Canada's Robertson, Boser drop down a weight class to fight on UFC Kansas City card

Gillian (The Savage) Robertson will join fellow Canadian Tanner (The Bulldozer) Boser in moving down a weight class to compete on a UFC Fight Night card April 15 in Kansas City.

The five-foot-five Robertson, whose previous 13 UFC fights were at flyweight (125 pounds), will take on unbeaten Venezuelan strawweight Piera (La Fiera) Rodriguez at 115 pounds.

Boser, whose previous eight UFC fights were as a heavyweight, will drop down to light-heavyweight against Moldova's Ion (The Hulk) Cutelaba.

The UFC confirmed Robertson's bout on Tuesday. Boser announced his bout via social media Sunday.

The main event of the T-Mobile Center card will pit former featherweight champion Max (Blessed) Holloway, ranked second among 145-pound contenders, against No. 4 Arnold (Almighty) Allen of England.

Robertson (11-7-0) is coming off a second-round submission win over Kazakhstan's Mariya (Demonslayer) Agapova in September.

The 27-year-old native of Niagara Falls, Ont., who makes her home in Port Saint Lucie, Fla., had to survive a first-round onslaught to do it. Agapova had a 37-2 edge in significant strikes in the round according to UFC Stats.

Robertson rallied in the second round to lock in a rear-raked choke that prompted referee Mark Smith to halt the bout at two minutes 19 seconds of the round.

Robertson, who has experience competing as a strawweight from earlier in her career, improved to 8-5-0 in the UFC.

Rodriguez has won both of her UFC outings since winning a decision over Brazil's Valesca (Tina Black) Machado on "Dana White's Contender Series" in October 021.

The six-foot-two Boser (20-9-1) has lost three of his last four outings at heavyweight.

The 31-year-old from Bonnyville, Alta., who now makes his home in Edmonton, weighed in at 229 pounds last time out in September against Rodrigo Nascimento who tipped the scales at 261 pounds. The Brazilian won a split decision, dropping Boser's UFC record to 4-4-0.

The light-heavyweight limit for non-title fights is 206 pounds, compared to 266 for heavyweight.

Cutelaba (16-9-1 with one no-decision) is 5-8-1 in the UFC and has won just one of his last seven bouts (1-5-1). But he has faced elite opposition in the 205-pound ranks against the likes of Glover Teixeira, Jared (The Killa Gorilla) Cannonier, Johnny Walker and Magomed Ankalaev.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2023.