Volkan Oezdemir and Nikita Krylov find themselves on the same card again, this time as opponents.
The UFC announced Friday that Oezdemir (18-6) is set to fight Krylov (28-9) in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 280, which takes place Oct. 22 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Two-fight losing streaks ended by both fighters when they won at UFC London in July.
This booking comes two years after Oezdemir and Krylov were scheduled to fight one another in Abu Dhabi in October 2020. Oezdemir had to cancel the fight due to knee injuries.
Oezdemir — a one-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger currently ranked No. 11 won a unanimous victory over Paul Craig, ending the six-fight streak of unbeaten submission specialists. That win boosted Oezdemir’s UFC record back over the . 500 mark at 6-5. This was the first win he had since winning a split-decision victory over Aleksandar Rakic, December 2019..
Krylov picked up a win over a three-time UFC title challenger in London, needing just 67 seconds to finish Alexander Gustafsson via strikes. “The Miner” is now 9-7 inside the octagon.
A pair of champion bouts headline the UFC 280. Charles Oliveira will fight Islam Makhachev in the main event. Aljamain Sterling, defending his bantamweight title, faces T.J. Dillashaw.
