BREAKING | “Shogun” Rua and Volkan Oezdemir booked for showdown in Chile

The UFC’s upcoming debut in Chile, which is scheduled for May 19, will feature one hell of a light heavyweight showdown as former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has been booked opposite recent light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir.

This bout was announced on the UFC’s official social media channels on Wednesday evening.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/976580027067150336

Shogun will enter this UFC Chile battle with the wind of three straight wins in his sails. These wins have come against respectable opposition in Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Corey Anderson, and most recently, Gian Villante, who he put down with a volley of third-round punches.

Oezdemir, on the other hand, will seek to rebound from a tough, TKO loss to reigning UFC light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier. This loss was preceded by impressive wins over Ovince Saint Preux, who he defeated by decision, and Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa, who he snuffed with his fists.

At present, it’s not clear whether this bout will serve as the UFC Chile headliner. If it this bout does steal the headlining spot, it’s not likely to go over well with Argentina’s Santiago Ponzinibbio, who has been angling for the main event slot for some time.

Who do you think comes out on top in this dynamite light heavyweight matchup between the former champ Shogun and the former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/21/2018.