Local mixed martial arts fighter Tanner Boser won his second professional heavyweight fight on the Alberta Unified MMA circuit on June 21 in Edmonton.
Boser, 21, is now 2-0 in his young career after defeating Dell Knebush via rear naked choke at the 3:03 mark of the first round.
“This one went pretty well for me. I was getting the better of him standing up. He kept coming in with haymakers and hooks so I would just counter with a jab. I rocked him with a jab a few times and he tried to take me down. Then I choked him out.”
Boser trains out of the Bonnyville Jiu Jitsu and Energy MMA academy gym in Bonnyville.
He has been training in various aspects of MMA for about a year now and started training in jiu jitsu with fellow Bonnyville resident Jake Sansom in December. Boser has a background in karate, as he started in the sport at the young age of 11, working his way up at the Bonnyville Karate-Do.
He jumped straight into the professional ring with his first fight on October 5, 2012 at Unified MMA 13, held in Edmonton.
His first fight took a lot longer than his most recent bout, as he needed three rounds to knockout his opponent, Mike Cobey.
Boser says although he came out with the win, he took a beating in the process.
“Well eventually he got tired of punching me in the face and then I was able to get a mount on top of him and (knock him out) late in the third round.”
Boser said one challenge to gaining is experience in the sport is finding fights in Alberta.
“Its pretty hard to lineup amateur fights in Alberta. And the higher the weight classes go, the less talent there is. When the opportunity arose I just took a pro fight because it was open.”
Both of the fights he has participated in were held at the Mirage Banquet Hall in Edmonton and provided a good crowd for the fighters.
“The crowd is awesome, actually,” said Boser. “It's not a really big venue but they are always sold out shows and the crowd is into it and loud.”
He is unsure of when his next fight will be, but hopes to get on the fight card from Unified MMA 17 on September 27 in Edmonton.
“Ya, I'm not going to complain. So far I am 2-0. I am pretty happy with that,” said Boser. “I am going to keep going and see what happens.
