Get your ready!@Volkan_Oezdemir faces @LionheartSmith in the main event at #UFCMoncton Oct. 27! pic.twitter.com/Pd2OMGfliE
— UFC (@ufc) August 2, 2018
Smith has been a force to be reckoned with after moving up from middleweight to light heavyweight in June of this year. So far, the 30-year-old has knocked out former title holders Rashad Evans and Rua in the opening minutes of round one.
Meanwhile, Oezdemir himself has had a meteoric rise within the light heavyweight division, scoring two quick knockouts over Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa before falling short in a title shot against Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 in January. Oezdemir had to deal with some legal issues stemming from an alleged assault, but has since been cleared to return to action after the charges were dropped.
Oezdemir was initially tied to a fight against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 227 this weekend, however a broken nose forced the Swiss knockout artist out of the bout.
The winner of Smith vs. Oezdemir will be primed for a possible title shot upon Cormier’s return to the light heavyweight division after capturing the heavyweight belt from Stipe Miocic last month.
The event will air live on FS1 from the Moncton Events Center.