Volkan Oezdemir Promises Gustaffson Wouldn’t Make it Out of the First Round With Him

The nickname that Volkan Oezdemir wears like a badge of honor couldn’t be more appropriate. Mr. ‘No Time’ has spent six minutes and 10 seconds fighting in the UFC. That amount of time is three fights combined. It’s no wonder that Oezdemir just entered into the UFC this year and he’s already knocking on the door to a title shot. Unfortunately, Jon Jones has complicated the title picture a little bit, but that’s not going to slow him down. He’s talked about Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson before, but it looks like he’s doubling down on the Swedish mauler.

“I think a fight with [Daniel Cormier] or a fight with [Alexander] Gustafsson are most likely next, but I think the best option for me is to fight Gustafsson. The situation isn’t very clear with the belt, so in the mean time I would like to fight Gustafsson for the number one contender spot. Maybe after that I can fight ‘DC’ for the belt. I think because he was the champion and with what has happened to Jones, he deserves to fight for the belt. It’s a smart choice for [Gustafsson] not fight me. He’s right there for the belt too. His next fight was supposed to be for the belt, so because of that, fighting would me would be completely stupid. He will lose his spot if he fights me, he will go down and lose one year of his life.”

I don't waste my time ⌚ #notime #dynamitehands pic.twitter.com/i96AAmO4Sq

— Volkan Oezdemir (@volkan_oezdemir) August 7, 2017

“I see my fight with Gustafsson ending the same way his fight did with [Anthony Johnson]. This is exactly what’s going to happen to him. He would not leave the first round, definitely not. I think it’s all about strategy and I want to be smart with my decision. I think we could do something really big, like if the fight was a main event in Europe. It could be a pay-per-view card. It’s all about timing and being smart. Of course, I would also like to fight ‘DC’, but Gustafsson is a very famous in Europe. Maybe I could fight him in Sweden because that’s only an hour’s flight away from me.” – Volkan Oezdemir speaking to MMA Fighting.

Regardless of the match-up, it looks like a lot more eyes will be on Volkan Oezdemir’s next fight. With Anthony Johnson gone out of the division, he seems like the next fighter with a death touch. He has taken out Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa in the very first round with his devastating cement hands. Alexander Gustafsson would be a big step up in competition and could decide the next man to fight Daniel Cormier. No arguing with Oezdemir that the two headlining a pay-per-view in Europe could do big numbers either.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 9/14/2017