Canadian heavyweight Tanner Boser will be looking to secure his eighth win in September when he meets Victor Valimaki on a fight card in Edmonton.
Boser (7-1) began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2012 and opened with six straight victories before losing to Tim Hague earlier this year. He bounced back from that victory in June with a first round victory against Jared Henderson.
Six of his seven wins have come by stoppage and three of those wins have come in the opening round. Boser’s mindset as a fighter is to always be looking for the finish and he is not interested in “laying on guys” to secure a victory.
“I like to go out there and try to finish the guy,” Boser told The MMA Report. “The one guy that I did not finish, he was one tough son of a b**ch. I won that fight 30-25. I beat him down, but I could not put him away. He was super durable and I am always looking to finish the fight. Rather go down swinging instead of laying on guys.”
His opponent in September had a brief stint in the UFC as Valimaki lost both of his fights in the promotion. When it comes to the fight against Valimaki, Boser does not envision this fight going the distance and plans to win by knockout.
“I really don’t see us going to a decision. That is for sure. He has been to a decision a few times and I have been there once,” Boser explained. “His record is a scaled up version than mine. He has a bunch of TKO’s and he has some rear-naked chokes which I think usually come by strikes. Guys just turtle and he finishes it. One of us is going to finish the other one. Obviously, I think I am going to knock him out. First, second, or third — I don’t know. I can’t see it going to a decision.”
A win over Valimaki would be the first victory for Boser over someone that has fought in the UFC and could this be the fight that pushes Boser into a higher profile fight?
“It’s definitely possible. He is a UFC vet and anyone that has fought in the UFC is a good win. He has a lot of experience. It’s going to be a tough fight for sure. He has been around the block. He has been fighting since I was probably a kid. It’s a good win to have and he is a tough guy. I think if I beat him, it should launch me into a little bit more high profile fights.”