Tanner Boser has faced plenty of tough opponents in recent years, and on June 16, it won’t get any easier.
Boser (14-4) is set to take on UFC and Bellator vet Chase Gormley (14-7) in a heavyweight bout at ACB 88 in Brisbane, Australia.
Boser’s last three opponents have been DJ Linderman, Dave Cryer, and Denis Smoldarev, all combining for a record of 54-19.
“Everyone I’ve been fighting for the last few years have been good, tough, quality opponents. They’re all good in different ways and weak in different ways, and I can usually find a way to exploit those weaknesses,” said Boser in an interview.
“Gormley is a tough opponent, but I’m used to that now. Nothing new there.”
In his 14 career victories as a professional, Boser, 26, has earned half of those by knockout or TKO. On the flip side, six of Gormley’s seven losses have come by knockout or TKO.
With striking being one of his highly-recognized strong points, Boser said he’ll be looking to add another knockout to his resume Saturday.
“I’m always looking for the knockout, and striking’s definitely my strong suit. That’s no secret,” said Boser.
“He has lost multiple times by knockout in the past, so hopefully I’m able to catch him and knock him out.”
A victory on Saturday would mark three in a row in ACB for Boser, after dropping his first two contests for the elite promotion.
While a potential three-fight win streak and 15-4 record is a good start, Boser said he’s still a long way away from a title shot, in what he described as a highly-talented heavyweight division.
“Three wins in a row wouldn’t get you a title shot in the UFC, and I think ACB’s heavyweight division is pretty damn close to the caliber of the UFC’s,” said Boser.
“I’m going to have to string together more than a few wins to get a title shot.”
Gormley Poised to Break Losing Streak
In order to keep the win streak alive, Boser must first get past Gormley, who’s dropped his last two contests in the cage, and is as hungry as ever for a victory.
Gormely, 34, has never lost more than two fights in a row in his career, and said he expects to maintain that figure after Saturday’s matchup.
“You never want to get comfortable with losing. I’ve been training hard and working on my mistakes,” said Gormley in an interview.
“I’m working on a new style, so sometimes I put myself in situations where I’m not used to being, and get caught. I just need to get comfortable with that and I think it’ll pay off in the long run.”
While most of his training camp was spent at Tracey Hess’ Subfighter MMA in Seal Beach, CA, he ventured out to Reno, NV to ensure his cardio would be at it’s best.
Gormley spent two weeks training in Reno’s high altitude, and said he feels his cardio will be on point.
“I know Boser’s in good shape, so I went up there to train real hard in the mountains, so I know when I go in there my cardio’s going to be 100 per cent,” said Gormley.
“The first week I was up there I was hurting pretty bad, but when I left I felt great. So cardio-wise, I should be good.”
It’s been over a year and a half since Gormley last had his hand raised in the cage, a split decision victory over Bobby Brents at Bellator 162.
While scoring a finish is always nice, Gormley said there are many ways he can see this fight playing out, and said he’ll take a win any way he can get it.
“It’s all based on situations. Every fight’s different,” said Gormley.
“As long as it’s a win, I’ll be happy. I’m not too picky about that.”
