Tag: Volkan Oezdemir

Daniel Cormier’s Next Title Defense Could Come In Boston

Volkan Oezdemir could finally get his crack at the UFC light heavyweight championship – and that opportunity could come as soon as January at UFC 218 on pay-per-view (PPV) in Boston, Massachusetts. Oezdemir recently spoke to media at UFC 217 this past weekend (Sat. November 4, 2017) and was asked about a potential fight against […]

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Volkan Oezdemir could finally get his crack at the UFC light heavyweight championship – and that opportunity could come as soon as January at UFC 218 on pay-per-view (PPV) in Boston, Massachusetts.

Oezdemir recently spoke to media at UFC 217 this past weekend (Sat. November 4, 2017) and was asked about a potential fight against “DC.” “No Time” noted that nothing is official quite yet but he is ready to go when the UFC calls his number (quotes via Bloody Elbow):

“Nothing is confirmed right now, but everything is in talks,” Oezdemir said. “I’m just waiting for a contract to sign, and I’m on. I’m ready to go. … It’s gonna happen.

“It’s a big city,” he said of Boston. “I like it. I’ve never been there.”

The No. 2-ranked light heavyweight also expressed his gratitude for Cormier offering to fight him despite only having three fights under the UFC’s banner:

“I’m really appreciative of what [Cormier] is offering me, because he’s giving me a big chance right now. He’s giving me a chance to fight for the title, and that’s amazing, because it’ll be my fourth fight in the UFC. It’s gonna be less than a year, and I will be fighting for the belt already, and that’s crazy. I’m really humbled with everything that is happening to me.”

Cormier initially lost the 205-pound throne at UFC 214 earlier this year when he was knocked out by Jon Jones in the third round via head-kick. Jones would later test for banned substances and the ruling was overturned to a No Contest. Cormier was later reinstated as the division’s champion, a decision Oezdemir said was ‘no doubt’ the right move:

“I have no doubt about that,” Oezdemir said. “He’s beat everyone in heavyweight and light heavyweight. He’s the champ now. What happened with Jon Jones is a little bit controversial, with the positive test. Now everything’s different. Cormier is one of the toughest guys in the 205-pound division, and he’s one of the best pound-for-pound, also.”

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Daniel Cormier Reveals Why He Hopes Jon Jones Gets Short Suspension

The UFC reinstated Daniel Cormier as light heavyweight champion after Jon Jones failed a United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug test prior to his UFC 214 win over “DC.” This week (Fri. November 3, 2017) Cormier announced at a Fox Sports media lunch that his next title defense would come against No. 2-ranked Volkan Oezdemir (quotes […]

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The UFC reinstated Daniel Cormier as light heavyweight champion after Jon Jones failed a United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug test prior to his UFC 214 win over “DC.”

This week (Fri. November 3, 2017) Cormier announced at a Fox Sports media lunch that his next title defense would come against No. 2-ranked Volkan Oezdemir (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“He is the fight,” Cormier said. “He’s won three fights in a row. I fought Gustafsson before. It was a great fight. Something new, something different. That’s pretty much when it boiled down to.”

No. 1-ranked Alexander Gustafsson has also made quite the case to challenge for the 205-pound belt next. The pair met before two years ago at UFC 192 where Cormier took home a split decision win in an epic back-and-forth battle. Cormier said that Gustafsson didn’t take the news too hard when he found out he wasn’t next in line for the belt:

“Alexander wasn’t too pissed off himself when I said it was Oezdemir,” Cormier said. “It was like, ‘I can wait.’ It’s not like he was up in arms. If I’m scared of Alex, then he’s just as scared of me. Nobody wants to go through that sh*t again that we went through. He wasn’t that mad. He accepted it pretty easily.”

Despite having lost to Jon Jones twice now in his MMA career, as they remain the only two blemishes on his record (the second was overturned to a No Contest after the failed drug test), Cormier is still holding out hope that he and “Bones” can meet inside the Octagon one last time:

“For me, personally, I prefer him to get a shorter suspension, so we could fight again,” Cormier said. “Of course I would fight him again. I am who I am, to fault. … I just like to fight him. I feel like I get better every time I prepare to fight him.

“I’m not gonna move on from our rivalry. It was too big. It’s gonna go down in history. I think people are optimistic. They want to believe in the good. When he says stuff like ‘back to work,’ they think maybe it’s not gonna be as long.

“It’s crazy, I still don’t believe that I can’t win those fights. It’s nuts. People ask me, I’m like, ‘I can beat this dude.’ I’ll push myself to the limit to try to do it.”

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Dana White Continues To Blast ‘Unfixable’ Jon Jones

Disgraced former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones may have recently teased his umpteenth comeback, but UFC President Dana White isn’t having it. White famously said Jones could have a difficult time dealing with all the fame and money he was about to be bombarded by when he became the youngest-ever UFC champion in 2011, and […]

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Disgraced former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones may have recently teased his umpteenth comeback, but UFC President Dana White isn’t having it.

White famously said Jones could have a difficult time dealing with all the fame and money he was about to be bombarded by when he became the youngest-ever UFC champion in 2011, and indeed that’s been the case over a long, disturbing set of incidents that have the MMA great’s future in serious jeopardy.

There’s little point in rehashing all of “Bones’” concerning outside the cage troubles, but he currently is awaiting a potential USADA suspension after testing positive for anabolic steroid Turinabol prior to his UFC 214 knockout win over Daniel Cormier, a bout after which he was widely accepted back with open arms from fans. But he messed up yet again and is now facing a possible four-year ban from the sport.

Due to the long list of transgressions and the hindrance they’ve placed on his career, White recently branded Jones “the biggest waste of talent ever” in the UFC, and he further expanded upon that this week. Speaking to The Jim Rome Show (via MMA Fighting), White described Jones’ baffling tendency to continue screwing up:

“I don’t know. He’s not a ‘just about the money’ type guy. He’s really not that kind of guy. I just think that Jon likes to party and he’s a guy that likes to go out and have fun and do whatever it is that he does, and I think the money and the fame made it a thousand times worse.

“This guy couldn’t control himself and would completely go off the deep end. I’m not sitting here acting like Mr. Holier-than-thou, we’ve all gone and had fun and probably partied a little too much here and there, but he consistently, consistently kept doing it. Even when he would completely f**k up, he would pull himself together and come out and completely f**k up again. Even this last time when he came back, fans forgave and he was the most popular fighter and everybody wanted to see this guy succeed, and he did it again. It’s just unbelievable.”

The PED suspensions are undoubtedly concerning, especially for an athlete whose main goal is to inflict harm on another human being, but White referred to Jones’ disturbing hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that left a 25-year-old pregnant woman with a broken arm and Jones with a punishment many felt was not commensurate with his crime.

White admitted that the judge let Jones off easy, and if he couldn’t change his ways while facing jail time, then he was simply ‘unfixable’:

“Even worse than that, this guy was looking at jail time. This judge gave him another shot and this guy was looking at some serious jail time and a lot of bad stuff and that still didn’t wake him up. If that’s not a wake-up call, you’re unfixable.”

At this point, it’s difficult to argue with White on this topic, whether you like him or not. Jones has shown an extreme pattern of concerning troubles that have ruined what would otherwise be the most decorated career in the history of the UFC.

Still, his team is ramping up for yet another defense, and based on what USADA decides, he could bafflingly find himself fighting in the Octagon once again someday.

Should the UFC offer their talented-yet-troubled former champion yet another shot?

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Dana White Continues To Blast ‘Unfixable’ Jon Jones

Disgraced former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones may have recently teased his umpteenth comeback, but UFC President Dana White isn’t having it. White famously said Jones could have a difficult time dealing with all the fame and money he was about to be bombarded by when he became the youngest-ever UFC champion in 2011, and […]

The post Dana White Continues To Blast ‘Unfixable’ Jon Jones appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Disgraced former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones may have recently teased his umpteenth comeback, but UFC President Dana White isn’t having it.

White famously said Jones could have a difficult time dealing with all the fame and money he was about to be bombarded by when he became the youngest-ever UFC champion in 2011, and indeed that’s been the case over a long, disturbing set of incidents that have the MMA great’s future in serious jeopardy.

There’s little point in rehashing all of “Bones’” concerning outside the cage troubles, but he currently is awaiting a potential USADA suspension after testing positive for anabolic steroid Turinabol prior to his UFC 214 knockout win over Daniel Cormier, a bout after which he was widely accepted back with open arms from fans. But he messed up yet again and is now facing a possible four-year ban from the sport.

Due to the long list of transgressions and the hindrance they’ve placed on his career, White recently branded Jones “the biggest waste of talent ever” in the UFC, and he further expanded upon that this week. Speaking to The Jim Rome Show (via MMA Fighting), White described Jones’ baffling tendency to continue screwing up:

“I don’t know. He’s not a ‘just about the money’ type guy. He’s really not that kind of guy. I just think that Jon likes to party and he’s a guy that likes to go out and have fun and do whatever it is that he does, and I think the money and the fame made it a thousand times worse.

“This guy couldn’t control himself and would completely go off the deep end. I’m not sitting here acting like Mr. Holier-than-thou, we’ve all gone and had fun and probably partied a little too much here and there, but he consistently, consistently kept doing it. Even when he would completely f**k up, he would pull himself together and come out and completely f**k up again. Even this last time when he came back, fans forgave and he was the most popular fighter and everybody wanted to see this guy succeed, and he did it again. It’s just unbelievable.”

The PED suspensions are undoubtedly concerning, especially for an athlete whose main goal is to inflict harm on another human being, but White referred to Jones’ disturbing hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that left a 25-year-old pregnant woman with a broken arm and Jones with a punishment many felt was not commensurate with his crime.

White admitted that the judge let Jones off easy, and if he couldn’t change his ways while facing jail time, then he was simply ‘unfixable’:

“Even worse than that, this guy was looking at jail time. This judge gave him another shot and this guy was looking at some serious jail time and a lot of bad stuff and that still didn’t wake him up. If that’s not a wake-up call, you’re unfixable.”

At this point, it’s difficult to argue with White on this topic, whether you like him or not. Jones has shown an extreme pattern of concerning troubles that have ruined what would otherwise be the most decorated career in the history of the UFC.

Still, his team is ramping up for yet another defense, and based on what USADA decides, he could bafflingly find himself fighting in the Octagon once again someday.

Should the UFC offer their talented-yet-troubled former champion yet another shot?

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Volkan Oezdemir’s Troll Attempt On Daniel Cormier Backfires

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier had no concrete plans about whom he intends to face next. This led to him taking it to the people and let fans decide via social media. In a recent tweet he sent out, Cormier noted that the verdict went to rising 205-pound star Volkan Oezdemir. There is no […]

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UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier had no concrete plans about whom he intends to face next. This led to him taking it to the people and let fans decide via social media. In a recent tweet he sent out, Cormier noted that the verdict went to rising 205-pound star Volkan Oezdemir.

There is no date, nor a location that has been formally announced by the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) for this bout. It appears that the champion’s mind has been made up as to whom he will fight next, and Oezdemir appears to be up for the challenge.

Oezdemir attempted to troll the champion by using Luke Rockhold. However, in the end, it backfired. Keep in mind that Oezdemir trains out of Florida’s newly formed Combat Club Academy. This gym is where Rockhold has been training at in recent months.

Oezdemir stated that he has been gathering information from Rockhold about how to dethrone the champion during training sessions. Cormier quickly shut that down and indicated that the situation is actually the other way around.

“@lukerockhold we always knew he wasn’t very smart, but this seems to be working better than I could have ever imagined. They really have no clue, keep sending me the intel. Last nights report was amazing. Thanks Brother #weareaka #mybrother #day1 #insideman.”

Cormier is coming off a knockout loss to Jon Jones at UFC 214 in July that was later overturned to a no-contest due to Jones failing a drug test. Cormier has gone on record by stating that he will not fight for the remainder of the year.

However, he does plan on fighting Oezdemir in the first quarter of 2018.

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Alexander Gustafsson Reacts To Volkan Oezdemir Getting Title Shot Over Him

Two-time UFC light heavyweight challenger Alexander Gustafsson is going to have to wait to get his rematch with current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. Now that he has been reinstated as champion, Cormier had no concrete plans about whom he intends to face next. This led to him taking it to the people and […]

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Two-time UFC light heavyweight challenger Alexander Gustafsson is going to have to wait to get his rematch with current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.

Now that he has been reinstated as champion, Cormier had no concrete plans about whom he intends to face next. This led to him taking it to the people and let fans decide via social media. In a recent tweet he sent out, Cormier noted that the verdict went to rising 205-pound star Volkan Oezdemir.

Keep in mind that no date nor a location has been formally announced by the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) for this bout. It appears that the champion’s mind has been made up as to whom he will fight next, and Oezdemir appears to be up for the challenge.

It’s an interesting move by the UFC. Although DC wanted this bout, there were many fans who were also arguing that Gustafsson is the more deserving challenger. If you recall, the two fighters already faced each other at UFC 192 in 2015, where Cormier won via split decision.

“Daniel (Cormier) knows I’m here to stay, that I’m waiting for my rematch against him,” Gustafsson told Viaplay Fighting in a post on his official Facebook page. “I’m not in a hurry. I’ve had longer stretches between fights than this. I’ll be fine.”

Gustafsson went on record by stating that he will be ready to fight the winner of the title bout between Cormier and Oezdemir, which will likely take place in early 2018 with the champ taking time to recuperate from a busy 2017.

“I want the belt,” he said. “I want a title fight. We’ll see if Volkan vs. Cormier gets confirmed. Then I’ll fight the winner and … I’m pretty sure I’ll fight ‘DC.’”

“Volkan does have a puncher’s chance,” Gustafsson said. “He’s not someone you want to underestimate. He’s a power puncher. But ‘DC’ is the better fighter. (Cormier) can take a punch. He has the cardio. He is a better mixed martial artist than Volkan. So I see ‘DC’ winning the fight.”

The difference between Gustafsson and Cormier is their wrestling pedigrees. Obviously, Gustafsson well knows that heavy-handed fighters can catch you.

“He’s going to put him on his ass,” Gustafsson said of the champ. “He’ll take him down and dominate on the ground. Volkan is sort of like Anthony Johnson – a power puncher. We haven’t seen much of his ground game. And I think ‘DC’ will take him down.”

“Styles make fights,” Gustafsson said of the potential matchup. “I want to beat ‘DC.’ I want to avenge my loss. Because of that, I want ‘DC’ to win. But if Volkan were to win, that’s fine with me. Then I’ll avenge Jimi.”

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