The thing is wearing the Team t-shirt. Whoever joins us gets a t-shirt and it's like you become an official member of Team Tanner. It shows them that they are a direct sponsor and then when I step inside the Octagon, I will be wearing the exact same shirt, but it will say sponsored by Team Tanner and fans or something like that. We haven't exactly worked that out yet.
PC: You haven't fought in the UFC in over a year. You recently signed a 4 fight contract. How excited are you about that?
ET: It's exciting. I've been fighting consistently for 10 years now. I wouldn't call this a comeback at all. I just took some time off and I think I'm entitled to that. I put some time in. The UFC let me know I was welcomed back whenever I was ready so it's not like I'm getting this big opportunity out of the blue again, you know? Everything was pretty much planned out and it's good to be back in training. I took that time off and I feel refreshed. I'm excited to be back in training.
PC: Will you be competing as a middleweight and how early could we expect to see you back in the Octagon?
ET: I will be competing at middleweight and you could expect to see me back in the Octagon in early 2008.
PC: It's been documented some of the things that you have been through over the last couple of years. Can you tell us about that and how your life is turning around now?
ET: Well, when you say turning around, that implies that everything was negative; which it wasn't. I've been traveling my whole life. I always had different adventures. I would drop everything and go here and there working in ski resorts, going surfing and just traveling across the country doing different things. I've done that my whole life. It's just that
even during my fighting career, I would sign a fight and train a month and a half to two months and then I would be off venturing. I would be off traveling and venturing and wouldn't even think about a fight until I got offered a fight again and then I would train a month and a half or two months and be off again. People had this idea that I trained all year round, full-time and I dreamed of fighting and dreamed of being a champion and was totally focused on that, but that's not the truth. Fighting has been one of my hobbies because I love the competition, but it's never been my total focus. I've always been into traveling and adventuring so these last 2 years, I've done the same thing. I just write about it now. When I started writing about it, people flipped out and they thought I was going crazy and it became a big deal. I just started documenting it and people thought it was odd. People had a perception because of some of the things I was able to do in fighting that I had totally dedicated my life to it and that it was my passion and that it was my only passion and that's not the truth. It was actually kind of a part-time thing up till now. Now I am training full-time for the first time in my life and we'll see what I can do.
PC: The middleweight division has a new beast in it since you've been out of the UFC and that's champion Anderson Silva. What do you think of him as a fighter and how do you think you would match up with his style?
ET: I think Anderson is a monster. He's got tremendous skills. He's definitely proven that. I have a great deal of respect for what he's proven and his skills. He's a guy that doesn't look up to par. He's a skinny guy that looks like you could just grab him and throw, but he's proven you can't do that. It would be an honor to get back into the title picture and get a chance to fight him, but who knows who's going to win between him and Henderson. That's the fight I want to see.
PC: How much have you been watching MMA since you've taken your break from it? Was it a total break from MMA or did you follow it?
ET: That's the thing because unless I'm actually training for a fight; well not even then. I love to compete, but I'm not a big fan as far as watching fights. I don't watch the shows; I don't keep up with what's going on in the fight game too much. Even when I'm training for a fight, I didn't follow too much so when I took 2 years off, I didn't follow too much. I maybe have watched one show and that's just because some friends wanted me to watch with them. I really don't keep up too much.
PC: Who are some of the people you are training with to get back into the Octagon?
ET: Right now I'm training out of Hardknocks Muay Thai Gym in Vegas. It doesn't have an MMA program and I've heard criticism, "What is Evan thinking training out of a gym with no MMA program?" What people don't realize is that they're pretty naïve if they think I'm going to train strictly out of a Muay Thai gym. At this level, you're always traveling around training with different people, different places and different gyms. You have to seek high-level training partners that will get you ready. My home gym right now is Hardknocks Muay Thai out in Vegas, but I will be doing some traveling out to Salt Lake City to train with Josh Burkman and his crew and I will be going to Southern California to do some work so I'll have some good training.
PC: Is there any opponent out there specifically that you would like to fight or do you just want to get back in there and get your feet wet again?
ET: I've never really picked opponents or called anyone out. Of course they have some guys out there that I would like to fight. I would like to even some things up on some of the fights that I had in the past that I didn't do so well in. I have a history of not being as focused as I should've been during training for some fights. I was distracted and I wasn't always prepared really. Some of those losses I would like to get a little vindication on.
PC: What did you think of the UFC purchasing Pride and some of those guys not fairing too well in the Octagon?
ET: As far as the UFC taking over Pride, I don't know a lot of the history or background behind it. As far as the fighters coming in and being upset by UFC fighters, a lot of those guys been in Pride so long, they were used to that venue. It's not that the Pride fighters are being outclassed or they are not worthy, but going from fighting in the venues in Japan to fighting in the UFC is a completely different feel. It's like they're fighting away from their home. They have been there fighting for so long with a certain energy that a change up like that will throw them off. That's my thought. Fighting in the UFC is a different feel, a different energy, different atmosphere and a different country.
PC: What are your goals for 2008, Evan, as far as in the Octagon and outside of it?
ET: Definitely to win fights. If I'm not fighting for the title, I'd definitely like to be back in title contention. As far as personal life, just keep doing what I'm doing.
PC: Evan, it's an honor speaking with you. I'm pleased you will be climbing back into the cage. Is there anything you wan to say in closing?
ET: Usually right now, I would be rolling out a list of sponsors. I would be pulling out my notepad making sure I remembered all of the different companies and I would thank all of my sponsors and say something cool to the fans, but now it's cool I don't have to do that. I just want to say thank you to the fans that's a part of Team Tanner and getting me into the ring because thanks to them, I'm able to get out there and train and make this happen. I want to thank all of Team Tanner and all of the other fans that support mixed martial arts. Thanks everybody!
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