Tag: Tanner Boser

UFC Fight Night 210 predictions: Is anyone riding Yadong against Sandhagen?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 210 main card in Las Vegas.

Sandhagen
vs.
Yadong		 Njokuani
vs.
Rodrigues		 Algeo
vs.
Fili		 Amedovski
vs.
Pyfer		 Boser
vs.
Nascimento		 Barriault
vs.
Hernandez
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
147-90		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen
(71%)		 njokuani2022
Njokuani
(66%)		 fili2022
Fili
(51%)		 pyfer2022
Pyfer
(89%)		 boser2022
Boser
(72%)		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
(64%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
160-82
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 algeo2022
Algeo		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 barriault2022
Barriault
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
155-87		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 barriault2022
Barriault
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
153-89
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 barriault2022
Barriault
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
150-92		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 nascimento2022
Nascimento		 barriault2022
Barriault
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
149-93		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
149-93		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 barriault2022
Barriault
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
147-95		 yadong2022
Yadong		 rodrigues2022
Rodrigues		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 nascimento2022
Nascimento		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
Nolan King
@mma_kings
143-99		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 algeo2022
Algeo		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
141-101
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
130-112		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 nascimento2022
Nascimento		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
117-125		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 hernandez2022
Hernandez

The UFC stays home in Las Vegas this week with a key bantamweight matchup at the top of the bill.

UFC Fight Night 210 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, former interim bantamweight title challenger [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (19-6-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC). Sandhagen is a 2-1 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Yadong is +150. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Sandhagen a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.

The co-main event is a middleweight bout between former Bellator fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series product [autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag] (22-7 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and [autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC). Njokuani is just a slight favorite at -125, but he’s got a huge lead from our pickers and is nearly unanimous at 10-1.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] (21-9 MMA, 9-8 UFC) at featherweight. Fili is a -135 favorite and has an outsized 9-2 picks lead, despite the close odds.

The only unanimous pick on the card is Contender Series signee [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who is the event’s biggest favorite at -520 for his middleweight fight against [autotag]Alen Amedovski[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC). Pyfer has a shutout from our staff members at 11-0.

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a heavyweight tilt that has Boser a -180 favorite. He’s got a big 8-3 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) meets [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at middleweight. Hernandez is a -210 favorite, but our pickers have it as the most contentious fight on the main card. Hernandez has the slimmest possible lead at 6-5.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Sandhagen (71 percent), Njokuani (66 percent), Fili (51 percent), Pyfer (89 percent), Boser (72 percent) and Hernandez (64 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 210.

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Tanner Boser adamant on not letting UFC Fight Night 210 bout go to the judges: ‘I have to finish the fight’

Tanner Boser doesn’t trust the Las Vegas judges.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] doesn’t want to go the distance.

The UFC heavyweight is determined of getting the job done within the three rounds scheduled for his bout against Rodrigo Nascimento on the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 210 at the UFC Apex. And it’s not that Boser (20-8-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is just looking for a quick night at the office, is that the Canadian doesn’t trust the Las Vegas judges.

“The judges here screwed me once big time and I had a really close one that didn’t go my way,” Boser told reporters including MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day. “So I certainly can’t find any reason that I’m going to get the benefit of the doubt should the fight not be an absolute blowout.

“So yeah, I think I have to finish the fight.”

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The bout against Nascimento (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) marks Boser’s first fight of 2022. The 31-year-old is used to being very active in his fight schedule, so he’s glad to be back fighting.

“It’s been more than a year, which is the longest I’ve ever had in between fights in my entire career, so I’m excited to get back and get paid.”

Watch the full interview with Boser in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 210.

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Tanner Boser vs. Sergei Pavlovich off UFC on ESPN 31 due to travel issues

UFC on ESPN 31 has lost a marquee heavyweight bout.

UFC on ESPN 31 has lost a marquee heavyweight bout.

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] will no longer take place Dec. 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas due to travel issues from Boser’s side.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the news to MMA Junkie on Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Boser addressed his withdrawal on social media but did not specify a reason.

“Sorry guys. I hope to have this resolved soon,” he tweeted.

Boser (20-8-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was looking to continue riding the momentum from his second-round knockout of Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Fight Night 190 in June, which snapped a two-fight losing skid.

Meanwhile, Pavlovich (14-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was set to make the walk for the first time in over two years. The 29-year-old Russian hasn’t competed since his first-round finish of Maurice Greene in October 2019.

The latest lineup for UFC on ESPN 31 includes:

  • Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo
  • Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Claudio Puelles
  • Rafael Fiziev vs. Brad Riddell
  • Montserrat Conejo vs. Mallory Martin
  • Brendan Allen vs. Brad Tavares
  • Bryan Barberena vs. Matt Brown
  • Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hil
  • Manel Kape vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
  • Jake Matthews vs. Jeremiah Wells
  • Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos

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5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 190: Ciryl Gane’s road to gold, ‘OSP’s’ appeal, more

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 190, which took place Saturday in Las Vegas.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 190 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

Ovince Saint Preux plans to appeal knockout loss to Tanner Boser at UFC Fight Night 190

Ovince Saint Preux plans to file an appeal of his TKO loss to Tanner Boser.

The co-main event of UFC Fight Night 190 between [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] and [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] ended in a knockout in the second round, but not without a controversial moment just prior to the stoppage.

Saint Preux (25-16 MMA, 13-11 UFC) had Boser (20-8-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) on his back close to the fence after securing a takedown. Boser tried to improve his posture by pushing himself away from Saint Preux, including using his right hand against the fence for leverage.

At the moment, it appeared Boser may have grabbed the fence to pull himself up, which prompted referee Jason Herzog to step in and touch both fighters, an action that usually signals a pause to the action. However, Herzog did not pause the action after making contact and allowed the fight to continue.

Alternate replay angles shown during the broadcast made it appear that Boser’s fist was closed as he pushed against the fence, which is legal. He also denied grabbing the fence during the post-fight news conference.

The action resulted in Boser getting back to his feet and landing strikes that resulted in a knockout stoppage just a few seconds later.

MMA Junkie confirmed Saint Preux now plans to protest the result following a report from MMA Fighting, claiming the referee’s actions caused him to pause during a key moment of the fight.

“I felt the ref put his hand on my back, which is only done to pause the action or call a finish,” Saint Preux said in a statement. “I slightly paused and then the tide turned. We will be protesting and requesting a no-contest.”

Saint Preux’s return to the heavyweight division did not go as planned as he was down on the scorecards after the first round. If Saturday’s second-round stoppage result stands after appeal, he will be 0-2 in the weight class.

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Tanner Boser denies fence grab prior to KO of Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Fight Night 190

Tanner Boser insists he didn’t intentionally cheat against Ovince Saint Preux prior to scoring a knockout at UFC Fight Night 190.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] insists he didn’t intentionally cheat against Ovince Saint Preux prior to scoring a knockout in the UFC Fight Night 190 co-main event.

In the second round of the heavyweight bout at the UFC Apex, Saint Preux (25-16 MMA, 13-11 UFC) secured a key takedown that halted a one-sided beatdown on the feet through the first five minutes. Boser (20-8-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) scooted toward the fence, then put his arm against the cage and got leverage to work his way into a standup. Seconds later, he teed off for the knockout finish.

There was immediate analysis from the commentary team on the broadcast, as well as from spectators on social media, about whether Boser broke the rules to get a fight-alternating standup or if he used a closed fist to push off the cage, which would not be deemed an illegal action.

Boser was asked about the controversy post-fight, and he repeatedly said he doesn’t recall any wrongdoing from his part.

“I heard his corner yelling about it, but I don’t remember doing it – I don’t think there was,” Boser told MMA Junkie post-fight at UFC Fight Night 190. “Their job is to be in the best interest of their fighter. If they believe that I grabbed the fence, they have every right to be angry. I don’t believe I grabbed the fence. I didn’t see on the replay that I grabbed the fence, and I’m confident I didn’t grab the fence. But if they believe that’s what happened, they have the right to be upset because that’s their guy. It’s up to the coaches to be on their guy’s side.”

Regardless of outside perspectives, Boser left the octagon with his hand raised in what was nothing short of an essential fight for his career.

After suffering back-to-back losses, Boser made a 21-day turnaround from his bout with Ilir Latifi on June 5 and took the fight with Saint Preux on short notice, and with essentially no training camp. It was a risky move by the Canadian, but Boser said he’s happy his decision paid off with a win.

“The last two fights were so razor thin, I knew I had to go in and kind of leave it out there,” Boser said. “No one is going in there looking for the judges, but I knew I kind of had to leave it out there and look for the stoppage because apparently I’m not going to get a win if it goes to those guys.

“Three losses in a row can be it, and if it’s not, the next fight is absolutely do or die. So I treated this one as if it was do or die. I had nothing against my opponent. I don’t (have anything against my opponent) pretty much ever, but I needed a win and it was dire.”

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UFC Fight Night 190 results: Tanner Boser KOs Ovince Saint Preux – but did the fence help?

Tanner Boser got back on track with a knockout of Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Fight Night 190, but there were questions around the finish.

Despite no training camp, [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] largely had his way with [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] on Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 190 co-main event. But his win came with some controversy.

After losing a fight to Ilir Latifi on June 5, Boser (20-8-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) made the quick turnaround to fight Saint Preux (25-16 MMA, 13-11 UFC), who moved up to heavyweight when his original opponent was forced to withdraw. Boser said pre-fight he had no opportunity to train between travel and quarantine time, but it didn’t show much in his performance.

Boser picked Saint Preux apart with punches and a nice range of kick attacks, but the finish came in the second round when, after being planted on his back, he appeared to use the fence to stand up before connecting clean on Saint Preux for the knockout at the 2:31 mark.

The heavyweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 190 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.

Boser came out peppering the lead leg of Saint Preux with some hard kicks. Boser’s hand speed also proved problematic, but Saint Preux managed to avoid taking serious damage in the opening minutes as he stayed on the outside. Saint Preux’s output was close to non-existent, and he was a fairy easy target for Boser to kick and punch through the opening five minutes.

Saint Preux’s corner pleaded with him after the first round to turn up the output and be more aggressive, but he didn’t oblige early on. Boser punished the body with more hard kicks, then Saint Preux finally had a momentum of success when he secured a key takedown. He tried to do some work from on top, but Boser scooted toward the fence, putting his knuckle in the cage to ultimately provide the leverage to get back to his feet.

Once he was up, Boser landed a clean shot on Saint Preux that hurt him badly and sent him crashing face-first to the canvas. Boser landed a few more shots, and referee Jason Herzog waved it off.

“I had to right the ship,” Boser told Daniel Cormier after his win. “I lost a very close decision three weeks ago. … I had to save the summer.”

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Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 25 results include:

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Twitter Mailbag: Stipe Miocic vs. UFC Fight Night 190 main event winner next?

Where will a win put the Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov winner in the UFC heavyweight division?

Questions on your mind about recent happenings in the UFC or sport of MMA in general? MMA Junkie’s Twitter Mailbag is here – and this week, @mma_kings answers:

  • Should the winner of the UFC Fight Night 190 main event between [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] and [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] get [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] next?
  • If [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] loses to Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Fight Night 190, will he be cut?
  • What’s next for the winner of the Bellator 261 interim heavyweight title fight between [autotag]Tim Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag]?
  • Should Bellator create a 225-pound division?

Watch the video above for answers to those questions.

To ask a question of your own, follow @MMAjunkie on Twitter and let us know.

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Ovince Saint Preux moves to heavyweight, fights Tanner Boser at UFC Fight Night 190

Maxim Grishin is out due to visa issues and “OSP” has a new opponent.

[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] will be competing at UFC Fight Night 190 against a new opponent in a different weight class.

Rather than fighting Maxim Grishin at light heavyweight on the June 26 main card, Saint Preux (25-15 MMA, 15-11 UFC) has agreed to move to heavyweight and fight short-notice replacement [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Verbal agreements are in place and bout contracts have been issued following Grishin’s withdrawal due to visa issues. Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the verbally-agreed-to booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Saint Preux (25-11 MMA, 15-11 UFC) competed one time previously at heavyweight in 2020 when he lost a split decision to Ben Rothwell. Since then, Saint Preux has gone 1-1 with both fights coming at light heavyweight.

Boser (19-8-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC), meanwhile, competed as recently as June 5 when he lost a close split decision to Ilir Latifi. The defeat was his second in as many fights, though he’s gone 2-2 over his most recent four.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 190 card includes:

  • Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Tanner Boser vs. Ovince Saint Preux
  • Michel Prazeres vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Justin Jaynes vs. Charles Rosa
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Timur Valiev
  • Marcin Prachnio vs. Ike Villanueva
  • Jai Herbert vs. Renato Moicano
  • Warlley Alves vs. TBA
  • Damir Hadzovic vs. Yancy Medeiros
  • Julia Avila vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • Danilo Marques vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
  • Nicolas Dalby vs. Tim Means

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UFC Fight Night 189 medical suspensions: Alan Patrick facing up to six months after eye poke

Alan Patrick could be looking at 180 days on the sidelines after getting poked in the eye at UFC Fight Night 189.

[autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag] could be looking at 180 days on the sidelines after getting poked in the eye at UFC Fight Night 189.

Patrick’s lightweight fight with [autotag]Mason Jones[/autotag] at the UFC Apex was ruled a no contest after an accidental eye poke rendered him unable to continue. Patrick must have doctor clearance for his left eye peri-orbital laceration before getting cleared to compete again.

On Wednesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of the UFC Fight Night 189 medical suspensions handed out by the Nevada Athletic Commission from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.

Also potentially facing six months on the shelf is [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] who claimed he suffered multiple arm fractures in his split decision win over [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]. Latifi needs doctor clearance for his left eye hyphema and must have an MRI of his left elbow.

The third fighter also potentially benched for a while is [autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag], who edged out [autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] in the prelims. Woodson needs an X-ray of his left hand and an MRI of his left knee before getting cleared.

The full list of UFC Fight Night 189 medical suspensions includes: