Unified MMA 37 goes live from River Cree Resort and Casino on Friday, May 24th at 9 PM ET. If you’re not posted up at the Enoch venue, you can check out the proceedings online on FITE TV. The Alberta promotion returns with an event filled with multiple title fights and several bouts that have tremendous divisional importance. Check out this deep dive into the main card below!
Unified MMA 37
The Heavyweight King of the Great White North
Tanner Boser, “The Bulldozer”, has been Unified MMA’s heavyweight champion since June 2016 and once again will defend his belt. Challenging for the championship is a man bringing a similar level of experience and a 92 percent finishing rate to the cage, Jared Kilkenny.
Boser is returning to Unified MMA for the first time since December 2016. Boser was plying his trade on the Russian MMA circuit, competing for ACB (ACA now) and M1-Global. There was a bit of a tumultuous lead up ahead of Boser’s grand return. It was unclear who would step up to contend for The Bulldozer’s belt but Kilkenny seems poised and ready for the task.
Tanner’s torrid pace and seemingly unwavering cardio will likely be the difference maker here. Boser will obviously have to be cognizant of Kilkenny’s striking power in the early stages of the fight though.
One punch is all it takes in heavyweight MMA and the majority of Kilkenny’s bouts have ended in round one. Still, I see the Shaved Bears product successfully defending his belt and getting back onto the winning track at Unified MMA 37.
Chasing Light-Heavyweight Supremacy
Unified MMA 37 has another Shaved Bear fighter competing as well as a light heavyweight championship co-feature. Teddy Ash is Unified MMA’s dual division titlist, holding the light-heavyweight and middleweight titles, and the Shaved Bears pugilist defends his 205-pound belt this time out. Teddy is on the heels of an impressive finish at Unified MMA 36 where he avenged a loss to Dominique Steele and successfully defended his middleweight title.
With another impressive win here, Teddy Ash could very well get the call up for the UFC’s Edmonton card this summer. The stakes are also high for Neil Berry who is stepping up in a big way here. The Lethbridge product found his way into this fight when UFC vet Marcio Alexandre Jr fell out from the May 24th title tilt. This represents not only a chance to capture a significant title, but Berry could also potentially steal some shine from one of Canada’s mostly hotly discussed prospects.
Despite his .500 record, Berry has a 100 percent finishing rate and put away his last opponent 32 seconds into round one. Berry has a lot to gain here and it’s commendable that Ash is stepping into such a high risk/ low reward scenario. Ash has a 77 percent finishing rate, is a perpetual fight of the night machine, and I see him notching another electric win here.
Multiple Main Card Features
Beyond the two championship bouts, there are a few quality offerings set for Unified MMA 37. KB Bhullar vs. Cody Krahn is an intriguing crossroads fight that many are predicting will be fight of the night.
Krahn is entering his 30th pro MMA fight and is entertaining the notion this may be his last bout. Bhullar is a well rounded 6-0 prospect and gets cacophonous reactions from the partisan Edmonton crowds he fights for. The winner could also have a strong case for being the next challenger for Unified MMA’s middleweight championship.
Craig Shintani (interim XFFC featherweight champion) takes on Neal Anderson, who has solely competed for Unified MMA since early-2012. These two are top ten ranked lightweights in Western Canada, per Tapology, and many pundits are especially stoked for this tilt.
Christian Larsen vs. Tyler King has the makings for a major heavyweight collision. Larsen’s only career loss was to the title challenger Kilkenny. Larsen is coming off an emphatic finish over Lee Mein in his last outing. Larsen takes on the much more experienced King who has performed on The Ultimate Fighter, WSOF, RIZIN, and Bellator.
Grappling powerhouse Roger Alves vs. Cole Campbell is worth a watch, Matt Klute‘s pro debut has my attention, and I’m just scratching the surface for Unified MMA 37! If you’re not live for the West Edmonton action, watch the PPV for Unified MMA 37 at unifiedmma.tv.
