UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is looking to get inside the winning column after his knockout loss to heated rival Jon Jones. Of course, the fighter’s UFC 214 loss was later overturned because of Jones’ recent drug test failure. As a result, Cormier has been crowned the champion once again. For his next match up, Cormier took a poll on Twitter, asking fans which top contender the champion should take on next. By the end of the poll, the fans had decided. Cormier’s next opponent would be Volkan Oezdemir.
Oezdemir is on an impressive five fight winning streak inside the octagon at the moment. Most recently the fighter shut down rising knockout artist Jimi Manuwa with a vicious knockout finish of his own. Now Oezdemir has caught the eye of the champion himself.
“Volkan Oezdemir, I asked and people wanna see u and I scrap. So you got it man! Let me figure a date now. They chose u bud! Congrats.” Cormier announced via his social media a few weeks ago.
Daniel Cormier was initially shooting for an octagon return this December. However, it would appear that his potential match up with Oezdemir is going to have to wait.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Cormier confirmed that he his targeting Volkan Oezdemir as his next opponent. However, the champion’s doctor advised against Cormier making a title defense this year.
Here is what Cormier had to say:
“I’m going to fight Volkan. I went to the doctor, and he advised me to take the rest of the year off because I started to contemplate fighting at the end of the December. (I’ll fight him) beginning of next year sometime.”
