The opening fight for the main event at UFC 214 might have been under the radar for many people going into fight week but it actually faced the fighters ranked #3 and #5 in the light heavyweight division. Jimi Manuwa was looking to solidify his position as a contender by taking on Swiss Volkan Oezdemir who has had a meteoric ascent since joining the UFC in February.
Oezdemir started the fight with a side kick, immediatly closed the distance and landed a hard knee to Manuwa’s body to send him against the cage. Volkan then landed an uppercut and a left hand from the clinch. Manuwa wobbled and tried to create distance, Volkan followed him and landed a brutal left punch that sent Jimi to the canvas. Three more punches while on the ground buried Manuwa’s hopes and continued to rocket Volkan, who only has 3 fights in the UFC but sure looks like a title contender in the near future.
Wooow!! @volkan_oezdemir destruye a @POSTERBOYJM de manera espectacular #UFC214 #UFCxFOX #UFCenVivo pic.twitter.com/nEoFKNF6cs
— Diario MMA (@DiarioMma) July 30, 2017
Volkan’s debut was against Ovince Saint Preux and he won by split decision on February 4. After leaving behind the nerves of his UFC debut, he took on a man who was considered to be the next big star in the light heavyweight division, Misha Cirkunov. Misha was on a great streak of 8 victories before being put away by Volkan in less than 30 seconds on May 28. Just two months later, Oezdemov has taken out Jimi Manuwa, a man that was getting close to a title shot and who will now probably leave his place in the rankings to the surprising Volkan.
Watch @volkan_oezdemir put Jimi Manuwa away at #UFC214 #NoTime pic.twitter.com/f9OvD1Qaq7
— Diario MMA (@DiarioMma) July 30, 2017
So what’s next for ‘No Time’ Oezdmir? Considering that Jon Jones defeated Daniel Cormier, it looks like the number one contender, Alexander Gustafsson might get a rematch against Jones. Cormier’s future might be in the heavyweight division, so this would narrow the option for Volkan, basically to Glover Teixeira, who is currently in the fourth position in the rankings.
