After an impressive 3-1 start to his UFC career, Tanner Boser will now share the cage with a UFC legend.
Canada’s Boser (19-6-1) will meet former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (29-19) in a heavyweight bout in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ 40 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nev.
Boser, 29, said it’s a cool feeling to be able to share the cage with a fighter like Arlovski, but said the respect and admiration only goes so far.
“Andre’s probably going to be in the hall of fame, I assume, so it’s a big fight for me. It’s cool, he’s got a name, he’s an ex-champion, but I’m not the guy who’s going to come out and say this all means a ton to me,” said Boser in an interview with MMA Empire.
“I respect him a lot and it’s going to be cool to share the cage with him, but that’s kind of where it ends. I’m not going to bring that respect with me into the fight.”
This is set to be Boser’s first main card appearance of his UFC career, and he will be making that appearance in the prominent co-main event slot.
Boser said although it’s nice to be in the co-main event position, it doesn’t change anything for him as far as how he views the fight.
“It’s cool, but it doesn’t change anything about the fight. I’m still going to fight Andrei Arlovski for three five-minute rounds,” said Boser.
“The fact that it’s the co-main event is neat; my friends and family are going to really think it’s cool. I’m the co-main event, I think, because a fight or two dropped off. It’s not like I was planned for it, but it just ended up happening that way. It’s neat, but it doesn’t matter.”
Clash of similar styles
Throughout his lengthy UFC career, Arlovski has been known for his crisp striking, solid footwork, and speed, which are all traits Boser has also displayed throughout his career.
Boser said he and Arlovski do possess similar styles in the cage, which he believes will make for a good, technical fight.
“We’re fairly similar; we’re both lighter heavyweights and we move a lot with footwork,” said Boser.
“Matchup-wise, it’s going to be a good fight. We’re both conditioned, we can both go 15 minutes no problem, and we both have that knockout power. It’s going to be a good, technical heavyweight fight.”
While both Boser and Arlovski have each displayed their finishing abilities, they’ve also shown their durability and cardio are equally as strong for a 15-minute heavyweight fight.
Eight of Arlovski’s last nine fights have gone the distance, and Boser said he’s expecting to add to that total Saturday night, only with him having his hand raised at the end.
“I’ve had a couple quick knockouts here, but I’m no stranger to decisions myself. I think this fight’s going to be a good, technical heavyweight fight, and I think we’re going to hit each other quite a bit,” said Boser.
“I wont be surprised if this one goes the full 15 minutes. I hope it’s a good fight, and I want to come out the winner anyway I possibly can.”
Boser’s Shoutouts
“I’d like to thank my coaches (Jeff Montemurro, Keijiro Noda), KB Bhullar for cornering me, and my sponsors (Paul Peddle Services, BBN Consulting, Premier Built Garages, Axe Monkeys, Nickel City Beard Blends, MealKraft).” Follow Boser on social media: FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM
