The UFC’s bumper card in Los Angeles on August 4th has taken a hit after it was revealed that former light heavyweight #1 contender Volkan Oezdemir has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 227 with Alexander Gustafsson.
It is understood that the Swiss fighter, who is nicknamed ‘No Time’ due to the expediency in which he finishes his opponents, suffered a broken nose in training. News of the withdrawal was reported by Ariel Helwani of ESPN.
Breaking: Volkan Oezdemir is out of UFC 227 due to injury. He was scheduled to face Alexander Gustafsson on Aug. 4. UFC currently seeking a replacement for Gustafsson but no guarantee he’ll remain on the card. More coming to ESPN shortly.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 19, 2018
Per Helwani, the UFC are attempting to secure a replacement fight for the Swede but that is proving to be troublesome given that several of the 205-pound division’s top ranked fighters are currently booked to fight. Glover Teixeira, Mauricio Rua, Anthony Smith and Corey Anderson are all currently unavailable, while Jimi Manuwa and Ilir Latifi are training partners of Gustafsson.
Yoel Romero, who is said to be considering a move to light heavyweight, was also said to be in the running but a recent surgery dictates that he will be unable to be ready for the August 4th date.
Khalil Rountree Jr., reports Helwani, is also understood to be in the running to face Gustafsson. Rountree Jr. is coming off a stunning first round knockout of Gokhan Saki at UFC 226.
