Daniel Cormier to Defend Light Heavyweight Title vs. Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 in Boston

Daniel Cormier will defend his light heavyweight championship against Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220, the promotion announced Wednesday.

UFC 220 takes place on Jan. 20 at the TD Garden in Boston and will air on pay-per-view. Several bouts have been confirmed for the event, including a lightweight clash pitting Gleison Tibau against Islam Makhachev and a bantamweight tilt between Thomas Almeida and Rob Font.

Cormier last appeared at UFC 214, where he was stopped in the third round of his rematch with Jon Jones. However, “DC” was reinstated as 205-pound king due to Jones testing positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol after the bout. Prior to that, Cormier had won four straight fights, including successful title defenses against Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson.

It appears that an aggravated battery case won’t prevent Oezedmir, perhaps 2017’s biggest breakthrough fighter, from challenging for light heavyweight gold. The 28-year-old Switzerland native debuted in the Octagon with a split verdict over Ovince St. Preux before knocking out Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa in a combined 70 seconds to truly establish himself as a serious contender.