Daniel Cormier, who was reinstated as the UFC light heavyweight champion after his UFC 214 foil Jon Jones failed a drug test, is expected to defend his title at UFC 220. His opponent for this card, which is scheduled for January 20 in Boston, Massachusetts, is expected to be the king of the blitzkrieg himself, “No Time” Volkan Oezdemir.
This news comes from Nolan King of MMA-Today.com.
EXCLUSIVE: Sources tell me Daniel Cormier vs. Volkan Oezdemir will land at UFC 220 in Boston https://t.co/suNluEs6VQpic.twitter.com/Cxtya668vI
— The MMA Kings (@mma_kings) November 4, 2017
While this fight is the plan-in-motion, contracts have not yet been signed, per BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor.
As first reported by @mma_kings, Volkan Oezdemir vs. Daniel Cormier is targeted for #UFC220 in Boston. No contracts have been signed yet.
— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) November 6, 2017
It is not known if this fight will serve as UFC 220’s headliner, or if that honor will go to something bigger.
Cormier has not fought since UFC 214 in July, when he was knocked out by a head-kick and meteor shower of ground and pound courtesy of his arch rival Jon Jones. When Jones failed a UFC 214 drug test, however, his win was overturned and the light heavyweight strap was returned to Cormier.
Prior to this disastrous encounter with Jones, Cormier authored consecutive wins over Anthony Johnson (twice), Anderson Silva (in a non-title fight) and Alexander Gustafsson. Also the winner of Strikeforce’s legendary Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Cormier is 19-1 (1) overall.
Switzerland’s Oezdemir, meanwhile, has transformed from a relative unknown to a world-class light heavyweight in the span of a year. Since winning a decision over Ovince Saint Preux in his short-notice UFC debut last year, he has authored thunderous first-round knockouts over Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa – both inside a round. He is 15-1 overall.
Who do you think wins this planned UFC 220 showdown between Volkan Oezdemir and Daniel Cormier?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/11/2017.