A new contender continued his meteoric rise with a statement knockout on this day in 2017.
For a long time, light heavyweight was the UFC’s marquee division with iconic rivals producing some classic fights.
Jon Jones cleared out a lot of those names during his remarkable title run but when ‘Bones’ wasn’t around, there was another elite fighter who sat at the top.
Daniel Cormier proved himself to be the clear best of the rest by beating the likes of Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.
When ‘DC’ reclaimed the title after Jones was stripped following their second clash at UFC 214, Cormier needed fresh challenges and fortunately for him, a new contender emerged out of nowhere in 2017.
Volkan Oezdemir slept Misha Cirkunov with an effortless one-shot knockout in just 28 seconds
On May 28 of 2017, the UFC returned to Stockholm, Sweden where two significant bouts in the light heavyweight division would top the card.
The night ended with a clinic from Alexander Gustafsson who stopped Glover Teixeira but the co-main event was just as significant for the landscape at 205 pounds.
Volkan Oezdemir made a short notice UFC debut in February of 2017 where he pulled off a shocking result, beating the #6-ranked Ovince St. Preux via split decision.
His second outing saw him face the #7-ranked Misha Cirkunov, where he showed that he was a real threat in this division.
Cirkunov came crashing towards him within the first 30 seconds with a short right hand from Oezdemir, which didn’t appear to land with much force, instantly sending his opponent to the canvas in a display of his devastating power.
The Swiss striker would follow that up with a second first-round knockout win over a top contender to earn the UFC’s Newcomer of the Year award for 2017.
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The Volkan Oezdemir hype train was completely dismantled by Daniel Cormier
At UFC 214, Volkan Oezdemir solidified his status as the top contender by stopping Jimi Manuwa following a crazy first round.
With Daniel Cormier, who reclaimed the light heavyweight title after Jones was stripped, already beating many of the top names in the division, there was no debate as to what the next title fight should be.
‘DC’ went on to dominate Oezdemir at UFC 220, finishing him in the second round after trapping the challenger in a crucifix position.
Oezdemir currently holds the #9-ranking, having recently been beaten by Carlos Ulberg at UFC Macau last November.