Volkan Oezdemir vs Shogun Rua booked to headline UFC ‘Chile’ on May 19

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to touch down in Santiago, Chile for the first time on May 19, 2018 for UFC Fight Night 129, and it’s bringing with it an intriguing five-round light heavyweight showdown to headline.

The promotion announced earlier today (March 21) that Mauricio Rua is set to take on Volkan Oezdemir in the main event of the Fox Sports 1 card, which will go down from inside Moviestar Arena.

Oezdemir is coming off a loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 this past January, as “No Time” failed to win the 205-pound strap from “DC” after getting knocked out in the second round in Boston, Massachusetts. The defeat was Volkan’s first inside the Octagon, and the second overall in his MMA career.

“Shogun,” meanwhile, has enjoyed a good run as of late, winning three in a row against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Corey Anderson and Gian Villante. Rua hasn’t competed in over a year, but after an extended break is ready to get back on the horse against one of the hardest-hitting 205-pound fighters in the world.

Getting his fourth straight win against the former title contender will undoubtedly be a big boost to climbing back to a championship fight for Rua, while Volkan looks to erase the memory of his one-sided beatdown to Cormier with a win over a former division champion.

Early predictions?