Aside from the weight issue, which most feel will be the most important factor Saturday, Tanner said skill-wise, especially standing, he’s an entirely different competitor than the man Franklin faced at UFC 42.
“Where it was in the past, it was nonexistent,” he continued. “I think that was very evident in my first fight with (Phil) Baroni. And even in my second fight with Baroni, it was pretty evident that my stand-up was very lacking. But we’ve worked on that hard. I’m not saying I’m an excellent striker, but I know enough now where it’s definitely not a weakness. I’ve improved all areas, from my training habits, my training regimen, my approach to everything has changed.
“I knew that I was pretty limited in my striking. When you face that reality, when you acknowledge that reality and you go into a fight with a pretty high-level opponent, that kind of limits you on what you’re strong at. I’m strong at my clinch and my grappling, but in the past I was getting very timid with that because I was not confident with not only my striking but my defense against strikes. And all that’s changed. It took some time to really work the defense and work the movement to get comfortable. I think just being more comfortable with the defense has really opened up what I’m strong at — my clinch and my groundwork.”
Tanner knows what it felt like to be Dave Terrell in February, to be a fighter in over his head. “I got played for the sucker on that one,” he remembers of his bout against Tito Ortiz, the long-time titleholder in what was then the UFC’s showcase division.
“I had won a fight and was doing months of partying,” he recalled. “That was me back in the day. I’m an extreme character and I was partying. I didn’t have a girlfriend and I was partying and chasing girls and being a big shot around town and having fun, not doing any kind of training whatsoever. And I get a call a month and a half out, ‘Hey do you want to fight Tito for the title?’ … Not realizing the dedication these guys were putting into it.”
This racket is hard enough when you’re doing it clean. Tanner wasn’t and while he admits to still loving a drink, the frequency with which he enjoys them has changed.
“Life in general can be pretty difficult,” he began. “There are good things and bad things. I would say that drinking, living the party guy lifestyle is probably not the best lifestyle to be leading if you want to be successful in mixed martial arts, if you want to be a high-level athlete. This sport has evolved to the point where the athletes are every year becoming more and more skilled and their athletic ability is getting more and more advanced. Yeah, you can’t be a party guy and expect to compete at the highest levels of this sport anymore.”
“I definitely don’t party as much as I used to. I’ve got a good girl now. I’m growing older, it’s time to do grown up things, walk like a man. There’s no doubt I used to like drinking, and still do, but there’s business to be taken care of and there’s time to put that aside. I’ve put that aside.”
Since losing to Ortiz, Tanner is 7-1 and has won a championship. He’s moved away from the self-training, no sparing partner situation — both admirable and foolish — that brought him a measure of success.
But it took lessons learned after his failures more than the analysis of his successes that, in large part, make him the champion he is today. When Tanner walks to the Octagon Saturday, it’s with the firm belief that, on an even playing field, there will be a fight and he will be victorious.
When asked what’s the most important reason for his success — a response only the rare MMA fighter with 30-plus fights could deliver — Tanner said succinctly: “Experience is a huge factor.”
Thus the virtues of paying your dues.