Volkan Oezdemir appears to be clear for his title fight with Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 later this month after pleading ‘not guilty’ to a third-degree felony charge in court yesterday.
Oezdemir is currently charged with felony battery with great bodily harm in relation to an altercation outside a bar in Fort Lauderdale back in August in which he was alleged to have knocked out a man, Kevin Cohen, rendering him unconscious for 14 minutes.
However, the 28-year-old Oezdemir has claimed that he only acted in self-defense, and with no domestic travel restrictions being placed upon him prior to his next hearing on February 22nd, he can now turn his attention back to preparing to fight the current light-heavyweight champion in Boston on January 20th.
Oezdemir enjoyed an unexpectedly swift rise to prominence in the UFC’s 205lb division after joining the UFC last year with a 12-1 career records.
The Swiss fighter has since gone on to register three wins in a row inside the Octagon against a series of notable contenders like Ovince Saint Preux, Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa to earn the No.2 contender spot in the rankings and claim an unlikely title shot that could propel him to the next level of fame and fortune in 2018 if he emerges victorious.
