Daniel Cormier V Volkan Oezdemir Preview : Forget about Jon Jones!
UFC 220 is upon us and it's the first major MMA pay-per-view of the year. The headlining event is Francis Ngannou bidding to win the UFC heavyweight title from Stipe Miocic, but Daniel Cormier will defend his UFC light heavyweight title too, but it's not the Jon Jones rematch that everyone had hoped for, it's Volkan Oezdemir. The 28-year-old Swiss fighter is undefeated in his three UFC bouts and is sure to give DC a real test when they clash at the TD Garden in Boston on Saturday night.
Odds of 4/1 are available with Betfair for Cormier to win in round one (£100 free bet)
DC
Daniel Cormier is one of those fighters who in any other generation would be the best of his era. Unfortunately for him, Jon Jones has been around at the same time and he is easily one of the greatest fighters in MMA history pound-for-pound - drugs be damned. Jones has beaten Cormier twice - although the second has since been stricken from the record - and those are the only losses of the 38-year-old's career. Cormier is a former heavyweight that has beaten talents in the calibre of Frank Mir, but since he has been back at light-heavyweight, he's taken out the legendary Anderson Silva, Anthony Johnson and Dan Henderson in career-defining fights. We all know DC is a top-tier wrestler who came runner-up in the NCAA Division I collegiate tournament (something Brock Lesnar won), but he hasn't won via KO since his light-heavyweight debut against Patrick Cummins.
Get odds of 1/3 with Coral for Daniel Cormier to win (£20 free bet)
No Time
Another former heavyweight that has taken a step down into light-heavyweight in recent years, Volkan Oezdemir is a great matchup against Cormier. He has won both of his last two bouts via knockout and has looked extremely impressive in the process. Being that Cormier is a first-class clencher and not a big striker, Oezdemir is a former kickboxer who can hurt you with punches and kicks in a heartbeat. His best chance is catching Cormier on the way in and given he has the height advantage, it wouldn't be too surprising to see that be his game plan. The 28-year-old sparked Jimi Manuwa out in the first round at UFC 214 and put his name firmly in title contention, but make no mistake, Cormier is a well-oiled machine that isn't as gung-ho as Manuwa.
Betfair are offering odds of 12/5 for Volkan Oezdemir to win (£100 free bet)
FREEbets.org.uk Prediction
Stylistically, Oezdemir will fancy himself against Cormier and he certainly has the power advantage. However, Cormier is such an astute fighter and he has been against opponents of this nature many times before. Chances are, he will navigate this fight and take it the distance in total control. He's that good, he can.
Odds of 7/2 are available with Paddy Power for Daniel Cormier to win via points (£20 free bet)
Statistics
- Daniel Cormier has only ever lost to Jon Jones
- Volkan Oezdemir has won his last two fights via KO
- Volkan Oezdemir is 10 years younger than Daniel Cormier