Tim Boetsch pulls off knockout win in his home state of Maine (VIDEO)
When the UFC announced it was taking a show to Maine, Tim Boetsch was the one native fighter who wanted nothing more than a homecoming fight in the New England state. Facing tough striker Brad Tavares after dropping his last two bouts in a row, it looked in the early going as if Boetsch's trip home was going to end with a loss and potentially a pink slip from the UFC.
While Boetsch is well known as a powerful middleweight, it was Tavares who muscled around the former wrestler, pushing him against the cage and unloading some big shots whenever the two fighters separated.
Tavares had a masterful first round by beating Boetsch to the punch in every exchange, showcasing his strength and eventually pinning his opponent in a bad spot and opening up a barrage of knee strikes before the five-minute alarm sounded.
The second round started out much the same for Tavares as he started to pick Boetsch apart once again, but the tide turned in a hurry with one counter strike that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Once Boetsch had Tavares hurt, he quickly followed up and landed another monstrous shot that put the Hawaiian fighter on the mat. It took one more short right hand and the fight came to an end.
The Fight Trax statistics show Tavares was out-landing Boetsch 24-12 before getting caught with the two punches that ended his night.
It was just a few fights ago where Boetsch pulled off a similar comeback when he was down two rounds to none before slamming an uppercut into Yushin Okami's jaw to put the former middleweight title contender down and out.
Following a second comeback knockout win over Tavares, it appears that Boetsch is getting a reputation as a fighter who may look down but he's never quite out.
