When Tim Boetsch first heard on Tuesday afternoon that his scheduled opponent Thiago Silva was out of UFC 117 on Aug. 7 with an injury, he was hoping the news was false."I just had my phone blowing up from text messages and messages from everybody saying, 'Sorry, Thiago dropped out.' At that point I haven't even heard about it -- slept in real late today -- I was pretty confused about all that was going on," Boetsch told MMAFighting.com, an hour after learning of Silva's departure from the Oakland card.
Only through his manager did Boetsch face the reality of the situation.
"I was just kind of shocked at first and hoping that it was just a rumor and that it wasn't going to be true that Thiago was pulling out," Boetsch said. "Then I just talked to my manager and he said that was the case."
Boetsch was initially upset and disappointed, but was relieved to learn from his manager that the UFC would find him a new opponent "for sure." For him, it was a relief that all the training for Silva wasn't for nothing.
Boetsch had proven himself the past year, winning three straight regional fights for a return bid to the UFC. In 11 days, Boetsch will meet UFC newcomer Todd Brown out of the Bulldog Fight Team in Osceola, Ind.
As of the conversation with MMAFighting.com, Boetsch wasn't certain of his opponent, but said he will be preparing for Brown as of now since that was the name he was reading on MMA websites.
After allowing some time for an actual name of an opponent to settle in his head, Boetsch's outlook quickly changed.
"FIrst thing I was disappointed and then hoping just that I would get a fight," Boetsch said. "Now I'm excited that Todd is stepping up to take the fight. I'm very appreciative he's doing that and now I'm just looking forward to fighting him."
By receiving a replacement opponent, the tables are turned on Boetsch. Boetsch first put his name on the map by substituting-in a 2007 IFL fight against Vladimir Matyushenko and in his next fight made his UFC debut by beating David Heath at UFC 81 on ten days' notice.
Fighting on short notice has been a common theme.
"It's kind of an interesting thing to think about," Boetsch said. "Cause I kind of know some of the mentality being the guy that's called on short notice and just kind of know the things that go through your head. If you're able to deal with some of the stressors or outside factors of a short-fight notice deal. It can be stressful and hard to deal with for some people. I've been fortunate I don't let those things bother me and that I can take fights on short notice. And I hope that's the case for Todd. I hope he comes out ready to come out ready to put on a good show because from the preparations I've been doing I plan on putting on a good show."
Going from heading into a fight against Silva, a top 10 ranked light heavyweight, to fighting a regional fighter is a bit of a setback, but Boetsch says it won't alter the magnitude of the fight -- at least for himself.
"The way I've been looking at all my fights, with the past three fights I've had, I kind of think that every fight I have is the most important fight in my life at that point," he said. "Even though the opponent has changed, this is still a very important fight for me, it's very critical that I win and do it in a dominant fashion."
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