The UFC announced Wednesday that Daniel Cormier will put his light heavyweight belt on the line against Volkan Ozdemir.
The fight is scheduled for UFC 220 on Jan. 20 at TD Garden in Boston.
Cormier was reinstated as the light heavyweight champion in September after Jon Jones tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs following his victory over Cormier at UFC 214.
There were doubts about whether this matchup would happen seeing how Oezdemir was “arrested on second-degree felony charges for aggravated battery with serious bodily injury,” per MMA Fighting.
The MMA Fighting report detailed the incident, noting Kevin Cohen alleged Oezdemir knocked him out near a Florida bar.
“Cohen claims the run-in caused him to lose consciousness for roughly 14 minutes, be treated for concussion symptoms at a local hospital, and be given multiple staples for lacerations,” MMA Fighting wrote, although Oezdemir’s attorney said his client wasn’t the aggressor in the incident.
Now that the fight is scheduled, Oezdemir figures to pose a daunting challenge to Cormier with a 15-1-0 record.
The No. 2-ranked light heavyweight also fought at UFC 214 and handled Jimi Manuwa in a first-round knockout to continue his streak of dominance.
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