Oezdemir serves as the subject in this installment of The Film Room.
Oezdemir made a name for himself by beating Ovince St. Preux in his UFC debut, but knockout wins over Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa truly put him on the map. Both knockout punches seemingly had little power behind them, but they crumbled both opponents and earned Oezdemir a title shot. Being able to generate power with short punches is quite rare and pulling it off in back-to-back fights showed that his power was no fluke. Oezdemir has struggled to get off much offense in his last three fights, but his best performances are always in the back of his opponents’ minds and forces them to fight a bit more patiently than usual for fear of being knocked out.
Oezdemir comes by his “No Time” nickname honestly, as he is constantly blitzing forward with wild combos even if it means putting himself out of position to defend. This is not the smartest way to approach a fight, but his aggression and power, coupled with the ability to take a punch, have been enough to overwhelm some opponents. His aggressive nature has gotten him this far, so it would probably would not be wise for him to tone it down at this stage of his career. However, if he is going to keep his current style, he needs to work on his defense and on tightening up his punches so that they are more accurate. This wild style was exposed in his last three fights, and he made few adjustments prior to each fight. Even so, Oezdemir is still only 29 years old, and inside a division desperate for contenders, he could certainly fight for a title again in the future.
Although he is almost always the leading man, Oezdemir does possess some decent counters when working on the outside. He favors the counter lead hook, especially when the opponent throws a low kick, but he does not get the opportunity to counter often. If he wants to stay at the highest level of the division, he needs to learn how to blend moments of countering from the outside with his usual aggression to keep opponents guessing.
Oezdemir has his fair share of flaws on the feet. Although his aggressive leads are where he does his best work, they can also be his biggest undoing. There is a major difference between someone who fights aggressive and someone who fights wild. Jon Jones would be considered an aggressive fighter, but he rarely puts himself out of position and almost always stays defensively responsible. Oezdemir, on the other hand, is flat-out wild. He constantly puts himself in positions to be countered and often squares his stance and crosses his feet when coming forward, all while dropping his hands when throwing wide hooks to the head. His striking difficulties have been exposed in his last few fights, and if he does not make significant changes, he will not be able to handle anybody at the top of the division.
On the regional scene, Oezdemir’s grappling was good enough for him to hold his own against most opponents, but his deficiencies were quickly exploited once he signed with Bellator MMA in 2013. He often looks completely lost on the ground and has some of the worst takedown defense in the division. If the fight hits the ground, his only chance is to lock down his opponent and hope for a restart. Cormier dominated him on the mat before finishing him with ground-and-pound, and Anthony Smith later submitted him. Latifi does not figure to initiate grappling exchanges since he also struggles on the ground. Nevertheless, the book on Oezdemir indicates that the best way to beat him is to take him down and slowly pick him apart.