Tanner Boser (born August 2, 1991) is a Canadian

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

(MMA) fighter who competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. He has mostly fought as a heavyweight, with occasional bouts as a light heavyweight. He had previously competed for Unified MMA, where he won the Unified MMA Heavyweight Championship twice. He has also competed in

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with oth ...

and

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock Jr. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstre ...

Background

Boser was born and raised in

Bonnyville Bonnyville is a town situated in East Northern Alberta, Canada between Cold Lake and St. Paul. The Municipal District (MD) of Bonnyville No. 87 surrounds the community. The community derives its name from Father Bonnin, a Roman Catholic prie ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, by a gym owner mother and oil field worker father. Tanner was homeschooled until high school. He has a brother, Landon, who is also a professional mixed martial artist. He trained karate for almost a decade while growing up, reaching a black belt in the discipline. After graduating from high school, Boser worked in the local oilfield industry.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Without any real training besides his karate background, Boser made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2012. After the victory in his debut, Boser started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu for his sophomore bout which he won via recently learned submission skills. In 2013 he moved to

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

to pursue his mixed martial arts career while working as a bouncer for six years. 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 9 different countries. 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

in 2019.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his debut, Boser was set to face Brazilian competitor Giacomo Lemos on July 27, 2019, at

UFC 240 ''UFC 240: Holloway vs. Edgar'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 27, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Background A UFC Featherweight Championship bout betwee ...

in Edmonton, Alberta. However his debut would be delayed as his opponent tested positive for a banned 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 ''UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 6'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 18, 2019 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background A light ...

against

Daniel Spitz Daniel Spitz (born July 31, 1990) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2013 until 2019, he competed for King of the Cage and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC. Background Spitz was born in Spokane, W ...

. He won the bout via unanimous decision earning him his first victory in the promotion. Boser next faced

Ciryl Gane Ciryl Romain Jacky Gane (born April 12, 1990) is a French professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai fighter. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interi ...

on December 21, 2019, at

UFC Fight Night 165 ''UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 165'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 23'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 21, 2019 at Sajik Arena in ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Boser was scheduled to face Jeff Hughes on March 28, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik. However, the event was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic. Returning to action amidst the

pandemic, Boser faced

Philipe Lins Luiz Philipe Lins Pimentel do Amaral (born August 17, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He won the 2018 Professional Fighters League heavyweig ...

at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker 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 Raphael Pessoa (born March 9, 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. He also formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championshi ...

at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till on July 26, 2020. Boser won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award. Boser was expected to face

Andrei Arlovski Andrei Arlovski (, born 4 February 1979) is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist and actor. A former UFC Heavyweight Champion, he competed in the heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and holds th ...

on October 4, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana. However a sickness with Arlovski pushed the bout to UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira. Boser lost the fight via unanimous decision. Boser faced

Ilir Latifi Ilir Latifi (born July 28, 1983) is a Swedish mixed martial artist who fights in the Heavyweight division, most recently in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A two-time national wrestling champion and a professional MMA competitor since 2008, ...

on June 5, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai. He lost the fight via split decision. As the first fight of his new, four-fight contract Boser faced

Ovince Saint Preux Ovince Saint Preux (born April 8, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions of the UFC, challenging once for the interim UFC Light Heavyweight Championshi ...

on June 26, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 190 ''UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 190'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 48'' and ''UFC Vegas 30'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 26, 2021 at the UFC Apex ...

. He won the fight via knockout in the second round. Boser was scheduled to face

Sergei Pavlovich Sergei Vladimirovich Pavlovich (; born 13 May 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. Pavlovich currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A one-time champion of Russia in Combat Ku ...

on December 4, 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 31 ''UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 31'' and ''UFC Vegas 44'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 4, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Neva ...

. However, due to travel issues, the bout was scrapped. Boser was scheduled to face

Rodrigo Nascimento Rodrigo Nascimento Ferreira (born November 26, 1992) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, currently signed to the PFL. He competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born in Belo Hor ...

on April 23, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 205 ''UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 205'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 63'' or ''UFC Vegas 52'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 23, 2022, at the UF ...

. However, Nascimento withdrew from the event for unknown reasons, and he was replaced by Alexander Romanov. In turn Boser was out of the fight due to an injury. He was replaced by

Chase Sherman Chase Sherman (born November 16, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former bare-knuckle boxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2014, he has competed for the UFC and Titan FC. Background Born and raised in D'Ibervi ...

. Boser was rebooked against

for September 17, 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song. Boser lost the fight via split decision. Boser faced

Ion Cuțelaba Ion Cuțelaba (born 14 December 1993) is a Moldovan professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born and raised in Chișinău, Cuțelaba bega ...

in a light heavyweight contest on April 15, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 44. He lost the fight via first-round technical knockout. As the last fight of his prevailing contract, Boser faced

Aleksa Camur Aleksa Camur (born September 25, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born in Bosnia to a Serb family, his family moved to the U.S. when he was ...

on August 5, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 225 ''UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 225'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 83'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 26, 2023, at the Singapore ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Following the victory, Boser became a free agent.

Global Fight League

On December 11, 2024, it was announced that Boser was signed by Global Fight League. However, in April 2025, it was reported that all GFL events were cancelled indefinitely.

Championships and accomplishments

* ** Performance of the Night (One time) *Unified MMA **Unified MMA Heavyweight Champion (two times, three defenses)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 22–10–1 ,

Vinicius Moreira Vinicius Moreira Castro (born February 28, 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light heavyweight (MMA), Light heavyweight division. He is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championsh ...

, TKO (retirement) , UAE Warriors 60 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:55 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 21–10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Font , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–9–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–8–1 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:31 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–8–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–7–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–6–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:36 ,

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6–1 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5–1 , Jared Kilkenny , TKO (leg kicks) , Unified MMA 37 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 2:17 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Draw , align=center, , Zaur Gadzhibabayev , Draw (majority) , M-1 Challenge 101 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

, Kazakhstan , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5 , Salimgerey Rasulov , Decision (unanimous) , ACB 90 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 ,

Chase Gormley Chase Gormley (born August 11, 1983) is an American professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxing, bare-knuckle boxer, currently competing in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division of the Bare Knuckle Fightin ...

, Decision (unanimous) , ACB 88 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , DJ Linderman , Decision (unanimous) , ACB 81 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Dave Cryer , KO (punches) , ACB 72 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:19 ,

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 , Denis Smoldarev , Decision (unanimous) , ACB 61 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 , Mukhamad Vakhaev , Decision (split) , ACB 54 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Rakim Cleveland , Decision (unanimous) , Unified MMA 29 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Joey Yager , Decision (unanimous) , Unified MMA 28 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Tony Lopez , Decision (unanimous) , Unified MMA 27 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Kazbek Saidaliev , Decision (unanimous) , Akhmat Fight Show 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

Tim Hague Timothy Edward Lee Hague (May 9, 1983 – June 18, 2017) was a Canadian mixed martial artist and boxer who competed in the heavyweight division, most recently for Absolute Championship Berkut. He became a professional fighter in 2006, and former ...

, KO (elbows) , Unified MMA 26 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:30 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Victor Valimaki , TKO (leg kicks) , Unified MMA 24 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:33 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Jared Henderson , TKO (elbows) , KOTC: Mach 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:54 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 ,

, KO (punches) , Unified MMA 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:06 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jordan Tracey , TKO (punches) , Unified MMA 20 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:39 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Nick Campbell , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Unified MMA 18 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:33 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , William Carriere , Decision (unanimous) , Xcessive Force FC 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Grande Prairie, Alberta Grande Prairie is a city in northwestern Alberta, Canada, within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highwa ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Matthew Swimmer , TKO (punches) , KOTC: Anger Therapy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:32 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dell Knebush , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Unified MMA 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mike Cobey , TKO (punches) , Unified MMA 13 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:44 ,

, Canada , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boser, Tanner 1991 births Canadian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Canadian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Canadian male karateka Mixed martial artists utilizing Shitō-ryū Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people People from the Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 Martial artists from Alberta Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century Canadian sportsmen