Volkan Oezdemir hopes to battle Jan Blachowicz or KO Dominick Reyes

Switzerland’s Volkan Oezdemir has wanted to run it back with Dominick Reyes ever since his controversial loss to the American earlier this year. But Reyes is set to take on Chris Weidman, so the fight isn’t possible right now.

For that reason, Oezdemir is turning his attention to Jan Blachowicz.

“Reyes is the fight I want the most. We have some history and I am not happy with the decision. I want that fight to knock him out this time,” Volkan Oezdemir told BJPENN.com. “Other than that, the smartest fight, because Reyes is booked, is to fight Jan Blachowicz.

“I think it will be the next one. He is number five, I am number seven so it makes sense,” he continued. “I understand if he wants to wait and try for the title shot.”

If he does get to fight Blachowicz later this year, Volkan Oezdemir suspects a win could put him into the title conversation. Or, at least get him in the right direction to be involved in those talks.

“I think I am pretty close due to the state of the division,” he explained. “Number one is ‘DC’ who is a heavyweight, number two and three are out, four is fighting soon, and five is free and that may be the fight. Six is retired, seven is me, eight is fighting fourteen and nine, I just beat them. Next in line is probably Jan but maybe that is the fight and I could be one fight away.”

For now, Volkan Oezdemir is just focused on recovering from his last fight and getting back into the gym to start training. He knows he is a legitimate threat at light heavyweight and wants the chance to prove that again in his next fight by fighting Jan Blachowicz or Dominick Reyes, again.

Who do you think Volkan Oezdemir should fight next?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/23/2019.