Volkan Oezdemir posts a picture of the broken nose that led to his withdrawal from UFC 227.
Last week, it was announced that light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir had been removed from UFC 227 due to a broken nose, and the 28-year-old posted a picture on Instagram to prove it.
Oezdemir is obviously upset with having to pull out of his scheduled bout with Alexander Gustafsson, but the Swiss-based fighter acknowledged that injuries and broken noses are part of the fight game.
This marks Oezdemir’s third fight cancellation of the year, as the knockout artist was originally scheduled to lock horns with Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua on two separate occasions in the past. The first bout was cancelled due to legal issues, and the second was axed after Ultimate Fighting Championship decided Oezdemir was better suited vs. Gustafsson.
Oezdemir hasn’t fought since his second-round TKO loss to divisional kingpin Daniel Cormier at UFC 220, which saw ‘DC’ defend the title and go on to knock out Stipe Miocic to become a simultaneous light heavyweight and heavyweight champion.
Shortly after Oezdemir pulled out of UFC 227, Gustafsson announced the following week that he could no longer compete due to a ‘minor injury’. The Swede’s management team claim that doctors declared him medically unfit to fight.
UFC 227 will still go ahead, however, and takes place next month, August 4 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.