The show must go on for Daniel Cormier and the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier wants to get right back at it after being brutally knocked out in his last fight.
A dazed Cormier had to stand in the Octagon and watch through tear-filled eyes as his arch nemesis Jon Jones had the belt strapped around his waist. He had resigned himself that, having lost both fights to Jones, that there was no rivalry. On that night, in his mind, Jones was clearly the better fighter.
Then Jones’ in-competition test results came back positive for the steroid turinabol. UFC 214’s headliner, the biggest promotional PPV of 2017 up until that point, was overturned to a No Contest and Cormier rightfully reclaimed his spot atop the 205 lb throne.
The result may have changed, but Cormier was still rendered unconscious in Anaheim that night, meaning a quick turnaround to make everyone to move the division along was impossible. However, a couple of months have passed since UFC 214 and Cormier appears to have selected his preferred next opponent.
Some were calling for a rematch against number-one contender Alexander Gustafsson, who lost a split decision to DC at UFC 192. Others thought that a superfight against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic could be on the cards considering Cormier went undefeated in the division and only dropped to avoid facing perpetually-injured training partner Cain Velasquez.
In the end, though, he let the fans choose, and they’ve chosen well.
@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
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) September 28, 2017
Nine months after signing for the world’s largest MMA promotion, Volkan Oezdemir has propelled himself right into the title frame. The first Swiss fighter to ever compete in the promotion has just three UFC fights under his belt, but remarkably, he’s the logical next title challenger.
He scored a huge upset in his promotional debut by edging Ovince Saint Preux to a split decision in a fight he took on short notice.
He followed this up by snapping highly-touted prospect Misha Cirkunov’s eight-fight win-streak in just 28 seconds.
Gone in 28 seconds!
Volkan Oezdemir KOs Misha Cirkunov in style and now he's coming for Jimi Manuwa. #UFC214 pic.twitter.com/S9LUxRlgts
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) May 31, 2017
Then he faced Jimi Manuwa, a top-tier contender who was being courted for a title shot for months.
Manuwa had been telling the press how he was next in line to fight for the title throughout the build-up to the fight and was sitting cageside at UFC 210 when Daniel Cormier defended the strap by submitting Anthony Johnson. Joe Rogan even stoked the flames of a potential beef between DC and the British powerhouse by getting a dialogue going during the Octagon interview.
If Manuwa had beaten the Swiss phenom, he would have been convinced that he was getting the next crack at the championship. Instead, Manuwa was waking up with cartoon birds flying around his head after 28 seconds.
What a start to the main card! 😱
Volkan Oezdemir lights up #UFC214 with a stunning first-round KO of Jimi Manuwa! 💪 pic.twitter.com/FTHjDiVWxE
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) July 30, 2017
There’s no time like the present to give ‘No Time’ his title shot.
