The MMA Daily

We have clash in the Heavyweight division, as Tanner Boser takes on Rodrigo Nascimento. Unable to quickly build off the biggest victory of his career, which came via knockout over former Light Heavyweight title challenger Ovince St. Preux, Boser returns to the octagon nearly fifteen months later. Not known for his power coming into the UFC, Boser has quietly found something with his last three wins coming via knockout. Meanwhile, Nascimento returns to the octagon for the first time in 2022. Having served a suspension due to a positive drug test, Nascimento saw his recent TKO victory over Alan Baudot overturned to a no contest. Technically without a win since May of 2020 now, this would be a pivotal time for the Brazilian to pick up a victory.

An intriguing fight, this will come down to if Boser can keep it upright. Nascimento, while he shown he is an accurate and high output striker, he has also shown that he is vulnerable to being tagged. Known for his grappling and submission abilities, Nascimento is at his best on the mat. With six of his eight victories coming via submission, it would be wise to avoid to avoid tangling with the Brazilian on the ground. Which is exactly what Boser will hope to avoid, as he is a striker. A seemingly powerful one at that, as I mentioned previously, his last three victories have come via knockout. However, it’s his takedown defense and grappling that are the focus in this fight. Having seen him struggle to stay upright against Ilir Latifi, a fight in which he lost via split decision, I’m not certain that he can fend off Nascimento. With that said, pending Nascimento fights to his strength, I believe he can get this fight to the ground and edge out Boser via decision.