Justin Tafa off July 25 UFC 'Fight Island' event; Tanner Boser expected to face Raphael Pessoa

Tanner Boser is wasting no time in returning to the cage.

With Justin Tafa out, Canada’s Boser is expected to step in against Raphael Pessoa on 10 days’ notice on the UFC’s July 25 card. The event takes place on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, also known as “Fight Island.”

No reason for Tafa’s departure is known at this time.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking on Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Boser (18-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) turned heads in his most recent outing on June 27 against former PFL heavyweight champion Phillipe Lins. In 2:41, Boser flat-lined Lins, winning in the first round by vicious knockout. The victory was his first finish in the UFC.

Pessoa (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) most recently competed at UFC on ESPN+ 20 in October, picking up his first promotional victory: a unanimous decision over Jeff Hughes. Pessoa was rebooked for March in a fight against Tom Aspinall. However, he pulled out due to injury. He was then booked to fight Alexander Romanov in April, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the changes, the current July 25 lineup includes:

• Darren Till vs. Robert Whittaker
• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua
• Alex Oliviera vs. Peter Sobotta
• Alexander Gustafsson vs. Fabricio Werdum
• Carla Esparza vs. Marina Rodriguez
• Nicholas Dalby vs. Jesse Ronson
• Tom Aspinall vs. Jake Collier
• Tanner Boser vs. Justin Tafa
• Movsar Evloev vs. Mike Grundy
• Bethe Correia vs. Pannie Kianzad
• John Castaneda vs. Nathaniel Wood
• Ramazan Emeev vs. Niklas Stolze
• Jai Herbert vs. Francisco Trinaldo
• Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Paul Craig