UFC Fight Night 156: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche II - Predictions and Picks

#4 Volkan Oezdemir vs. Ilir Latifi

Volkan Oezdemir's back could be against the wall when he faces Ilir Latifi

Like the much more-hyped Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov clash, this Light-Heavyweight fight simply feels cursed – to the point where I can’t help thinking one of the two is going to come down with an injury or miss weight or something of the like before Saturday’s show. Initially, they should’ve fought in June at Fight Night 153, but Latifi was forced out two days prior to the show with a back injury.

Next, they were re-booked for last week’s ESPN show in New Jersey, only for Oezdemir to be denied a visa to enter the US, forcing the UFC to move the pairing to this show. Hopefully, it’ll finally go ahead this time.

In my preview for their fight in June that was cancelled (which you can find here)- I essentially pointed out that Oezdemir's initial run to the top of the division was somewhat of an anomaly, as he capitalised on the thin nature of 205lbs more than anything.

So while his wins over Jimi Manuwa and Misha Cirkunov were excellent at the time, hindsight has proven that both men have serious durability issues, and while there's no shame in losing to Daniel Cormier, since then Oezdemir has largely reverted to the mean by also losing to higher-ranked foes like Anthony Smith and Dominick Reyes.

Latifi on the other hand is somewhat limited by his short and stocky frame, particularly against more dynamic opponents, but he packs a lot of striking power, has one of the better wrestling games in the division and while cardio isn't a hugely strong area for him, I've never seen him as tired as Oezdemir got in that Smith fight.

Essentially then, Oezdemir probably needs to catch the Swede with something heavy and get him out of there early on before he can establish his grappling.

Given Latifi's extreme toughness - he's only been stopped twice in his UFC career - I think he can survive that early rush from Oezdemir to grind him out.

The Pick: Latifi via unanimous decision