EDMONTON — Tanner Boser has cemented his status as Canada’s top heavyweight fighter, but he had modest aspirations when he began training.

“I just wanted to be good. I didn’t have any specific goals; I just wanted to do it,” the 25-year-old says. “I have a great group of coaches and training partners who have pushed me and helped me to get better from the beginning.”

Now four years removed from his successful MMA debut, Boser is set to defend his Unified MMA Heavyweight Championship versus Marcus Sursa at Unified MMA 29 on December 16 in Edmonton.

A winner of two straight, Boser now holds wins over a pair of UFC veterans. But Sursa, a hard-hitting, dynamic Bellator and Glory kickboxing vet, is Boser’s toughest challenge yet.

A professional fighter since 2005, Sursa has made a career of fighting high-level opponents, most recently knocking out 12-time UFC vet Thiago Silva in Russia.

While Boser hopes a stoppage win of his own on December 16 in Edmonton punches his ticket to the UFC, he isn’t looking past Sursa.

“It’s going to be a very tough stand-up fight,” Boser says. “Both of us are strikers and both of us like to throw down. It’s going to be a fun fight for people to watch. There’s going to be blood, for sure, and I picture myself knocking Marcus Sursa out.”

All tables and VIP tickets are currently sold out for Unified MMA 29 on December 16 in Edmonton. General admission tickets are available at www.UnifiedMMA.ca/tickets.

In co-main event action, Garret Nybakken will defend his Unified MMA Lightweight Championship in a grudge rematch with Aaron Bosiak, after the two clashed in June.

A 17-fight vet, Nybakken is looking for his fifth straight finish at the expense of Bosiak. Bosiak, meanwhile, fights to avenge the one loss of his professional career.

In the other co-main event bout, Teddy Ash takes on Brendan Kornberger for the vacant Unified MMA Middleweight Championship.

Ash, a hard-hitting Fort McMurray product, is gunning for his third straight, first-round finish, while Richmond, B.C.’s Kornberger tries to notch his sixth stoppage victory.

In Mike Scarcello’s ninth trip to the Unified MMA cage, the surging lightweight will take on his toughest assignment yet, Prince Edward Island’s Lenny Wheeler, who’s finished three of his past four opponents in less than a minute.

Montreal-born Edmonton fighter Menad Abella will look to remain undefeated, and improve to 4-0, versus three-time Unified MMA vet Dustin Greentree, who is 2-1 as a pro after a standout 4-0 amateur career.

In preliminary card action, heavyweight prospect Christian Larson tries to continue his undefeated warpath against Josh Heinz, who has three wins by first-round stoppage.

In a rematch that’s been nearly 18 months in the making, Jake Poitras looks to avenge his 2015 knockout loss to Jordan Bittner.

To open up the action, Saskatoon fighters Blair Turnquist and Cory Chambers will make their Unified MMA debuts versus Phil Engeroff and Gurjeet Bilkhu, respectively.

All tables and VIP tickets are currently sold out for Unified MMA 29 on December 16 in Edmonton. General admission tickets are available at www.UnifiedMMA.ca/tickets.