BOSTON — Kyle Bochniak received just four days’ notice for Sunday’s UFC Fight Night Boston at TD Garden, and he put up a great fight against fellow Massachusetts native Charles Rosa.
Rosa, of Peabody, won the bout by unanimous decision to improve his overall record to 11-2-0. He won all three rounds (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
“I was a little worried about being able to come back to Boston with my friends and family, I really wanted this fight,” Rosa said. “He’s a super tough kid, and that forced me to fight a little bit smarter, but being able to fight in Boston again was a dream come true.”
Bochniak, of Gloucester, replaced Augusto Mendes, who withdrew because of an injury. Despite the loss, which dropped Bochniak’s record to 6-1-0, he’s fully confident in his ability to bounce back and climb the rankings.
“I was definitely prepared and ready for this fight despite the short notice. I just fought last Friday for another promotion,” Bochniak said. “I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to fight in the UFC for a long time, so there was no way I was going to turn this opportunity down.
“I’ll be back, and if I had a full camp, this fight would’ve gone much differently. The rest of this division should be afraid. I’ll fight anyone. Give me another opportunity and I’ll guarantee the win.”
Rosa took control in the third round, where he landed several powerful punches and bloodied Bochniak’s nose. It proved to be the pivotal round for Rosa, and the scorecards reflected that.
Here are the full match stats, via UFC.com.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
