Volkan Oezdemir earneda notable win in his promotional debut tonight at UFC Fight Night 104, defeating Ovince St. Preux by split decision, despite his early aggression fading as the fight went on and tiredness started to slow him down.
Round One:
Oezdemir with an early leg kick and then tries one upstairs. And again. Kick for OSP and then Oezdemir is back on the offensive. He lands a few strikes and presses OSP against the cage.
OSP looks for a throw in the clinch, but Oezdemir is able to stuff it and they go back to striking range. OSP with a body kick. Front kick to the body and a rangey left hand.
Body kick for Oezdemir then a head kick that’s blocked as he backs up his opponent. Nice strikes from both men with OSP landing a clean left hand.
They reset and Oezdemir gets through with a right hand. Leg kick now. Front kick to the body for OSP. Oezdemir back into the clinch and shoves OSP to the cage. He tries to get St. Preux to the mat, but it doesn’t pay off and he has to settle for remaining in the clinch.
OSP able to break free. left hand for him and then a leg kick. Body kick for Oezdemir. He wades in with a right hand. Both men exchange punches and OSP gets the better of it.
Nice hook to the body from OSP. Oezdemir chasing OSP and lands a body kick. Now a leg kick. Body kick for OSP. Left hand for OSP and then Oezdemir drills him in the head with a few punches. OSP ties him up in the clinch to stifle that forward momentum from the challenger. Good first round for Oezdemir.
Round Two:
Head kick attempt from Oezdemir, but he slips off-balance on that. OSP works to the body. Now Oezdemir with a brief flurry close to the cage.
OSP tries for a takedown and though it’s initially blocked he keeps working and gets Oezdemir down. Oezdemir quickly back up though and gets back to striking range.
Jab for Oezdemir and thenone in return from OSP and a body shot. Another exchange in close. left hand for OSP. Leg kick and a punch behind it from Oezdemir.
Left and a right from OSP. Oezdemir with a solid punch. Suddenly OSP surges forward with a series of left and a rights.
Leg kicks for Oezdemir. OSP looking a little labored, but Oezdemir doesn’t have the same workrate as the first round either.
Good body kick for OSP. Nice left hand for Oezdemir. Left hand for Oezdemir and one in return from OSP, but neither man putting much behind it.
Kick for Oezdemir. Couple of left hands for OSP. Body punch for Oezdemir. Jab for OSP, body kick for Oezdemir. Both men looking tired as the round comes to an end.
Round Three:
Left and right hands from Oezdemir to star the final round. He comes forward looking to clinch, but OSP reverses the position and presses his opponen to the cage. He backs up for a moment and lands a few more strikes including a knee, then they go back to striking range.
Head kick attempt from OSP is blocked. Left hand for Oezdemir then he stuffs a takedown attempt from OSP. Left hand for OSP.
Labored movement from both men. Oezdemir trying to gut his way through it with lefts and rights, but nothing really behind them. OSP lands in response with a bit more pop.
One-two combo for Oezdemir. Right hand for OSP. Another right and soon after a left connect for St. Preux. Uppercut for Oezdemir.
Solid left hand for OSP. Exhaustion playing a big part in the reduction in quality of striking we’ve seen in the past couple of rounds compared to the opening five minutes.
OSP the man pressing forward in the final 90 seconds and lands a couple of big punches to the body. Another lands. And again. With his back against the cage Oezdemir does just enough to back OSP up momentarily.
OSP wades back in and starts to snap Oezdemir’s head back with some solid shots. Oezdemir has completely run out of gas and just stands with his back to the cage as OSP lands some more big shots. It’s all about survival now for Oezdemir, and luckily for him there’s only seconds left in the round, so we’re heading to the scorecards.
Decision:
It’s a shame both fighters gas tanks let them down their in the second half of the fight, but Oezdemir’s aggressive offense early was enough to sway two of the judges in his favor, leading to him claiming a split decision victory (29-28 x2, 28-29).
That’s now OSP’s fourth loss in his last five fights and though there’s a case to be made that he did just enough to win tonight, it wasn’t a great performance and once again demonstrated significant cardio issues.
