UFC light heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir reveals the words of wisdom that Soccer superstar Karim Benzema shared with him when the two met (Exclusive)

UFC light heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir has congratulated Real Madrid's Karim Benzema on his Ballon d'Or win and revealed the words of advice the French footballer gave him the first time the two met.

Real Madrid and French international striker Benzema was announced as this year's Men's Ballon d'Or winner this week after a hugely successful 2021/2022 season. The Frenchman lifted the league title with the Spanish soccer giants as well as the illustrious UEFA Champions League trophy earlier this year.

In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Oezdemir was asked if it was inspiring to see the Frenchman lift the award for the world's best player at the age of 34. The Swiss fighter is a year younger than Benzema and shared that the Frenchman has always been an inspiration:

"Always. Always, yeah. He's always on top. You know, when I met him, he talked to me and told me that it's easy to be on top, it's the hardest to stay there. It's something you see within him. He's 34 and he's in the best position that any attacker can dream of, being in Real Madrid. It's a prized position, everybody wants to be in your spot... It's definitely inspiring."

Catch Volkan Oezdemir's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA here:

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Volkan Oezdemir sends warning to Nikita Krylov

Volkan Oezdemir returns to the octagon this week when he faces Nikita Krylov on UFC 280's preliminary card in Abu Dhabi. The Swiss fighter last appeared at UFC Fight Night London in July, where he defeated Paul Craig via unanimous decision.

The 33-year-old Oezdemir has been quietly working on his craft after suffering some career setbacks. Once among the hottest prospects in MMA, Oezdemir was handed a title shot after just three fights and faced then-champ Daniel Cormier in January 2018. The step-up in competition proved to be too soon for 'No Time' and it started a streak of three losses.

Volkan Oezdemir is now 3-2 in his last five appearances and looked back to his best in his dominant win over Scotland's Paul Craig. In the same interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Oezdemir put down a stern warning to Nikita Krylov:

"I'm definitely here to remind him that this is still the big leagues. Everybody is a killer here. I'm ready to show him that that's the case. I'm here to stop his advance and remind everybody of who I am also."

Viewers in India can watch the LIVE coverage of UFC 280 on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 11:30 PM IST on October 22, 2022.