UFC
Volkan Oezdemir talks UFC Paris, Jamahal Hill and dethroning Alex Pereira: ”I will definitely push him out”
Volkan Oezdemir. Photo via Instagram (@volkan_oezdemir)
With his recent highlight reel knockout against Jonny Walker, former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir is back as a title contender in the stacked light heavyweight division.
The win put the 34-year-old one step closer to the title, but before a potential championship fight, he’s looking to settle an old beef with former champ Jamahal Hill.
”I think the best fight would be against Hill,” Oezdemir tells Frontkick in an exclusive interview. ”We have history. He’s not that good. He’s a perfect matchup for me. He’s been at the top and comes from a title fight. To win against Jamahal Hill would cement my place as a title contender.”
Oezdemir even has a time and place in mind for the grudge match – UFC Paris on September 28.
”Paris would be awesome. It’s my crowd and close to my home. A lot of people would come to watch. The fight could be a co-main event in Paris. This bout has all that it takes to be a great fight. It would be awesome to fight in France.”
LHW has gone through a lot of changes
When Volkan Oezdemir made his UFC debut back in 2017, fighters like Jon Jones, Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier were the names that mattered in the division. Light heavyweight was widely regarded as the most stacked division in the UFC and had all the attention.
Seven years later, the weight class has gone through a lot of changes, with multiple champions reigning for a short period of time.
”It’s almost like a brand new top ten. Everybody got taller in the meantime. Back in the days, in 2017, I was one of the tallest guys. It was Glover Teixeira, Ilir Latifi, Jan Blachowicz. Like, all normal human beings,” Oezdemir laughs. ”Now people are almost two meters, almost everybody in the top is that tall. We saw some differences like that.”
”Everybody is more complete nowadays. The UFC is evolving. Everybody is stronger and better.”
Volkan Oezdemir. Photo via YouTube
Volkan Oezdemir: ”I will push him out from the throne”
Since Alex Pereira moved up from middleweight to light heavyweight in May last year, the division moved into a new phase. After winning the title this past November, he scored knockouts in his two title defenses. It’s fair to say that Pereira has proven to be a lethal force in his new division.
”I think he’s probably No. 3 after Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. Third best as a champion. He achieved a lot as he became two-division champ in a very short time frame. He has a place at the top, historically.”
While Oezdemir has a lot of respect for the Brazilian former kickboxer, he’s confident that he will be the one to dethrone Pereira.
”He’s the champ in my division but I will definitely push him out from the throne.”
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