Daniel Cormier Believes Volkan Oezdemir Bout Will Still Happen

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is changing his tune in regards to his next fight.

Just last week he considered that potentially not fighting Volkan Oezdemir could be a reality, but now, he believes that he will fight the UFC prospect as expected early next year.

It’s well known by now that Oezdemir was arrested and charged with felony battery in Florida as a result of a  bar fight in August where Oezdemir allegedly hit an individual. Oezdemir was released on $10,000 bond.

The promotion is looking to book this bout at January’s UFC 220 in Boston, but Oezdemir’s arrest has put this bout in jeopardy.

Oezdemir’s manager released a statement on the fighter’s behalf after the arrest to make it known that the incident was “nothing more than a bar room altercation in which Mr. Oezdemir, who was not the aggressor, was totally justified in all of his actions pursuant to Florida law.”

Cormier expects Oezdemir to be allowed to compete at UFC 220 in two months.

“I believe the fight still happens, because from my understanding, he was defending himself,” Cormier said on his podcast, Talk and Talker (transcript courtesy of Bloody Elbow). “And if these guys were doing anything, and it can be proven it was self-defense, you do have the right to defend yourself. So if he’s defending himself, the fight will still happen. Hopefully it happens as scheduled.”

“If it doesn’t, that’s a whole other can of worms. (But) I think he may be OK. If it was domestic, you’re f-cked. Anything domestic, it’s over. There’s no questions, there’s no no grey area. You f-cking hit a woman, you’re f-cking done. As it should be. So we’ll see.”

Cormier originally lost the title to Jon Jones at UFC 214 this past July. However, once news broke that Jones failed a USADA test then “DC” was reinstated as champion.