Volkan Oezdemir has new foe in mind after Ilir Latifi scratch from UFC on ESPN+ 11

Volkan Oezdemir was preparing for the most serious portion of his weight cut for UFC on ESPN+ 11 when he walked into a room and his entire team was present. Right then, he knew bad news was on the way.

Oezdemir’s (15-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) instinct was right. He was informed his scheduled opponent Ilir Latifi (14-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) was out of their light heavyweight matchup because of a last-minute back injury. There was hope for a late replacement fight, but shortly thereafter it was confirmed he wouldn’t compete on Saturday’s card.

Many fighters would be overcome with frustration and other emotions in that situation, but Oezdemir took it in stride. In fact, he showed up to a Q&A prior to Friday’s UFC on ESPN+ 11 ceremonial weigh-ins and discussed the situation with fans.

“I’m not going to go into details, but it’s what happened,” Oezdemir said. “It’s weight cut time and everything’s getting a little bit difficult, so he pulled his back and he wasn’t able to fight. Here I am. I’m ready to fight. I was hoping something would happen, a last-minute change, but it wasn’t meant to be, so I’m looking forward to the next one.”

UFC on ESPN+ 11 takes place at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. The entire card streams on ESPN+.

The matchup with Latifi was a critical one for Oezdemir’s career. He’s currently on a three-fight losing skid and is approaching two years without a win. Despite holding a friendship with Latifi, “No Time” knew he needed to accept the fight so he could have a chance to get back on track.

Now that it fell apart, though, Oezdemir doesn’t seem too keen to reschedule. The severity of Latifi’s back injury is unknown and therefor a comeback date is difficult to predict, but Oezdemir is already thinking about a different matchup.

Oezdemir said he wants a rematch with Dominick Reyes (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who he lost to by split decision at UFC on ESPN+ 5 in March.

“For me the one I really want to avenge the most is my last fight,” Oezdemir said. “Dominick Reyes, his win is a stain on my record so I want to make it right.”

Whether the UFC considers obliging to Oezdemir’s request remains to be seen. He’s still digesting the immediate fallout of his canceled fight and said he hopes the best for Latifi.

“Right now the fight got canceled and things happen,” Oezdemir said “It’s too bad. I just wish a quick recovery for Ilir.”

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