Volkan Oezdemir left UFC 220 with more than just a loss.
Oezdemir challenged Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight title back in January. The action took place inside the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Cormier won the bout via second-round TKO.
“No Time” was aggressive early, but he had no answer for the grappling of Cormier. The champion was able to take Oezdemir down at will and he maintained control on the ground. It all led to the challenger being the victim of ground-and-pound.
During a recent appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Oezdemir revealed an injury as a result of the bout:
“I thought the fight was going in my favor. I know the more I was about to connect, the more I’d be able to prove something. But then I got caught once in my eye, he broke my orbital, and then after that I think the fight starts going in his favor. He started catching up to his rhythm.”
Oezdemir will have a chance to rebound soon. On May 19, he’ll do battle with former light heavyweight title holder Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The bout will be part of the UFC Chile main card.
Do you think Volkan Oezdemir can get back in title contention?