Once I Was a Champion: Official Trailer - The Evan Tanner Documentary

I'll divulge some personal information about myself. I look up to Evan Tanner. He lived his life how I try to live mine and there are many aspects of his character that I try to emulate myself. Those that do know me will quickly note that the most apparent similarity is the drinking problem. It has become a joke for many of us because I don't have the same demons that Evan was dealing with in his life and instead use it to help keep my creative juices flowing.

Outside of the drinking, I am also someone who dropped out of college to pursue "real life" experience, first in the music industry and then in cooking. I decided early on to live my life and not get caught up in the little things. I think that is what drew me into being an Evan Tanner fan. His openness with his life allowed everyone to live through his highest of highs and his lowest of lows. It was an almost voyeuristic approach to see what could happen if someone lost their way in life and how a man can rebuild what he lost. 

I never knew the man but want to be everything he was. It says a lot about a person to know that even without ever speaking a single word to them, they had a massive impact on your life. It means that they'll forever be remember, even in death. There are thousands of people who feel the exact same way and his friends he left behind are now charged with living out his dream. He wasn't just a fighter, he was someone who cared and loved everyone. His final project in life was to build a center for fighters to live and train for free in order to give back to a sport he loved. The plan never came to fruition for a variety of reasons, and on September 5, 2008, the world lost one of the most compassionate individuals. Above is trailer for a documentary called "Once I was a Champion". It will be released later this year but for now, let us remember the man for what he was in his own words and celebrate his life: 

"Everything’s been about the journey, I never really set out with goals for fighting; it’s been about the adventure along the way. When you’re on your death bed, it’s those stories, those little adventures that are going to be the things that you remember. It’s not so much getting there, but how you got there."