Tanner Boser riding high after UFC on ESPN 14 win but remains a realist about hype

ABU DHABI – Tanner Boser beat Raphael Pessoa by second-round TKO on Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 14 in Abu Dhabi.

Take a look inside the fight with Boser, who is now on a two-fight streak after winning his second fight in the span of a month.

Result: Tanner Boser def. Raphael Pessoa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:36
Updated records: Boser (19-6-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Pessoa (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Key stat: Boser won by TKO for the second time in four weeks.

On winning by TKO for the second time in four weeks

“It’s been a great month. It feels great. Two wins and two finishes, and I didn’t even have time to put myself through an awful training camp for this one, because it was so short notice. All I had to do was get on a plane, come down, and try my luck. It turned out perfectly. … It’s never a no-lose situation, because you could lose. It was an opportunity for me to get another payday in close proximity to my last payday, so that’s one of the main reasons why I did it, and it paid off in dividends.”

On his performance

Did I lose that fight, or did I look like I was in rough shape at all? … He was huge. I think he cut weight. I think he was 275. He’s big even for a heavyweight. But my plan worked well: pick at him, slow him down, land the big shots later in the fight. It’s working. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

On getting more attention during this past month

“I can tell because there’s a lot more people reaching out for interviews. My social media followers went up like three times as much as I had already after my last fight. Yeah, I know that, but at the same time you have to take everything with a grain of salt. While people are high on you right now, the next time you don’t have a good performance, everybody is going to just rag on you as best they can. Of course I notice it; I’m not that dumb. But I try not to care.”