Tank Abbott

David Lee "Tank" Abbott (born April 26, 1965) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and author. Abbott is perhaps best known as an icon in the early stages of mixed martial arts and the UFC, having also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, EliteXC, and Cage Rage, and challenging for the UFC Heavyweight Championship once in 1997. He currently hosts a podcast series titled "The Proving Ground with Tank Abbott." Abbott also authored the three novels of the Before There Were Rules trilogy: Bar Brawler, Street Warrior, and Cage Fighter.

Abbott was born and raised in Huntington Beach, California. He began practicing amateur wrestling at age nine and continued through high school, where he also played football. He later wrestled at Cypress College, earning CCCAA All-American honors, before attending California State University, Long Beach, where he graduated with a degree in history. During this period he was trained in boxing by Noe Cruz at the Westminster Boxing Gym. Abbott entered the UFC beginning with UFC 6, where management gave him the nickname "Tank Abbott" and billed him as a pit fighter.