Tanner Boser has been getting a lot of questions about Andrei Arlovski heading into UFC Vegas 13.
Of course, that’s to be expected. The heavyweights face off in the co-main event of the Fight Night card this Saturday. But the questions Boser is getting are more about Arlovski’s legendary status, and whether he’d a fan of the former champ.
At the event’s media day this week, however, the Canadian admitted that “when I started watching UFC Arlovski wasn’t in there anymore. It was during the break when he was away fighting in other promotions, before he came back to UFC.”
A former UFC heavyweight champion, Arlovski left the promotion in 2008. He moved to Elite XC, Affliction, Strikeforce, the WSOF, and other promotions before making his way back. “I knew who he was, of course, and I’d seen some replays on like Spike TV or whatever. I’ve seen his fights with Tim Sylvia, I was aware of him, and I definitely cheered for him on his win streak, when he came back to UFC.”
“I’d say I cheer for Arlovski more than I don’t,” Boser added. Before noting “I’m obviously not in this one. But is he a guy that I watched a lot? No. I’ve definitely seen most of his fights, but he was never a guy I was overly a fanboy of. But I always enjoyed watching him fight and I have a lot of respect for him.”
Which means that, come Saturday, Boser will not be hesitant once the fight kicks off. This isn’t Uriah Hall vs. Anderson Silva. “That is not going to be an issue for me at all. I have a job to do. I’m here for work. I go in the cage, and I fight who I’m supposed to fight. This happens to be Andrei Arlovski,” said Boser. “Yes, I’ve seen lots of his fights. Yes, I’m aware that he’s a legend of the sport. And I’m aware that he’s probably a future Hall of Famer. I don’t have to have something against my opponent, or a disdain or a lack of respect or something to go in there and try and tell them. That is my job. So no, it’s not gonna affect me in slightest.”
Boser admits that he’s been on the cusp of the top 15 lately. At the same time, he’s not focusing on the numbers. “It’s kind of just a rotating roster. I don’t really care about that that much. Look, I can’t control what other people’s perspective is, or their interpretation of who the top 15 are. All I can do is try and win this fight. So that’s all that matters to me is getting the win. Where people rank me after that I couldn’t care less.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 13 virtual media day press scrum with Tanner Boser above. The card takes place Saturday, November 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
