A fight between two young, top-10 light heavyweights is in the works for March, with verbal agreements being in place between Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir, as initially reported by BJPenn.com. Verbal agreements are reportedly in place for the bout to take place at UFC on ESPN+ 5 on March 16 at The O2 in London.
With a new champion crowed at UFC 232 with Jon Jones reclaiming the light heavyweight throne, there has instantly been movement in the division in response. Both Anthony Smith and Corey Anderson have been lobbying for the next crack at Jon Jones, and for 29-year old Dominick Reyes, a victory over former title challenger Oezdemir could put him in position for a title shot in 2019 as well. Dominick Reyes currently boasts an undefeated 10-0 record, going 2-0 in 2018. In his last outing, Reyes defeated Ovince Saint Preux in his first decision win in the UFC, thus proving that he is capable of going the distance.
Volkan Oezdemir had a much more somber 2018, going 0-2 for the year, a far cry from his 3-0 record the previous year, where he crashed into the UFC’s light heavyweight division and earned a title opportunity in the process. In 2018, Oezdemir lost to Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 and then Anthony Smith most recently at UFC Fight Night 138. Oezdemir will look to get back on track in this reported bout against fellow banger Dominick Reyes.
What are your thoughts on the matchmaking? Is Volkan Oezdemir vs. Dominick Reyes the fight to make right now?
