Tanner Boser Is Excited To Fight Raphael Pessoa

Canada’s Boser (18-6-1) is stepping in on 10 days notice, replacing Justin Tafa, in a heavyweight contest at UFC Fight Island 3 where he will take on Brazil’s Raphael Pessoa (10-1) on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Following his arrival back in Canada after his win over Lins, Boser was required to complete a 14-day quarantine.

And in only a matter of minutes following his completion of the mandatory quarantine, Boser was told about the opportunity on Fight Island.

“I was out of quarantine for a few minutes when I heard about the fight on Monday. I signed for it on Tuesday, but I was offered it on Monday morning,” said Boser.

“I heard about it on Monday, so I had three days to train after quarantine in Edmonton before taking off again.”

In addition to the Fight Island experience and the quick turnaround he was hoping for, Boser will also be looking at a significant bump in pay this time around, after signing a four-fight contract extension as part of the negotiations for this fight.

Boser said he’s happy with how the negotiations pan out, not only for this fight but for his UFC career moving forward.

Boser is one of the few fighters on the UFC roster that is experiencing the no-crowd UFC events for a second time.

Boser said while his fight with Lins felt odd without the crowd noise, it didn’t affect him in any way, and he also enjoyed it.

Throughout his career, Pessoa has proven to be a threat on the feet and on the ground, ending five fights by way of knockout or TKO, and another by submission.

Boser said there are areas where Pessoa does pose a threat that he needs to be wary of, but ultimately knows he holds the edge overall.

“Like every Brazilian, that’s ever been born, he has a jiu-jitsu black belt. Besides that, he’s a good enough striker. He’s a wild striker, throws a lot of spinning attacks and wild punches. You have to be cautious and can’t get caught by anything because he throws with bad intentions,” said Boser.

“I’m definitely the better striker; that’s not even up for debate. But he’s powerful and he’s reckless, and that makes him dangerous.”

Boser isn’t the only one, however, preparing for a new on the opponent on short notice, as Pessoa will also have to make the adjustments for Boser’s game compared to his original opponent in Tafa.

Pessoa said he’s not familiar with what Boser brings to the table, but said his goal remains the same as always.