Volkan Oezdemir’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career — much like his fights —has been moving at a fast pace since joining the promotion in 2017.
After earning three straight wins in only a matter of six months — two of them via knockout with a combined time of 70 seconds — “No Time” earned a shot at the Light Heavyweight title held by Daniel Cormier, which he failed to win at UFC 220 on Jan. 20, 2018.
Still, working his way to the big dance in record time is a huge deal for Volkan, who will now have yet another big moment in his next outing as he was booked to face off against one of his idols, Mauricio Rua, at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 129 event on May 19, 2018 in Santiago, Chile.
“I was very happy. Since I signed with UFC, my manager always ask me who I wanted to fight. And the only guy I say is ‘Shogun.’ He is somebody I grew up watching. I grew up watching PRIDE and he was the man at the time and he was one of my favorite fighters,” revealed Oezdemir on a recent edition of The MMA Hour.
“So it was definitely someone I want to fight. It’s just amazing to be able to fight somebody you have looked up to. Also, he is like the guy who was the most winning streak in the division as he is the real deal right now and is close to a title shot, so it make sense.”
Rua is enjoying a career resurrection of sorts, as he has won three in a row and managed to work his way up to the No. 7 spot on the official UFC rankings list. Despite going up in age, the Brazilian is still a threat according to Volkan — who is eight years younger than Rua — and is not taking the challenge lightly.
“Shogun is still Shogun. He’s a brawler, he’s been into wars, he’s not afraid of anything so he’s a dangerous fighter, definitely. He’s a muay-thai guy, has the heart, the condition and he goes to fight. That is the type of fight I like.”
Known for laying out outlandish stoppage predictions prior to his bouts, Volkan says he will refrain from doing so this time around. While some of it may be due to his respect and admiration for Rua, “No Time” says it’s all part of his new approach to bouts, as he will look to be a bit more patient and utilize his entire arsenal, not just solely rely on his one-hitter quitters.
Of course, should the opening arise, Volkan isn’t opposed to making it a quick night against “Shogun” as a knockout is still the main objective and prediction.
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