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Volkan Oezdemir Explains Nickname, Says He'll Defeat Daniel Cormier

Volkan Oezdemir Explains Nickname, Says He'll Defeat Daniel Cormier

UFC light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir talks quest for UFC gold, explains 'No Time' nickname and power of the boop.

Oct 2, 2017 by FloCombat Staff
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Volkan Oezdemir feels ready for the biggest challenge in MMA -- a UFC title shot. 

Speaking to FloCombat during the recent #FCRoadTrip2, Oezdemir said he wants a top fight at light heavyweight, and he only has two names in mind. 

"I mean, I've been climbing the [rankings] to the top now and I haven't chosen any easy fights," Oezdemir told FloCombat. "That's what I want to do, I want to keep climbing. So, my next step should be [Alexander] Gustafsson or [champion] [Daniel] Cormier." 

Oezdemir caught Cormier's attention, getting mentioned by the champ on social media as a "tough" fighter who has looked "amazing" so far inside the UFC Octagon. 

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Oezdemir saw the tweet and was honored. 

"To be called out by somebody as high as him, that's just an honor," Oezdemir said. "I'm humbled, but I'm ready to accept the challenge."

Cormier then followed up again by running a poll for fans. Asking who they wanted him to face -- Gustafsson or Oezdemir -- the MMA universe responded, wasting "No Time" in picking a winner.  

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While the bout is not officially set, should it come to fruition as both men seem to want, Oezdemir has an idea of who will have his hand raised. 

"Title fight is next, guys, and I'm going to win the fight," he said. 

Of course, another name lingering in the light heavyweight title picture is former champion and pound-for-pound legend Jon Jones. The 30-year-old recently defeated Cormier at UFC 214 via TKO before failing a drug test and being forced to give the strap back to Cormier. 

While Oezdemir, like the rest of us, isn't sure where Jones goes from here, he does feel the former king will be back. 

"I know he's going to come back," Oezdemir said. "He's a champion, so he has the mentality of a champion even if he has [a] setback. I mean, [he already] had a setback. He came back strong. He was strong, of course. But then this happened. But I know he's going to come back. Four years is a long time, but for now, I don't want to talk too much because we don't even know what's going to happen officially." 

Aside from notching ferocious knockouts inside the UFC Octagon, Oezdemir has also made a name for himself by being a personable, likable dude in the MMA community. He's done a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), he's got a catchy nickname in "No Time," and his power is best summarized in one word: BOOP. He dished on all three of these subjects in greater detail during his sitdown with FloCombat. 

"Reddit was a fun experience, actually," he said. "I've never been there, so when somebody approached me to try an AMA, I was like, 'OK, but what is Reddit?' They showed me some fighters that did that already, and I looked at it, and I was like, 'That looks like fun.' I just went there, we busted jokes, and that was really cool, actually. 

"[The nickname 'No Time'] started when I was fighting in Denmark, in a tournament. It was three fights in one night, and all my fights were in the first minute mark, so all my friends called me, like a joke, 'No Time,' I don't have time for this shit. I didn't really officialize it until the Misha [Cirkunov] fight. After the Misha fight, I said, OK, maybe it's time to change my nickname because my older nickname ['Cousin'] was like, crap. And yeah, then I knocked Jimi [Manuwa] out in 43 seconds, so there was no better way to officialize the nickname." 

And that boop factor. Would Oezdemir share the secret formula for generating boop-worthy knockouts? 

"It's a secret," Oezdemir said. "The boop, it comes from the Almighty God. I cannot reveal the secret."  


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