Volkan Oezdemir

Overview

Five of his nine UFC wins ended in the first round, and the fastest took 28 seconds. Volkan Oezdemir, "No Time" to his fans, is a Light Heavyweight from Fribourg, Switzerland, with a 9-7 UFC record and a 21-8-0 professional record across all promotions.

The nickname fits. Four of his first-round finishes came by KO/TKO and one by submission, and only one of his finishes needed a second round. He fights out of Allstars Training Center as an orthodox striker.

He has not been far from the top of the division, but the record shows how hard it is to stay there. Seven losses, four of them by decision. The wins arrive early and the losses tend to go the distance.

UFC Career

Oezdemir debuted in February 2017 with a split-decision win over Ovince Saint Preux. Then came the run that earned the nickname: Misha Cirkunov in 28 seconds at Fight Night in May, and Jimi Manuwa in 42 seconds at UFC 214 that July. Three fights, three wins, two of them inside a minute.

The next stretch went the other way. He lost to Daniel Cormier by second-round TKO at UFC 220, an elite opponent by our model's tiers. In October 2018 he headlined a Fight Night against Anthony Smith and lost by submission in round three. A split decision against Dominick Reyes followed, making it three straight defeats.

He recovered with a second-round TKO of Ilir Latifi and a split decision over Aleksandar Rakic. Then Jiri Prochazka stopped him in 49 seconds of round two at UFC 251, and Magomed Ankalaev beat him on the cards at UFC 267.

The back half of his career is a series of short streaks. He beat Paul Craig by decision, lost to Nikita Krylov, then submitted Bogdan Guskov in the first round. A first-round TKO of Johnny Walker in June 2024 came next, followed by a unanimous decision loss to Carlos Ulberg, another elite opponent. He then knocked out Alonzo Menifield in 87 seconds in November 2025 and carries a one-fight win streak into his next bout.

His longest streak is three wins. Still, he keeps coming back with a finish.

Fighting Style

Oezdemir is a busy striker who throws and lands at a high clip. His accuracy, defense and the damage he takes all sit around the UFC average, so the volume comes without much extra risk. He is also hard to take down, and he rarely shoots for takedowns or hunts for submissions himself.

The finish pattern is front-loaded. Six of his nine UFC wins came by finish, and all six ended in round one or two. Five of those were first-round finishes, four by KO/TKO and one by submission. The other KO/TKO came in round two.

When a fight goes the distance, the record is rougher. He has three decision wins against four decision losses.

Notable Wins

• Jimi Manuwa — KO/TKO, round 1 (0:42), UFC 214 (2017)
• Misha Cirkunov — KO/TKO, round 1 (0:28), UFC Fight Night (2017)
• Johnny Walker — KO/TKO, round 1 (2:28), UFC Fight Night (2024)
• Alonzo Menifield — KO/TKO, round 1 (1:27), UFC Fight Night (2025)

Quick Facts

• Division: Light Heavyweight
• UFC record: 9-7
• Professional record (all promotions): 21-8-0
• UFC debut: 2017
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 6'2" / 75"
• Team: Allstars Training Center
• Born: Fribourg, Switzerland