Tanner Vilbon Nicholas Boser is a Canadian mixed martial arts fighter who is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Heavyweight division. He had previously won the Unified MMA Heavyweight Championship twice. He has previously competed in M-1 Global and King of the Cage. As of June 28, 2020, he is the #26 current Best Heavyweight MMA Fighter in the world.
Background
Boser was born and raised in Bonnyville, Alberta, Canada and studied karate while growing up. He moved to Edmonton, Alberta to pursue his mixed martial arts career. After scraping by financially for a while in 2016, Boser decided to focus on other options and took an Emergency Medical Technician course with hopes of becoming a paramedic. However the hunger to compete would bring him back to training MMA full time, leading to Boser traveling around the world competing in 8 different countries. He is currently also employed as a bouncer in Edmonton, Alberta.
Boser began competing in mixed martial arts in 2012 in smaller promotions in his native Canada. Over the next seven years, he earned a respectable record of 16–5-1. During this time he became a two-time Unified MMA Heavyweight Champion and defending the belt three times. and has also fought around the world. Promotions such as fighting for Absolute Championship Akhmat and M-1 Global has taken him to Kazakhstan, Russia, United Arab Emirates, England and Australia. Having previously defended his Heavyweight Championship for the third time, when Boser was offered to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2019.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In his debut, Boser was set to face Brazilian competitor Giacomo Lemos on July 27, 2019 at UFC 240 in Edmonton, Alberta.. However his debut would be delayed as his opponent tested positive for a banded substance and the fight was called off due to a ruling from the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Boser's debut eventually took place on October 18, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 6 against Daniel Spitz. He won the bout via unanimous decision earning him his first victory in the promotion. Boser next faced Ciryl Gane on December 21, 2019 at. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Boser was next set to face Jeff Hughes at UFC on ESPN 8: N'Gannou vs. Rozenstruik on March 28, 2020. However, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning to action amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Boser faced Philipe Lins at on June 27, 2020. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. As the first fight of his new four-fight contract, Boser next faced Raphael Pessoa at on July 26, 2020. Boser won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
