Volkan Oezdemir's alleged battery victim claims being knocked out unconscious

Details have emerged in the battery case involving UFC light heavyweight title contender Volkan Oezdemir, including the name of the alleged victim.

Oezdemir was arrested Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability as the result of what Oezdemir’s manager called a “bar room altercation” that took place Aug. 12. The charge carries a maximum 15-year sentence.

According to the police report, the alleged victim, Kevin Cohen, claims he was knocked out unconscious after being punched by Oezdemir outside a bar called Capone’s.

Per MMAFighting.com, which cited the police report:

Kevin Cohen, the alleged victim, told police that he went outside after hearing a friend had been knocked unconscious following a verbal altercation with another man. Upon asking who knocked out his friend, Cohen told cops that he looked up and was hit in the face.

Cohen said he lost consciousness for about 14 minutes and was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for concussion symptoms and given multiple staples for lacerations. Cohen said people present outside Capone’s told him it was Oezdemir that hit him.

Fort Lauderdale police investigated the allegations that Oezdemir also struck Cohen’s friend, Sergio Sandoval, but could not reach Sandoval by phone or mail, per the incident report. Oezdemir is currently only being charged for the alleged attack on Cohen; the alleged battery of Sandoval has been designated as inactive.

Oezdemir (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), a 28-year-old Switzerland native, has been training in South Florida with Combat Club, a team formed in the wake of the general dissolution of the Blackzilians.

Earlier this month, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) told MMAjunkie that he and Oezdemir, who’s No. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, were close to finalizing a title fight. At the time, Cormier said the title bout likely would happen in early 2018.

In a statement, UFC officials said they’re aware of Oezdemir’s arrest and looking into it.

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