Volkan Oezdemir Reacts To Recent ‘Bar Room’ Arrest
Earlier today (Nov. 19, 2017), it was reported that surging light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir was arrested yesterday (Nov. 18, 2017) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.
According to Oezdemir’s manager, Frederic Englund, who sent a statement to MMAjunkie regarding the issue, the arrest came after a ‘bar room altercation’ that occurred in August. Englund also claimed that Oezdemir was ‘not the aggressor’ and that he ‘was totally justified in all of his actions’:
“Volkan Oezdemir appeared in a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida courtroom Sunday morning in response to allegations from an incident in a Ft. Lauderdale bar on August 12, 2017. Mr. Oezdemir was accompanied by his attorney Bruce A. Zimet. Following a brief hearing (before) a Broward County Circuit judge, Mr. Oezdemir was granted a $10,000 bond during the pendency of his case. Mr. Zimet, a former federal prosecutor, described the incident that formed the basis of the case as 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.
“Mr. Oezdemir expressed his faith in the America judicial system and looks forward to all of the facts involved in the August 12, 2017 incident being made public. Mr. Oezdemir has full confidence that when the full picture is presented that he will be totally vindicated.”
Oezdemir has had a triumphant 2017, scoring three consecutive victories since entering the UFC. He scored a split-decision victory over Ovince Saint Preux in February before picking up back-to-back stoppage victories over Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa. Both of those stoppages came in less than one minute.
Given his recent winning streak, it’s been rumored that “No Time” could be next in line to challenge Daniel Cormier for the 205-pound title. It’s currently unclear how this situation will impact the UFC’s plans.
