UFC Fight Night 180 on Oct. 17 Draws Co-Main of Volkan Oezdemir-Nikita Krylov

Your #UFCFightIsland6 co-main!@Volkan_Oezdemir vs @KrylovUFC is official! pic.twitter.com/rVJNY0kXGZ

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 24, 2020

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Oct. 17 event has added a fun light heavyweight tilt in the co-headliner spot.

The promotion announced the new co-main matchup on Thursday for UFC Fight Night 180 on Oct. 17. At 205 pounds, Volkan Oezdemir (17-5) will square off with Nikita Krylov (27-7), in a battle between two men that have won only five decisions across 44 victories. This fight card will be held at the Flash Forum in Yas Island, United Arab Emirates, in the fourth of a five-event stretch on the island.

Oezdemir saw a two-fight win streak end violently at the hands of Jiri Prochazka in July. Although Daniel Cormier finished him with strikes in their 2018 championship bout, the fight at UFC 251 against Prochazka marked the first time that “No Time” had ever been cleanly knocked out. When Oezdemir defeated Aleksandar Rakic in December, he became the first fighter to ever beat “The Rocket” on the scorecards.

Krylov started his career with 32 consecutive bouts that ended inside the distance. Since then, he dropped a split verdict to Glover Teixeira in September 2019, and most recently won his first decision against Johnny Walker in March. Posting a finish rate of 96 percent, the Ukrainian fighter holds wins over names like Ovince St. Preux, the aforementioned Walker, Ed Herman and Walt Harris.

UFC Fight Night 180 will be topped by a featherweight grudge match between Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung on Oct. 17 on Yas Island, United Arab Emirates. Also featured on the card is a women’s flyweight scrap as former strawweight queen Jessica Andrade moves to 125 pounds against ex-title challenger Katlyn Chookagian.