Volkan Oezdemir Enters Plea For Assault Charge
Volkan Oezdemir got into some hot water after getting arrested following a bar fight in Fort Lauderdale in August.
Being next in line for a shot at light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, Oezdemir pleaded not guilty to the crime, and the case will apparently not affect his availability for UFC 220 on January 20.
His next court date is February 22, and prosecutors said he won’t be under any travel restrictions while the case is being adjudicated, meaning he’s good to go in terms of traveling to Boston and fight for the belt according to MMA Fighting.
Oezdemir, 28, has had a meteoric rise within the ranks in the UFC, defeating Jimi Manuwa and Misha Cirkunov in less than a minute each. Just three fights into his UFC tenure, the Swiss national by way of Turkey is now fighting for the belt.
Oezdemir’s lawyer insists his client fought merely in self-defense and that he was entirely justified. Meanwhile, prosecutors say the man Oezdemir fought with, a man named Kevin Cohen, was knocked unconscious for 14 minutes and had to be treated at a nearby hospital for a concussion.
The UFC light heavyweight lives in the U.S. to train, but could face deportation if found guilty. Oezdemir was initially charged with second-degree felony aggravated assault causing grievous bodily harm, but prosecutors lessened the charge to third-degree felony battery.
