Aaron “The Boss” Bosiak has a score to settle.
Bosiak was granted a rematch with Garret “Nasty” Nybakken after their June 3 confrontation for the Unified MMA lightweight (155 pounds) championship of Canada ended in defeat for the St. Albert mixed martial arts fighter.
“There was a little bit of controversy with the fight itself how I was finished and that’s why I got a rematch. I don’t think I would’ve got a rematch otherwise but I did ask for one immediately. It was on my mind as soon as I got out of the cage really,” Bosiak said of the loss by armbar submission 78 seconds into the Unified 27 title bout.
“His toes got lodged in the cage, which is against the rules. Your fingers and your toes have to stay clear but his toes got stuck in the cage, which in turn made it almost impossible for me to get out because he had me locked,” he explained. “The reason why I got the rematch was his feet weren’t in the cage and there was a chance I would've been able to get out.”
The grudge match with Nybakken (10-7) headlines the Unified 29 card Friday at The Royal Palace in Edmonton.
“I’m ready for a war I guess you could say,” said Bosiak (4-1), who broke his right arm in the first showdown with the Edmonton fighter from the armlock that hyper extends the elbow joint.
“I didn’t know until the next day when I actually got it checked at the hospital,” he added. “I’ve broken lots of stuff before. I have a high pain tolerance.”
What hurt the most was the position Bosiak put himself in for Nybakken to take advantage of.
“He didn’t really do anything. I beat myself. I put myself in a really amateur position and anybody would’ve got me in the armbar,” Bosiak said of Nybakken’s seventh submission win of his career.
“I was actually in control. I was on top of him and he just did what he needed to do to get an armbar. I was just rushing. I shot in a little too soon and too hard and he caught my arm and he is good on the ground so props to him. He did have me in a bad spot.
“This time I’m just going to fight the way I fight instead of worrying about a belt or worrying about a loss. I’m going to go and fight. I’m not going to worry about the outcome because it really doesn’t matter. I just want to perform.”
Both fighters are 35 years old and train in St. Albert – Bosiak at Complete Fitness and Martial Arts and Nybakken, an Edmonton resident, at Hayabusa Training Centre Ltd.
“This has been the best training camp I’ve ever had,” Bosiak said. “I put in about eight to 10 weeks and the first three weeks we’re to get back into shape.”
The industrial insulator at Agrium in Fort Saskatchewan used to smoked two packs of cigarettes a day and weighed as much as 270 pounds before his childhood friend, UFC welterweight Sheldon Westcott of St. Albert, inspired the lifestyle change and MMA aspirations.
The 2015 Edmonton National Mixed Martial Arts Fighter of the Year made his MMA debut Sept. 26, 2014 at Unified 20 with a TKO 43 seconds into round two against Shadey Yellowbird.
Last year Bosiak won three fights by submissions: 39 seconds against Dell Nebbish by rear-naked choke March 20 at Unified 22, 1:22 against Justin Parsons by guillotine choke Sept. 25 at Unified 24 and 57 seconds against Ty Collier by triangle choke Dec. 18 at Unified 25.
The first title fight with Nybakken was a major milestone for Bosiak.
“It was a big test for me. He has a lot more experience than I do. It was a big step up in competition so I was a lot more nervous in that last fight than I’ve ever been,” Bosiak said. “I was more aware of his skills and what he could do to me and I thought about that more than what I needed to do to him. If I had focused on the game plan and how I was going to fight I would’ve been a lot more calm.
“Now, I’m more excited just to fight. I’m not really worried about the belt or a win or a loss, I just want to fight.”
The loss was another life-altering experience for the Sturgeon Composite High School alumnus.
“I’ve been told it’s the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and it’s true. You may win a whole bunch of fights but I’m only human and everybody has got to lose sometimes so I was upset for a couple of days and I did take it to heart but then I thought about how I have a really good family, lots of support and lots of love,” said the father of two daughters and one son with wife, Yvonne.
“My biggest thing was how my kids reacted. I was broken-hearted because I told them I was going to bring home the belt. The hardest thing for me was telling the kids that I didn’t win the belt. But honestly, seeing their faces that morning and how they reacted changed my whole perspective on how fighting is in my life.
“I don’t care about wins, losses or belts. It doesn’t matter to me. I want to go out there and I want people to say when I’m done, that kid was a good fighter.”
