Finally getting back in the octagon, Volkan Oezdemir feels his vicious knockout power makes Anthony Smith “an easy match for me.”
Moncton, NB — When Volkan Oezdemir meets Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC Moncton (UFC Fight Night 138), title implications will be thick. Of course, where the winner of Saturday’s main event goes from there will depend on the results of Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis, and Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson. Still, there’s very much a feeling that this is the true number one contender’s match in the 205lb division.
For ‘No Time’ in particular, it’s well past time he was back in the cage. Visa issues and battery charges that were later dropped saw no less than three fights fall through for the Swiss light heavyweight in the past six months.
“A lot of setbacks,” Oezdemir admitted, but added that “I’ve been training every day. Spending all the experience and knowledge I’ve learned from my last fight in the gym every day. I can’t wait to be in the octagon again.”
So how did he stay ready? “I just had no stopping in me. After every time something happened, we had something rescheduled, I just wanted to be busy,” he said. “Unfortunately I had some more issues all the time, but I never stopped training. My weight was perfect all the time.”
One upside, the repeated camps have him in tip-top shape. “I was always ready to fight at 205. I kept my weight really low. I definitely gained some muscle and lost some fat along the way. So I’m feeling more than ready for this fight.”
Asked by Cageside Press if he saw a similarity between himself and opponent Anthony Smith, in terms of their fast rise through the light heavyweight ranks, Oezdemir agreed. “Definitely, I like the fact that he just made a big run now at 205. He knocked out two legends of the sport. He brings a lot of hype to him.”
“It’s a good fight, because a lot of eyes are on Anthony Smith, so that’s a good match-up for me also,” ‘No Time’ added. “But it’s also a perfect style for me. I like to fight against strikers. This is my specialty. I like to bang. I know I bring the most vicious knockout power in the game, so it’s going to be an easy match for me.”
As for where a win on Saturday at UFC Moncton leaves him, Oezdemir believes it will make him the clear number one contender. “I’m number two in the sport, so definitely a win against Anthony Smith will consolidate my position,” he said. “Now it’s going to be a new champion, Jones or Gustafsson, so it’s also a different opponent for me. I never fought none of them. It’s also a good thing for me, because it’s going to be a fresh match-up.”
Volkan Oezdemir meets Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of UFC Moncton (UFC Fight Night 138) on Saturday, October 27 at the Avenir Center in Moncton, NB. The card airs live on Fox Sports 1 (TSN 5 in Canada).
