ABU DHABI – Fighting Nikita Krylov has twice the incentive for Volkan Oezdemir.
Almost immediately after Oezdemir (18-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) and Krylov picked up wins on the same night in London this past July, the pair were matched up for Saturday’s UFC 280 event when Krylov respectfully called him out.
Oezdemir snapped Paul Craig’s winning streak, whereas Krylov (28-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) picked up a quick knockout of Oezdemir’s teammate, Alexander Gustafsson.
“This kind of fight makes sense for me,” Oezdemir told MMA Junkie. “I’ve got to go there and avenge my teammate and get the victory.”
He continued, “Obviously Gustafsson was his biggest win ever. His biggest fight, his biggest win and something that made him shine, but definitely it’s gonna be different with me. I’m here to impose my style, and I’m here to impose my game.”
Oezdemir was able to get back to the win column with his big win over Craig and is hoping to land a top-five opponent with a win over Krylov.
“It’s always good, because I’m here to stay,” Oezdemir said of bouncing back. “I’m here to climb the ranks, to get victory after victory, and now it’s good to get this behind and continue the winning streak.”
He continued, “Definitely it’s gonna make me improve, but then I obviously need a top-five guy after that just to put my name in the mix of the title shot. So, I need a victory against the top five after this fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
