Athletes
Volkan Oezdemir Wants To Continue Riding The Momentum
Swiss Light Heavyweight Is Riding The Crest Of A Wave As He Looks To Notch A Third Straight Win At UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo
Life is looking pretty good for Swiss light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir.
From 2020 to the end of 2022, Oezdemir endured a patchy run of form as he lost three out of four bouts inside the Octagon.
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But since then, things have picked up spectacularly, courtesy of back-to-back first-round finishes. A rear-naked choke submission of Bogdan Guskov in Paris last year turned the ship around, and a one-shot knockout of Johnny Walker in Riyadh in June ensured that it’s full steam ahead for Oezdemir as he gets set for his next test.
That feel-good factor then went to the next level when Oezdemir got married after his victory over Walker.
Now a married man and on a win streak, Oezdemir has plenty of impetus as he prepares to take on New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Figueiredo this weekend
“It's been amazing,” he told UFC.com ahead of fight night in Macau.
“I had two big events lately – two in a row, actually. So I’ve made good use of my performance bonus for my wedding!
“My wedding was actually two weeks after my fight against Johnny Walker, so I was just riding the momentum. And everything felt great.”
The UFC’s belated wedding present for Oezdemir was another globetrotting assignment. His bout in Macau this weekend will see him compete in his 10th different country for the UFC, and he said he’s happy to keep adding new stamps to his passport.
Must See Moments: Volkan Oezdemir
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Must See Moments: Volkan Oezdemir
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“It’s amazing, because there are countries you want to travel to, but you have, usually, a limited amount of time, or amount of money that you're able to spend. So, to be able to do this while working, that's actually very nice,” he enthused.
“And there are countries sometimes you never think about traveling to, because maybe it's nice to go there, but you have a different place to go. So to have places to go while you're working is actually very nice. For example, Uruguay, I will never have thought about going there on vacation. But then I discovered the country was great when I was there, when I fought Ilir Latifi. So it was actually a very nice experience, because I was very surprised about how the country was and how great it felt.
“And now with China, I've always wanted to go there … so it's actually very great for me to be here in Macau. And, after Macau, I’m going to be traveling a little bit around the country and hopefully see some great things.”
Before he swaps his gumshield for sunglasses, eighth-ranked Oezdemir will look to complete a hat trick of consecutive victories when he faces the division’s No. 10 -ranked Ulberg this weekend.
“First I wanted to fight up the rankings. My goal was to fight Jamahal Hill or Jan Blachowicz, but both guys were injured and (the UFC) told me I had to wait until Q1 or Q2 of 2025,” he explained.
“You know my nickname, “No Time,” so I had to be active, I had to stay on track.
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“I had very good momentum, so I really wanted to keep on going. So I told the UFC I wanted to fight, they offered me Carlos Ulberg, and I said, ‘Let’s bring it.’
“’He’s running on good momentum, of course, but he’s fought lesser-level competition. The only ranked guy that he fought was (Alonzo) Menifield. This is the highest level. This is the UFC, everybody’s strong in the UFC. But within the UFC there are also levels. This is what I’m going to show him on Saturday.”
Oezdemir has worked alongside former light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson at Stockholm’s Allstars Training Center in preparation for the bout, and with the bout set to pit two natural strikers head-to-head, Oezdemir is relishing the challenge ahead of him.
The fight is going to be a fast-paced fight, for sure,” he said.
“This is going to be a banger. This is going to be a must-see fight for the fans. We are both very strong and athletic guys, looking for the finish. So, of course, this is not the fight you want to miss, because I'm going to go there and then get my hand raised.
“He's riding a six-fight winning streak, so, of course, he's like a hot prospect right now, but I've been also knocking out and submitting Top 10 guys.”
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Victory will see Oezdemir set his sights further up the light heavyweight food chain, but he said that a decisive, attention-grabbing finish could even catapult him into championship contention, and a potential bout with Alex Pereira, in 2025.
“With a great performance on Saturday, it is going to bring me close to a title shot,” he stated.
“I think it’s one of the conversations we're going to have, because a great performance (and) a great finish on Saturday will bring the eyes also on this potential matchup.”
UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo took place live from Galaxy Arena in Macau, China on November 23, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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