MMAjunkie’s ‘2017 Breakout Fighter of the Year’: UFC newcomer wasted no time rising up

By: Simon Samano | January 3, 2018 6:00 pm

Volkan Oezdemir wasn’t on the UFC roster to begin 2017. By year’s end, he was granted a shot at the light heavyweight title.

For that reason, Oezdemir has been chosen as MMAjunkie’s 2017 “Breakout Fighter of the Year.” After just three fights with the promotion, which took place in a span of roughly six months, he’s set to challenge champ Daniel Cormier later this month at UFC 220 in Boston.

Oezdemir was signed by the UFC in early 2017 and made his debut as a short-notice replacement against top-10 competitor Ovince Saint Preux in February at UFC Fight Night 104. After a close fight, in which he was rocked on a few occasions, the judges awarded Oezdemir an upset split-decision win to make him the first Switzerland-born fighter to compete and win in the UFC.

Oezdemir, proud of that accomplishment, declared his intentions afterward.

“I want to climb the ranks,” then-unknown Oezdemir told MMAjunkie backstage. “I don’t know where my rank is going to be, because I wasn’t even existent before this fight. I don’t know. I hope people count on me a little bit. I’m here.”

Oezdemir was next booked to fight Misha Cirkunov in May at UFC Fight Night 109. Cirkunov entered the bout heavily hyped and on an eight-fight winning streak, including four with the UFC, all by stoppage. And Cirkunov had just signed a new UFC deal. To many, that was his time to shine, but Oezdemir had other ideas.

Cirkunov pressed forward in the early going, backing up Oezdemir with an aggressive punch combination. And then suddenly the tables turned. Out of nowhere, Oezdemir landed a short right hand on the charging Cirkunov just behind his ear, dropping him on his face for the violent knockout win after just 28 seconds.

Earlier in the week, Oezdemir warned people not to doubt him but said afterward he understood why they would.

“I know how it is. I know the fight game,” Oezdemir said. “It’s tough, and it doesn’t last long. So when you’re inside the cage, you need to make the most of it.”

He added, “I want to be the fastest guy rising to the title.”

Immediately after beating Cirkunov, Oezdemir turned his attention to Jimi Manuwa, who at the time had consecutive knockout wins that earned him “Performance of the Night” honors. Oezdemir got his wish at UFC 214 in July, and the stakes were high, given that Manuwa would be next in line for a title shot with a win.

Oezdemir, though, stole the spotlight with an emphatic 42-second knockout of Manuwa to state his case as a title contender. And just like that, “No Time” was born.

So what do you think? Did we get it right? Who would your pick have been for “Breakout Fighter of the Year?” Sound off in the comments.

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