UFC London’s Volkan Oezdemir says Johnny Walker’s methodical rise at 205 is ‘a coward’s move’

Bloodyelbow.com

Volkan Oezdemir understands why Johnny Walker wants to take his time moving up the light-heavyweight division, but he finds the whole thing a tad cowardly.

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Oezdemir, 29, found himself competing for the UFC light-heavyweight championship in just his fourth UFC fight. Although things did not go his way, he would not have had it any other way. Speaking on Walker’s plans for a slow rise up the 205 ranks, Oedezmir told Bloody Elbow he was not impressed by the Brazilian’s methods.

“I understand that it’s smart, but for me it’s all about risk and reward,” he said. “If you are willing to go out there and prove you are the best, you don’t want to take time off and be all about security. I think that’s a coward’s move. If you really want to prove you’re the best you should just f—king do it.”

That is exactly what Oezdemir plans to do against prospect Dominick Reyes at UFC London on Saturday, March 16.

“I think right now, one of the good advantages I have is the experience. All of my fights in the UFC have been against top competitors,” he said of his upcoming bout. “I’ve been fighting high-profile guys back-to-back. His striking his good, but it’s sloppy. He stands too tall and he is easily hittable.”

After conquering Reyes, Oezdemir hopes to fight Alexander Gustafsson. “I still want to fight Gustafsson,” he insisted. “That is a fight I have wanted for a long time. It almost happened and then I broke my nose for a second time. That was a bummer… Gustafsson is definitely someone I have in mind.”

Oezdemir will have to wait for Gustafsson to resolve things with Anthony Smith at UFC Stockholm on June 1. Oezdemir vs. Reyes will serve as a main card attraction at Saturday’s UFC London headlined by Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal.