A potentially explosive light heavyweight encounter between Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir is now official.
It was announced by the UFC on Sunday that the pair would collide at the upcoming UFC 267 event taking place October 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Dangerous 205ers enter the mix for #UFC267
[ @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi | https://t.co/d9jOMvdgGb ] pic.twitter.com/o10DZdIPZD
— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2021
Ankalaev is on six-fight winning streak and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Nikita Krylov in February. However, it was a drab affair and he will likely need a definitely victory to stake a claim for the next title shot.
Oezdemir, meanwhile, hasn’t compete since a first knockout loss in his MMA career dealt by Jiri Prochazka when they fought in July last year. The former title challenger was on a two-fight winning streak prior to that setback and will look to climb up the rankings with a win over Ankalaev.
While Prochazka looks to be next in line for a title shot, both men can make a statement on the night, especially as the event is headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between current champion Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira.
The co-main event will see a bantamweight title rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan.
What do you think of this fight? Who takes the win?