Volkan Oezdemir Finally Clear of Felony Battery Charge
Volkan Oezdemir's court case related to an alleged bar fight that was believed to have taken place in August of 2017 has finally reached a resolution.
Oezdemir's fight schedule has been rather unstable this year, as he battled a charge of felony battery with great bodily harm in Broward County, Florida. The charge stemmed from an alleged bar fight in August of 2017, but Oezdemir pleaded not guilty to the charge against him.
Oezdemir made a court appearance on Monday, July 9, where his case was dismissed.
"This morning (July 9, 2018), all criminal charges against Volkan Oezdemir were dismissed by the Broward County State Attorney’s Office. The announcement of the dismissal (Nolle Pros.) was made in open Court in Ft. Lauderdale," Oezdemir's attorney, Bruce A. Zimet, told MMAWeekly.com on Monday.
"Mr. Oezdemir will not make any statement or any additional comments concerning today’s events."
Oezdemir (15-2) has fought once since the incident, losing to light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 in Boston earlier this year. He has since been bounced around several fight cards due to travel restrictions stemming from his case.
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Oezdemir had been scheduled to fight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC Fight Night 129 on May 12 in Santiago, Chile, but the fight was moved to the UFC Fight Night 134 headliner scheduled for July 22 in Hamburg, Germany. Even that move didn't stick, even though it is now clear of his court case.
Looking for a suitable opponent for Alexander Gustafsson's return to the Octagon, UFC officials determined that Oezdemir was the best placed opponent for the Swede. So they pulled the Swiss fighter from his bout with Shogun and moved him to UFC 227, where he will meet Gustafsson on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles.
