UFC light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir reacted after suffering a nasty gash in a decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 267.

Oezdemir and Ankalaev met in the first fight on the UFC 267 main card. The fight was expected to provide fireworks between two of the hardest-hitting knockout artists in the UFC light heavyweight division, but it instead proved to be a tepid kickboxing affair. In the end, it was Ankalaev who won the unanimous decision, in no small part to the damage he inflicted on Oezdemir. After dropping his opponent in the first round, he later cut his eyelid open in the second. Fortunately for Oezdemir, he was able to continue fighting until the third round and make it to the distance, but he still suffered his second straight defeat.

Following the fight, Oezdemir took to his social media to release a statement following his loss to Ankalaev. In it, Oezdemir accepted the loss and congratulated his opponent.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVsrF-GIx-m/

I will never back down from any challenges. Respect to @ankalaev_magomed for a well deserved win. Learn and move on..

Oezdemir’s latest loss dropped his overall UFC record to 5-5. He is now coming off of two straight losses, albeit to two of the best fighters in the 205lbs weight class in Ankalaev and Jiri Prochazka. Before those two losses, Oezdemir defeated Ilir Latifi by knockout and he also won a split decision over Aleksandar Rakic, who is considered by many to be a future title contender in the UFC light heavyweight division. While Oezdemir is still ranked in the top-10 of the division, it’s hard to say what would be next for him given that he has lost two straight fights. It seems likely he will have to fight someone lower ranked next time.

What do you think is next for Volkan Oezdemir following his latest loss in the Octagon?