Volkan Oezdemir Felt Aleksandar Rakic Getting ‘Weaker’ As UFC Busan Bout Progressed

The last time Volkan Oezdemir was involved in a split decision, the scorecards didn’t go his way.

“No Time” had a far more enjoyable experience on Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 165 co-main event, as he edged up-and-coming light heavyweight Aleksandar Rakic via split verdict in a competitive battle at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. Oezdemir battered his opponent’s lead leg with low kicks, stuffed multiple takedowns and landed strong shots to the body in close quarters to earn his second consecutive triumph within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“I felt really good. The [longer it went] was going, the more the fight was mine. I could feel his body get tired, get weaker,” Oezdemir said. “ Every time I was hitting him with the body shots or knees to the body, I felt his breath going away. I also saw his mental going down and down, so the fight was becoming more mine each round.”

Oezdemir has already seen his share of peaks and valleys in the UFC. He began his promotional tenure with three consecutive victories — including first-round KOs of Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa — to quickly earn a light heavyweight title shot. The Swiss fighter was then dominated by Daniel Cormier and proceeded to lose two more fights after that.

Since that skid, Oezdemir has shown that he is not an afterthought at 205 pounds with back-to-back triumphs over Rakic and Iliri Latifi. Even more impressive, the 30-year-old hinted that he was at less than 100 percent against Rakic on Saturday.

“I was battling some injuries during this camp, but I didn’t want to give up for the Korean fans, for all the UFC fans,” he said. “I kept on going. I’m not somebody who gives up. I fight through the injuries, I fight through the toughness and I’m here in the Octagon just to face all the danger and go out victorious.”

Dominick Reyes, the last man to defeat Oezdemir, will challenge Jon Jones for light heavyweight gold at UFC 247 in February. When Reyes beat Oezdemir by split decision, the majority of media scorers had the fight in favor of “No Time.” Next, Oezdemir has his sights set on rematches with Reyes and Anthony Smith, who also also owns a victory over the Switzerland native.

“I’m waiting in the corner for Reyes. He is going to do his thing and as soon as he is back, I’m going to be here waiting for him,” Oezdemir said. “In the meantime, there is someone I want to face again and that person is Anthony Smith.”