Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled October 17 bout with Nikita Krylov.

Oezdemir and Krylov were slated to co-headline the upcoming UFC event Fight Island. However, due to a knee injury, ‘No Time‘ was forced to withdraw from the contest.

“I’m devastated, I won’t be able to fight due to a knee injury,” Oezdemir wrote on Instagram. “I apologize to Dana White, UFC, Mick Maynard, my opponent Nikita Krylov and all the fans. I’ll rest and work on the fastest recovery possible to be back in that Octagon ASAP.”

Volkan Oezdemir was hoping to rebound at the October 17 event in Abu Dhabi, this after suffering a brutal knockout loss (the first of his career) to Jiri Prochazka this past July.

Once considered one of the light heavyweight divisions best prospects, Oezdemir has gone just 2-4 over his past six Octagon appearances, leaving many to wonder if ‘No Time’ will ever get another crack at UFC gold.

Volkan’s recent rough stretch began when he suffered a TKO loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 220, in his bid to dethrone ‘DC’ for the promotions 205-pound world title.

The UFC has yet to announce if a replacement opponent will be sought after for Nikita Krylov.

The Russian standout has gone 2-2 since returning to the UFC ranks, with his most recent outing culminating in a decision victory over Johnny Walker.

The October 17 UFC event on Fight Island is currently slated to be headlined by a featherweight grudge match between former title challengers Brian Ortega and The Korean Zombie.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on October 1, 2020