Volkan Oezdemir

Volkan Oezdemir (born 19 September 1989) is a Swiss professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxing practitioner[4] competing in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2010, Oezdemir formerly competed for Bellator. As a kickboxing practitioner, he competed for Superkombat Fighting Championship in their heavyweight division. As of May 19, 2020, he is #7 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.[5]

Volkan Oezdemir
Born (1989-09-19) 19 September 1989
Fribourg, Switzerland
Other namesNo Time
NationalitySwiss
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
DivisionLight heavyweight (2010–2014, 2017–present)
Heavyweight (2012, 2014–2016)
Reach75 in (191 cm)
StyleKickboxing
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofFribourg, Switzerland
TeamCombat Club
Sanford MMA[1][2][3]
Years active2010–present (MMA)
2014 (Kickboxing)
Kickboxing record
Total5
Wins5
Losses0
Mixed martial arts record
Total21
Wins17
By knockout12
By submission1
By decision4
Losses4
By knockout1
By submission2
By decision1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Oezdemir was born in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. His father from Turkey was ethnically Kurdish[6][7][8][9], while his mother is a Swiss. He befriended Alistair Overeem on a visit to the Netherlands while training at the Golden Glory gym. Oezdemir later competed in amateur and professional kickboxing, as well as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, before transitioning to mixed martial arts.[10]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Oezdemir made his professional MMA debut in 2010, and compiled a record of 9–0 before being signed by Bellator.

Bellator MMA

Oezdemir made his promotional debut at Bellator 105 on 25 October 2013, against Josh Lanier. He won via first-round TKO.

Oezdemir then dropped down to the Light Heavyweight division to face Kelly Anundson at Bellator 115 on 4 April 2014. He lost via neck crank submission in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Oezdemir was signed by the UFC in 2017, and made his promotional debut as a short notice injury replacement against Ovince St. Preux on 4 February 2017 at UFC Fight Night 104.[11] Oezdemir defeated St. Preux by split decision in the third fight of the main card.[12]

In his second fight for the promotion, Oezdemir faced Misha Cirkunov on 28 May 2017, at UFC Fight Night 109.[13] He won the fight via knockout just 28 seconds into the first round.[14]

Oezdemir next faced third ranked Jimi Manuwa on 29 July 2017, at UFC 214.[15] He won the fight via knockout in the fight's opening minute and subsequently won a Performance of the Night bonus.[16][17]

Oezdemir faced Daniel Cormier on 20 January 2018 at UFC 220 for the Light Heavyweight Championship.[18] He lost the fight in the 2nd round by TKO.[19]

Oezdemir was expected to face Maurício Rua on 12 May 2018 at UFC Fight Night 129.[20] However it was reported on 13 April 2018 that Oezdemir was pulled from the event due to alleged visa issues restricting his travel to Chile.[21] The pairing was left intact and rescheduled for 22 July 2018 at UFC Fight Night 134.[22] On 2 July 2018, it was reported that the Oezdemir would face Alexander Gustafsson instead on 4 August 2018 at UFC 227.[23] However, on 19 July 2018 it was reported that Oezdemir was removed from the bout due to a broken nose.[24]

Oezdemir faced Anthony Smith on 27 October 2018 at UFC Fight Night 138.[25] He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the third round.[26]

Oezdemir faced Dominick Reyes on 16 March 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 5.[27] He lost the fight via controversial split decision.[28]

Oezdemir was expected to face Ilir Latifi on 1 June 2019 at UFC Fight Night 153.[29] On May 30, 2019 it was reported that Latifi was forced to pull out of the event due to back injury and the bout was cancelled.[30] The pair was rebooked at UFC on ESPN 5 on August 3, 2019.[31] In turn, due to Oezemir visa issues to enter United States, the bout was moved to UFC on ESPN+ 14.[32] He won the fight via knockout in the second round.[33] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[34]

Oezdemir faced Aleksandar Rakić on December 21, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 23.[35] He won the fight via a split decision.[36]

In April 2020, Oezdemir revealed that he had renewed his contract with the UFC.[37]

Oezdemi is scheduled to face Jiří Procházka on July 11 at UFC 251.[38]

Kickboxing career

Oezdemir also holds a record of 5–0 in professional kickboxing. He made his debut in SUPERKOMBAT, the largest kickboxing organization in Europe, in 2014.[39]

Personal life

Aggravated battery incident

On 19 November 2017 Volkan was arrested for aggravated battery. His bail was reportedly set at $10,000.[40] On 9 July 2018, Oezdemir informed that the charges pressed against him were dropped.[41]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
21 matches 17 wins 4 losses
By knockout 12 1
By submission 1 2
By decision 4 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 17–4 Aleksandar Rakić Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Korean Zombie 21 December 2019 3 5:00 Busan, South Korea
Win 16–4 Ilir Latifi KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2 10 August 2019 2 4:31 Montevideo, Uruguay Performance of the Night.
Loss 15–4 Dominick Reyes Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal 16 March 2019 3 5:00 London, England
Loss 15–3 Anthony Smith Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith 27 October 2018 3 4:26 Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Loss 15–2 Daniel Cormier TKO (punches) UFC 220 20 January 2018 2 2:00 Boston, Massachusetts, United States For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 15–1 Jimi Manuwa KO (punches) UFC 214 29 July 2017 1 0:42 Anaheim, California, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 14–1 Misha Cirkunov KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira 28 May 2017 1 0:28 Stockholm, Sweden
Win 13–1 Ovince Saint Preux Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. Korean Zombie 4 February 2017 3 5:00 Houston, Texas, United States Return to Light Heavyweight.
Win 12–1 Alihan Vahaev Decision (unanimous) WFCA 17: Grand Prix Akhmat 9 April 2016 3 5:00 Grozny, Russia WFCA Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal.
Win 11–1 Paco Estevez TKO (punches) SHC 10: Carvalho vs. Belo 20 September 2014 1 N/A Geneva, Switzerland Heavyweight bout.
Loss 10–1 Kelly Anundson Submission (neck crank) Bellator 115 4 April 2014 2 3:19 Reno, Nevada, United States
Win 10–0 Josh Lanier TKO (punches and elbows) Bellator 105 25 October 2013 1 3:13 Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States
Win 9–0 David Round TKO (punches) WKN Valhalla: Battle of the Vikings 9 March 2013 1 N/A Aarhus, Denmark Won the WKN Valhalla: Battle of the Vikings Tournament.
Win 8–0 Angelier Benjamin KO (punches) WKN Valhalla: Battle of the Vikings 9 March 2013 1 0:45 Aarhus, Denmark
Win 7–0 Benyaich Mohamed TKO (punches) WKN Valhalla: Battle of the Vikings 9 March 2013 1 0:15 Aarhus, Denmark
Win 6–0 Mohamed Amidi TKO (punches) SHC 6: Belo vs. Rodriguez 6 October 2012 1 1:59 Geneva, Switzerland Heavyweight bout.
Win 5–0 Bruno Farias Grancheux TKO (punches) Lions Fighting Championship 4 15 September 2012 1 1:54 Itabuna, Brazil
Win 4–0 Ronilson Santos TKO (retirement) Lions Fighting Championship 3 12 May 2012 1 2:12 Itabuna, Brazil
Win 3–0 Mamadou Cisse Submission (kimura) 100% Fight 10: Supreme League Block C 7 April 2012 1 3:43 Paris, France
Win 2–0 Boubacar Baldé Decision (unanimous) Lions Fighting Championship 15 October 2011 3 5:00 Neuchatel, Switzerland
Win 1–0 Martin Vath TKO (punches) Shooto: Switzerland 7 4 September 2010 1 0:56 Zurich, Switzerland

[47]

Kickboxing record (Incomplete)
Kickboxing record (Incomplete)
5 wins, 0 losses
DateResultOpponentEventLocationMethodRoundTime
2014-10-25Win Nordine MahieddineSUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2014 Final Elimination, Super FightGeneva, SwitzerlandDecision (Majority)33:00
2014-10-04Win Patrick SchmidChampions Fight Night 2SwitzerlandTKO (Doctor Stoppage)2N/A
2014-09-27Win Kévin BavelardJura Fight NightDelémont, SwitzerlandTKO2N/A

Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

References
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  2. "Volkan Oezdemir Has No Time to Waste in Pursuit of UFC Glory". Sports. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  3. Ollie Carlson (13 December 2019). "Hard Knocks 365 rebrands to Sanford MMA with sponsorship from Sanford Health". thebodylockmma.com.
  4. https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/8/1/16074490/volkan-oezdemir-jon-jones-is-gonna-have-to-know-more-about-me-ufc-214-mma-news-interview
  5. "Rankings | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  6. UFC 220 Embedded: Vlog Series – Episode 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk4_z2bP0EU
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