The UFC is bringing back Canadian heavyweight Tanner Boser.
In a social media announcement on Monday, promotion officials confirmed that Boser (22-10-1) versus former Bellator MMA heavyweight Gokhan Saricam (11-2) has been signed for the upcoming UFC Winnipeg.
The Fight Night card takes place on April 18, 2026 at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Signed might be the key word, after a bout between Canada’s Gavin Tucker and Doo-Ho Choi fell through when it was revealed not only that Tucker hadn’t signed his bout agreement, but had retired prior to the announcement being made.
Boser competed for the UFC from 2019 to 2023, posting a 5-5 record inside the octagon. It’s worth noting that among those losses was a fight against future interim heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane, in Boser’s second bout with the UFC, and one against former heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski, the current BKFC heavyweight champion.
The Canadian fighting out of Edmonton, Alberta dropped to light heavyweight towards the end of his UFC run and exited the promotion off a win over Aleksa Camur in August of 2023. After missing all of 2024, he returned to action last year, returning to heavyweight and stopping Vinicius Moreira at UAE Warriors 60.
Gokhan Saricam will make his promotional debut in the fight. The Turkish heavyweight is on a three fight win streak dating back to a win over Daniel James under the Bellator banner.
UFC Winnipeg is headlined by welterweights Gilbert Burns and Mike Malott, and currently features the following reported match-ups:
- Gilbert Burns vs. Mike Malott
- Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Karine Silva
- Melissa Croden vs. Darya Zheleznyakova
- John Castañeda vs. Mark Vologdin
- Allan Nascimento vs. Mitch Raposo
- Choi Dong-hun vs. André Lima
- Robert Valentin vs. Julien Leblanc
- Tanner Boser vs. Gökhan Saricam
