Volkan Oezdemir News

Justin Golightly - January 11, 2018

We’re just over a week away from two huge title fights in Boston for UFC 220. In a way, the main and co-main events are mirror images of each other. Two hyped newcomers in Volkan Oezdemir and Francis Ngannou with one-punch knockout power, against champions seemingly on a completely different level than their competition. Daniel Cormier keeps reminding Oezdemir of that fact in the lead-up to their big showdown. Against Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson and before that against the top heavyweights in the world, Cormier has felt that power and has never been taken out by it. “It’s crazy that this kid thinks he can knock me out with one punch. What happens when it doesn’t happen? You will all see next Saturday. I’ll stand with this kid and still beat him. There are levels to this game and this guy ain’t on the level. Volkan Oezdemir, you have done well but now you’re in over your head. Sharpening my tools with Javier Mendez. I am who I am because of who I am. Hard work and commitment is something I’ve always had in spades. I can’t wait to show you what we have been cooking up. We are AKA. Down goes Volkan.” — Daniel Cormier via his Instagram.

Tom Taylor - January 10, 2018

Back in November, we learned that top light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir was being charged with felony battery as the result of an unfortunate incident in a Florida bar. According to a report from MMAFighting.com, who spoken with Oezdemir’s lawyer Bruce A. Zimet, the Swiss fighter pleaded not guilty to this charge, and demanded a trial by jury at a Tuesday arraignment.  Oezdemir’s next hearing will occur on February 22, and the good news is that he’s been given no travel restrictions in the meantime. This means that he’ll be able to fly to Boston to battle UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 on January 20 without a hitch.

Justin Golightly - December 30, 2017

Daniel Cormier and Volkan Oezdemir stared down for the first time yesterday for their upcoming fight at UFC 220. While a couple of mild verbal jabs haven hit social media and while they were on the stage for the press conference, mostly it’s been pretty quiet as far as fight hype goes. However, after the presser, Oezdemir decided to take to Twitter and get things really started with the UFC light heavyweight champion. Daniel Cormier fired back while somehow incorporating his Game of Thrones fandom as well. …That’s impressive. When you already know what’s going to happen but you let him talk… #enjoyyourlast3weeks #ufc220 pic.twitter.com/0BgGtje11N

Drake Riggs - December 26, 2017

The UFC’s biggest star from Switzerland, Volkan Oezdemir burst onto the scene at 205 lbs this year when he quickly defeated the likes of Ovince Saint Preux, Misha Cirkunov, and Jimi Manuwa to earn himself a title shot next month. Unfortunately for Oezdemir, he’s in a bit of some trouble as of late in regards to a battery charge that he was arrested for on November 19. According to  Oezdemir’s attorney, Bruce A. Zimet, the Coconut Creek, Florida resident, Oezdemir was not the incident’s aggressor and therefore his actions were justifiable. Oezdemir, a Switzerland native, surrendered his passport to the court temporarily and he plead not guilty on November 29. The details of the incident are that of such: Oezdemir inflicted injury/harm or disability, which is a second-degree felony. Since then this has been reduced down to felony battery inflicting great injury/harm, a third-degree felony. Accusations towards Oezdemir are that of him striking and knocking out a Fort Lauderdale bargoer(male) outside the bar in August.

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

On January 20, when the UFC touches down in Boston, Massachusetts with UFC 220, Swiss light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir will attempt to topple the division’s champion Daniel Cormier. Ahead of this fight, the two fighters’ advantages are quite clear. Oezdemir, of course, has established himself as one of the light heavyweight division’s most venomous punchers. Cormier, meanwhile, is one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the division – and in MMA, period.

Jason Kindschy - December 6, 2017

BJPENN Radio is live at 8PM ET/5PM PT! 8:15PM ET- First up, one of MMA’s most recognizable names, Joe “Diesel” Riggs joins us to preview his upcoming fight for the M-1 middleweight strap and what’s next for the long-time veteran. A return to the UFC? Another bare-knuckle boxing match? We’ll be discussing it all.

Justin Golightly - December 6, 2017

Things have been relatively quiet in the light heavyweight division for a little while now, but now we officially have Daniel Cormier defending his title against Volkan Oezdemir early next year in Boston. Aside from Ovince Saint Preux’s fight with Ilir Latifi at UFC Charlotte and Misha Cirkunov’s scrap with Glover Teixeira at UFC Winnipeg, we don’t have any big Top 10 match-ups in the division booked. That’s all about to change soon. After a successful surgery last month, Alexander Gustafsson is back to training for his comeback. Feels good to be back at the @allstarsgymsweden after the surgery. Time to get to work and come back stronger than ever in 2018!

Justin Golightly - November 29, 2017

Ever since Volkan Oezdemir won a social media poll put on by Daniel Cormier, he’s been slated to get the UFC light heavyweight title shot. It was teased and talked about until finally it was reported to be in the works for UFC 220 by MMA Kings. Everything seemed like it was set until Oezdemir had an altercation at a bar that seemed to put everything in jeopardy. Dana White assured us that the plan was to keep on trucking with the event as planned and it looked like everything worked out. Just a few minutes ago on UFC Tonight, Daniel Cormier opened up the broadcast with the official announcement.

Chris Taylor - November 26, 2017

Daniel Cormier believes his fight with Volkan Oezdemir will proceed as scheduled. Volkan Oezdemir (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was taken into custody just over a week ago for aggravated battery stemming from an alleged bar incident this past August in Florida.

Justin Golightly - November 22, 2017

Jon Jones = Volkan= ‍♀️ issues. Gus = already lost to @dc_mma == leads us to DC and myself, two clean athletes playing punch face . Ps- I like playing kick face also . @danawhite pic.twitter.com/AVsGUh0mVS — Ovince Saint Preux (@003_OSP) November 22, 2017

Justin Golightly - November 21, 2017

It’s common knowledge now that Daniel Cormier was slated to defend his UFC light heavyweight title against Volkan Oezdemir. There was no official announcement, but the two have both let it slip that UFC 220 in Boston was going to be the date. That was, until an altercation at a bar ended up putting everything in jeopardy for the rising contender. Obviously, this has to hit close to home for Cormier, who opened up about the situation in a recent interview. He’s also ready and willing to defend against anyone else if Oezdemir’s chance has to be delayed. “It’s tough to be going through this type of thing, especially at this time when you’re on the cusp of your biggest moment of your career. I don’t know what happened. You’ve got to not be doing things that are wrong or put yourself in these situations where stuff can go sideways. You’ve got to try to stay out of those positions. […] Maybe it was self-defense but because he is who is is, it’s much worse because he has the ability to sleep dudes that are trying to hit him. You never know what’s happening but even these run-ins, they’re really unneeded, especially when you’re a young guy as Volkan is and you’re on the cusp of something so big for the first time in your career.”

Tom Taylor - November 20, 2017

Over the weekend, we learned that UFC light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir had been arrested ad charged with “aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.”After a brief stay in the Broward County jail in Florida, his surety bond was set at $10,000.  According to a report from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, which includes video of Oezdemir’s court appearance, the light heavyweight contender’s arrest stems from an August 12 fight with a man named Kevin Cohen, which occurred at a yet-unidentified bar in Fort Lauderdale. During Oezdemir’s hearing, it was explained that Cohen sustained swelling and several cuts as a result of this altercation. 

Tom Taylor - November 19, 2017

This morning, news surfaced that top UFC light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir had been arrested and charged with “aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.” Oezdemir, according to reports, is being held in Broward County jail in Florida. According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office database, his bail has been set at $10,000.  The UFC has now released a brief statement on Oezdemir’s arrest, which followed a request from BloodyElbow:

Tom Taylor - November 19, 2017

According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, surging UFC light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir has been charged with “ aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.” Oezdemir’s arrest occurred in Florida, where he is being held in Broward County jail, pending a bail hearing. At this time, the details about this incident are quite hazy. Not much else is known. While Oezdemir hails from Switzerland, he’s been living in Florida as he trains at the talent rich Combat Club facility in the city of Lantana. At present, he is expected to be the next contender for Daniel Cormier’s UFC light heavyweight title. The pair are expected to collide at UFC 220 this January 20 in Boston. It’s possible, however, that Oezdemir’s arrest will throw a wrench in these plans.

Justin Golightly - November 14, 2017

When @volkan_oezdemir says he’s gonna knock me out in the very 1st round smh #youngjeezy lol A post shared by Daniel “DC” Cormier (@dc_mma) on Nov 14, 2017 at 2:49pm PST

Tom Taylor - November 6, 2017

Daniel Cormier, who was reinstated as the UFC light heavyweight champion after his UFC 214 foil Jon Jones failed a drug test, is expected to defend his title at UFC 220. His opponent for this card, which is scheduled for January 20 in Boston, Massachusetts, is expected to be the king of the blitzkrieg himself, “No Time” Volkan Oezdemir. This news comes from Nolan King of MMA-Today.com.

Justin Golightly - October 12, 2017

There has been no official word from the UFC, but Daniel Cormier is moving forward with the decision that Volkan Oezdemir is going to get the next title shot. He originally decided he’d give him the next shot based off of a Twitter poll. Of course, Oezdemir was quick and grateful to accept the challenge. It’s a fresh title defense that seems to be happening at exactly the right time, but Cormier says we’ll have to wait just a little bit longer. The UFC light heavyweight champion believes the fight will go down sometime early 2018. “You’ve got two minutes, because after that it all goes downhill.” — @dc_mma on @volkan_oezdemir https://t.co/pdaHVoVy6z

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2017

In the wake of Jon Jones’ latest failed drug test, which was administered in the buildup to his UFC 214 title fight with Daniel Cormier, many fans have questioned the legitimacy of his legacy, suggesting that perhaps his greatness can be the attributed to PED abuse. In the opinion of top light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir, however, these claims are not exactly fair. On the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio “No Time” shared his belief that, while Jones’ could well have been helped by PEDs, his talent remains unquestionable. “It’s hard to answer to this, because the way Jones fights, it’s just amazing,” Oezdemir said. “He’s doing stuff nobody does. He just has a really high IQ when it comes to fighting. He’s doing stuff with perfect timing, crazy, spinning back elbows… you know. You cannot take anything off Jon Jones, because he so much talent. So, I don’t think it’s really tarnished his legacy. When you watch his fights, he doesn’t win because [of the banned substances]. Of course, it probably helped, but he doesn’t win because he’s so strong and so big. It’s all about the intelligence that he has, and also the IQ, fight IQ. He’s just an amazing athlete.”