V. Oezdemir (photo) asks for a fight against T. Marreta. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFC
Coming from two consecutive victories and currently in seventh place in the light heavyweight rankings (up to 93kg), the Swiss Volkan oezdemir has plans to move up even further in the division dominated by Jon Jones in 2020. The combatant suggested a fight against Thiago Marreta for the future. The statement was made in an interview with 'MMA Junkie'.
“Thiago Santos (Marreta) will be a fun fight and will bring lots of fireworks,” said the Swiss.
Volkan is aiming for the chance to face the athlete from Cidade de Deus (RJ) after Marreta's great performance against Jon Jones, when the Brazilian provided the champion with one of the biggest challenges of his career. In the fight, which took place in July last year, for UFC 239, 'Bones' emerged victorious in a split decision from the judges. The result made Santos the number one challenger in the category.
Thiago, however, is not Oezdemir's only option. According to the Swiss, if it is not possible to face the Brazilian, for now, the athlete would like to face another former UFC title challenger.
“I also wanted the fight against (Alexander) Gustafsson. I know he plays dead until he finds an easy fight, but in the meantime, he wants to stay active and fight the strongest guy in the group”, he concluded.
If he wishes to face Marreta, at first, Volkan will have to wait for the Brazilian to recover. The athlete has not performed since the challenge against Jones. After the show, serious injuries were confirmed to the fighter's two knees and Thiago underwent surgery. There is a possibility that Santos will return to the Octagon in June.
Gustafsson has not performed since the setback he suffered to Anthony Smith, in June last year. Currently in eighth place in the rankings, the Swede announced his retirement from the sport, but changed his mind and decided to return to fighting professionally.
