Alexander Gustafsson makes prediction for possible Oezdemir vs. Cormier fight

Though nothing is official just yet, it sounds as though the next UFC light heavyweight title fight will pit reinstated champion Daniel Cormier against surging Swiss contender Volkan Oezdemir. If this fight does go down as expected, Sweden’s Alexander Gustafsson will be watching it intently, as he’s likely to be the next man in line for the winner.

Speaking on the Swedish show Viaplay Fighting, Gustafsson offered up a prediction on this fight. While he was careful not to discount Oezdemir, he appears to be quite confident in a Cormier win.

“Volkan does have a puncher’s chance,” Gustafsson said (h/t MMAFighting.com). “He has powerful hands as you can see [in his UFC 214 fight] against Jimi [Manuwa]. He’s not someone you want to underestimate. He’s a power puncher, but DC is the better fighter.”

Gustafsson went on to praise Cormier and his ability.

“He can take a punch. He has the cardio. He is a better mixed martial artist than Volkan. So, I see DC winning that fight,” he said. “He’s going to put him on his ass. He’ll take him down and dominate on the ground.”

“Volkan is sort of like Anthony Johnson – a power puncher. We haven’t seen much of his ground game, not much of his wrestling and I think DC will take him down.”

While Gustafsson expects a Cormier win, however, he doesn’t really mind who wins. If Cormier wins, then he can avenge his previous loss to him. If Oezdemir wins, then he can avenge his friend Manuwa.

“Styles make fights,” he said. “I want to beat DC. I want to avenge my loss. Because of that, I want DC to win. But if Volkan were to win, that’s fine with me. Then I’ll avenge Jimi.”

Do you agree with Alexander Gustafsson’s prediction for this rumored Daniel Cormier vs. Volkan Oezdemir fight? Share your predictions in the comments section.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 10/16/2017.