According to multiple reports, a broken nose has knocked Volkan Oezdemir out of his fight at UFC 227 against Alexander Gustafsson.
Alexander Gustafsson can’t buy a fight at UFC 227 it seems. After his fight against Luke Rockhold fell through, Volkan Oezdemir was moved to fight Gustafsson at 227. However according to multiple reports, Oezdemir suffered a broken nose in training for the bout and has been forced to pull out of the fight that is less than three weeks away.
This is just one in a series of unfortunate events for Oezdemir. First, a loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 for the light-heavyweight strap put a damper on his run to the top. Then he was forced to pull out of back to back bouts against Shogun Rua due to legal problems with an assault charge that was just recently dismissed.
The UFC is apparently actively looking for a replacement for Volkan. They likely want to keep Gustafsson on 227 in order to bolster the card. According to Ariel Helwani of ESPN, Khalil Rountree, fresh off his knockout victory over Gokhan Saki at UFC 226, put his name in the hat. It’s unknown if Gustafsson would accept a fight with an unranked but dangerous opponent, however. Rountree hasn’t lost in his last four fights, with three knockout victories during that stretch.
UFC 227 will be held on August 4, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The main event features a rematch for the bantamweight title with TJ Dillashaw defending against Cody Garbrandt. The co-main also features a championship rematch. There, Henry Cejudo gets his second crack at the flyweight king Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
