The main card promised a hell of a lot for UFC 214 as it looked to be one of the most stacked cards we've ever seen, and sure enough, the very first fight served up a dramatic upset.
Volkan Oezdemir was 2-0 in the UFC coming in against Jimi Manuwa but the British fighter had spoken openly about the possibility of him stepping into the main event if either Jones or Cormier dropped out, and thus may have had his eye off the ball. Any hopes he had of a potential title shot were dealt a massive blow by the Swiss monster who announced himself into the shakeup at light heavyweight in emphatic fashion.
Manuwa appeared to give his opponent far too much space in the clinch and Oezdemir gladly made him pay by staggering him with a combo before going in for the finish.
GOOD LORD @Volkan_Oezdemir is here to STAY!! #UFC214 pic.twitter.com/YAYYiIuqfp
— #UFC214 (@ufc) July 30, 2017
Manuwa had no idea what happened.
Speaking to Joe Rogan after the fight, Oezdemir claimed he wanted a shot at the winner of Jones/Cormier, but while he will leapfrog Jimi Manuwa in the rankings, the presence of Alexander Gustafsson complicates things.
That was his 3rd fight since February, so it will be interesting to see when we next see him in the octagon, but having gone on record as saying he wants to set a record for the fastest time going from unranked fighter to champion, we may not have to wait long.
