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Volkan Oezdemir vs. Nikita Krylov will take place on the preliminary card of UFC 280 this weekend. The light heavyweight contest will be the 13th UFC outing for Volkan Oezdemir, while Nikita Krylov will be making his 21st appearance under the promotion's banner.
Based on the UFC's official stats, Krylov stands slightly taller at 6'2" (75 inches) than Oezdemir, whose height is 6'1" (74 inches). Krylov also has a reach advantage, with his being 77.5 inches compared to Oezdemir's 75-inch reach.
Volkan 'No Time' Oezdemir weighed in at 205.5 pounds in his latest bout against Paul Craig at UFC London. Nikita 'The Miner' Krylov, meanwhile, weighed in at 204 pounds for his most recent fight, which came against Alexander Gustafsson on the same card as Oezdemir's latest outing.
Volkan Oezdemir made his UFC debut in 2017 against Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie. The 32-year-old Swiss fighter has a UFC record of 6-5, with an overall slate of 18-6.
Nikita Krylov is on his second UFC run, having previously fought in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. He joined the UFC in 2013 and left in 2017, only to rejoin the organization in 2018. The 30-year-old has a UFC record of 9-7, with an overall MMA resume of 28-9.
Volkan Oezdemir vs. Nikita Krylov: Who will secure the win?
Both fighters will enter Saturday's contest following returns to the win column.
Volkan Oezdemir suffered back-to-back losses at UFC 251 and UFC 267 before his win against Paul Craig earlier this year. 'No Time' currently sits at No. 8 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.
Oezdemir's last finish came against Ilir Latifi via knockout in 2019, for which he won a Performance of the Night bonus.
Similar to Oezdemir, Nikita Krylov suffered back-to-back losses against Paul Craig and Magomed Ankalaev before his win against Gustafsson. Krylov knocked 'The Mauler' out in the first round, earning him a bonus. Krylov is currently placed at No. 10 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.
Volkan Oezdemir's latest win came against Craig, a man who previously defeated Nikita Krylov via triangle choke submission. Interestingly, both men have had unanimous decision losses to Ankalaev.
UFC 280 marks a crucial fight for both men, as a win will see them throw their name into contention towards the top of the division.
