Volkan Oezdemir is one of the best mixed martial arts fighters, working his way to the top one punch at a time. Although he was initially popular because he started his fighting career as a kickboxer who participated in fighting tournaments such as the “Superkombat Fighting Championship”, he now competes professionally in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the light heavyweight class.
Due to his impressive performances and courage over the years, he has risen through the ranks and now ranks second in the official “UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings”, which were published on July 26, 2018. Here you can find details and other interesting facts about the Champ.
Volkan Oezdemir Bio
Volkan Oezdemir was born on September 19, 1989, in Fribourg, Switzerland, to a Swiss mother and a Turkish father. His road to success began with a trip to the Netherlands. While training there in the Golden Glory gym, he met his martial arts colleague and former heavyweight champion, Alistair Overeem. The two became good friends and it led to Volkan receiving some fighting and career tips from Alistair.
Volkan Oezdemir then participated in amateur competitions, including Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing, before focusing more on building a career in mixed martial arts. His fighting skills eventually caught his attention at the Ultimate Fighting Championship and he was signed on in 2017. On February 4, 2017, Volkan Oezdemir made his debut in the match against Vince St. Preux as a short-term replacement. In the third round of the main card that evening Volkan defeated St. Preux by a split decision. At UFC Fight Night 109 on May 28, 2017, which was his second fight for promotion, he faced Mischa Cirkunov. In this fight, he managed to knock him out in a shocking time of only 28 seconds in the first round.
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In his next fight (UFC 214), which took place on July 29, 2017, he faced Jimi Manuwa, who finished third in the official UFC rankings for light heavyweight fighters. Volkan won easily by a knockout, a feat he accomplished in the first minute of the fight. This performance also led him to win the bonus that was awarded for the performance of the evening. Volkan Oezdemir was later to play Daniel Cormier in the UFC 220, which took place on January 20, 2018. Although the fight took place in the light heavyweight class, as he was already used to, he lost in the 2nd round against Daniel through TKO (Total Knock Out).
He was in trouble when he was arrested on November 19, 2017, for aggravated assault. At that time, the condition for his bail was a monetary claim, which was set at $100,000. Luckily for him, the case was acquitted and he duly informed the press of his acquittal in 2018, so Volkan’s next fight was scheduled for May 12, 2018, where he was to fight Maurice Rua in Fight Night 129. Unfortunately, due to an alleged visa issue that prohibited Volkan from entering Chile, the match had to be postponed to July 22, 2018, this time to UFC Fight Night 134. Later on July 2, it was reported that instead of playing Maurice Rua, Volkan would play Alexander Gustafsson in UFC 227 Fight Night, which was postponed to August 4, 2018.
Later in July, we received the news that Volkan Oezdemir suffered a broken nose, which eventually took him out of the game altogether. However, he was later charged for his fight against Anthony Smith in UFC Fight Night 138, which was scheduled for October 27.
Height, Weight
When it comes to the UFC or a sport involving physical combat, participants must have an accepted stature to be competitive, especially if it is a professional sport. In the UFC, as in boxing, fighters are categorized on the basis of their weight or mass with some consideration of their height; therefore, they could be divided into divisions such as strawweight, bantamweight, lightweight, welterweight, etc.
In Volkan Oezdemir’s case, although his weight has fluctuated throughout his fighting career, he has remained for the most part in the light or heavyweight category. With a weight of 93 kg (205 lbs.) paired with a well-balanced height of 1.88 m (1.88 m), he is suitable to be classified in the lightweight category.
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5 Quick Facts About The UFC Fighter
1. He made his professional debut in 2010, after scoring a record 9:0 before signing a contract with Bellator.
2. He made his professional debut against Josh Lanier on 25 October 2013 in Bellator 105, winning the match by total knockout in the first round.
3. In the match against Kelly Anundson, which was played on April 4, 2o14, Volkan Oezdemir had to drop back to the light heavyweight class. To his misfortune, he lost the match in the second round by a neck crank submission.
4. In 2014 Volkan Oezdemir made his debut in the largest European kickboxing organization (The SUPERKOMBAT).
5. Currently he can boast a 5:0 record as a professional kickboxer.
6. The net worth of Volkan Oezdemir is estimated at about $500 Thousand.
7. The fighter is active in social media, especially Instagram with thousands of followers, where he publishes pictures of some of his activities on and off the ring.
