BONNYVILLE – It was a knockout win for Bonnyville’s Tanner Boser when he stepped into the UFC octagon.
On Saturday, June 27 in Las Vegas, the victory went to Boser after he landed some heavy punches against Philipe Lins less than three minutes into the first round.
The six-foot-two, 249-pound fighter had a feeling he was going to be successful, but didn't think the win would come so quickly.
“I expected to win by decision or maybe I would be able to knock him out in the third round,” Boser told the Nouvelle. “He’s a good striker and I didn’t think I would be able to catch him that early but I’m glad I did.”
Boser dedicated the match to Jake Sansom, his first jiu-jitsu coach and one of the two men killed outside of Glendon earlier this year.
“I’m glad it went as good as it did,” Boser noted.
This was Boser’s third match with the UFC, and he still has one more fight on his contract with the company.
His first win came when he faced off against Daniel Spitz in the fall, and he lost by decision to Cyril Gane in December. The Bonnyville fighter's third match was originally scheduled for March but was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The June bout looked a little different compared to the typical UFC competitions due to the coronavirus. While it was streamed, there was no audience cheering and screaming in the Las Vegas arena.
Boser said the trip to and from the United States was roughly a 16-hour journey both ways, with no direct flights and the airports were next to empty.
Now that he’s back on Canadian soil, Boser plans on giving himself some time to rest before beginning training in his apartment while completing quarantine after travelling internationally.
“I’ll do a bit of training, whatever I can do in my apartment,” he noted.
With one more fight left on his contract, Boser has high hopes of signing on again with the UFC.
“They may make me fight my last fight on my contract before offering me a new one, but time will tell. I’m not exactly sure what will go down with that regard."
