UFC champion Daniel Cormier had the perfect opponent lined up for his next defence, but that fight is now in serious doubt.
If Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones were both active and atop the pile, the shallow nature of the UFC’s light heavyweight division may not be as prevalent as it is right now. Both men are among the greatest to ever compete in the sport, but following another failed drug test, Jones is expected to be on ice for an extended period.
The division was crying out for a rising star to breathe new life into it and in 2017, its prayers were answered in the form of Volkan Oezdemir.
Nine months after signing for the promotion, the Swiss knockout artist secured his crack at the belt. Three wins against ranked opponents including a brutal first-round knockout against Jimi Manuwa, the man the UFC had been courting for a title shot, earned him a shot at UFC gold.
What a start to the main card! 😱
Volkan Oezdemir lights up #UFC214 with a stunning first-round KO of Jimi Manuwa! 💪 pic.twitter.com/FTHjDiVWxE
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) July 30, 2017
Unfortunately, a recent charge for aggravated battery against ‘No Time’ means that there are doubts over whether Cormier vs Oezdemir will headline UFC 220 in January as expected. While DC admitted that he would be willing to take on Ovince Saint Preux or Alexander Gustafsson instead, he may be missing out on a golden opportunity to make history.
Another man who has apparently sorted out his contract issues and will be looking for a fight in early 2018 is heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Miocic has already defeated everyone in the top five, except former champion Cain Velasquez, who hasn’t fought since scoring a TKO victory over Travis Browne in June 2016. While Velasquez challenging for Miocic’s belt would likely perform extremely well at the PPV, the two-time champion’s persistent injury problems mean it’s difficult to bank on him showing up for a headliner.
The winner of Francis Ngannou vs Alistair Overeem will definitely be seeking a title fight, but that bout is scheduled for December which may mean the victor won’t be able to make the requisite turnaround to fight Miocic.
Cormier is undefeated at heavyweight, won the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix has wins over the likes of Josh Barnett, Frank Mir, ‘Bigfoot’ Silva and Roy Nelson. Maybe moving up for a superfight while the 205 lb division sorts itself out isn’t the worst idea.
In fact, it could be a pretty lucrative one.
