Back at UFC London just a couple of weeks ago, light heavyweight Nikita Krylov made a smart callout: Volkan Oezdemir, who had also competed on the London card.
On Friday, UFC officials announced the fight was a go. Krylov (28-9) will face Oezdemir (18-6) as part of UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi this October.
Quick turnaround! From London to Abu Dhabi!@Volkan_Oezdemir vs @KrylovUFC is signed.
🎟️ https://t.co/ksSX5VEhIv@VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/KVy7j6nheJ
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) August 5, 2022
While it’s tempting to play this up as a short turnaround due to the timing of the announcement, the October card remains just shy of three months away. Still, both fighters have a chance to strike while the iron is hot: Krylov scored the biggest win of his career when he starched former title challenger and UFC Hall of Famer Alexander Gustafsson in the opening round.
Oezdemir, meanwhile, went the distance with Scotland’s Paul Craig, winning a unanimous decision and snapping a two-fight skid in the process.
UFC 280 will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE on October 22, 2022. The following bouts have been reported for the event:
- Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev – for the vacant UFC lightweight championship
- Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. T.J. Dillashaw – for the UFC bantamweight championship
- Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot
- Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Brady
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Amanda Lemos
- Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley
- Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Lucas Almeida
- Katlyn Chookagian vs. Manon Fiorot
- Makhmud Muradov vs. Caio Borralho
- Malcolm Gordon vs. Muhammad Mokaev
- Volkan Oezdemir vs. Nikita Krylov
