Tank Abbott – Triumph & Trouble
Published by on December 14th, 2007 in History

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Someday – and it won’t matter if it’s a hundred years into the future – when the list of the most distinctive personalities in UFC history is discussed, one of the names at the very top is going to be David “Tank” Abbott, who, considering some of the chiseled physiques that have occupied the octagon in the recent history of mixed martial arts, has to be looked upon as an unlikely force. But a force he was – both in and out of “official” action.

Abbott, a native of Huntington Beach, Cal., wrestled as a youth and boxed as a young adult. But what did mostly was engage in street fights. He claimed to actually enjoy getting in trouble, and bragged about at least a dozen arrests. Allegedly he spent seven months in jail before he got involved with the UFC, and made enough mischief to probably do seven hundred more.

Legend has it that Abbott made a name for himself fighting in bare-knuckle bouts around Orange County, and part of the UFC’s build-up for him was that he had practiced the style of “pit-fighting,” which according to one “a sport started by outlaw biker gangs in which a large pit is dug and two fighters jump in and brawl. This “sport” was depicted in the film, Stone Cold.”

Actually, as it applied to Abbott, this background attribute was a figment of the UFC publicity department’s imagination, more likely than not.

Abbott did, however, often described his strategy of going into a bar, seeking out the guy who looked like he might be the toughest and literally goading him into a fist fight.

His menacing goatee, considerable gut and aggressive demeanor gave him the appearance of a Hell’s Angel looking for booze, broads and brawls on a Saturday night. Although he did happen to be an accomplished wrestler, he preferred to offer the impression of someone without polish. In fact, he called himself the “anti-martial artist.” But he was tough, and loved to fight.

Abbott was sold to the UFC as a street fighter, and Bob Meyrowitz and Art Davie, who operated the organization at the time, were concerned that because of the political atmosphere, he might not project the most positive image. Interestingly, Abbott was a graduate of the University of California at Long Beach, with a degree in history, but he hardly looked like an academic. He looked like a bulldozer. His style was straight ahead, as he flailed away at his opponent, mostly at home in the stand-up position, owing to very heavy hands.

Abbott made his debut in UFC 6 and won his first fight, over the 350-pound John Matua, in just 18 seconds. He mocked his opponents, which infuriated them, but the fans really ate it up. In that UFC event, he made it to the finals against Oleg Taktarov. In a brutal fight that lasted 17 minutes and 47 seconds, Taktarov finally choked him out. But Oleg took a lot of punishment; he didn’t make it out of the octagon under his own power, but Abbott did. And he made a big splash in the process; he fit right in with the rebellious attitude of UFC fans, who couldn’t wait to see him again.

They’d see him plenty.