Before the days of Michael Bisping , Luke Rockhold, and Anderson Silva ’s historic five-year run as UFC middleweight champion, there was Evan Tanner . Tanner, a former light heavyweight, had moved down to middleweight in late 2003 and won three straight bouts over Phil Baroni (twice) and Robbie Lawler, earning himself a shot at the vacant 185-pound title against David Terrell at UFC 51. It was a contrast in careers, styles, and personalities. Terrell was seen as one of the sport’s top up -and-coming talents. A Cesar Gracie-trained black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he earned his title shot by knocking out longtime UFC middleweight contender Matt Lindland in his promotional debut at UFC 49. Tanner, for his part, had been in the UFC for four years at that point, having fought nine times for the promotion
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Evan Tanner: Remembering a Wayward UFC Champion – MMA Weekly