Volkan Oezdemir is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment in Florida just days before he is slated to challenge light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 in Boston.
Oezdemir was arrested and then released on a $10,000 bond in November for an incident outside of a bar in Florida, which occurred in August of 2017. Oezdemir was originally charged with 2nd Degree Felony Battery, but the charge was later reviewed by the Florida State Attorney’s Office and reduced to a 3rd Degree Felony, according to filings with the Clerk’s Office of Broward County, Florida.
He is alleged to have punched and knocked out a man outside of a Ft. Lauderdale bar, who required medical attention at a local hospital.
Though Oezdemir and his team have insisted that he did nothing wrong and acted in accordance with Florida law at the time of the incident, the 28-year-old UFC light heavyweight will have to go before Judge Barbara Duffy on Jan. 9 in Broward County Circuit Court, facing a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison.
Oezdemir is scheduled to challenge Cormier for the light heavyweight title on Jan. 20 in Boston, which is just 11 days after the arraignment at which Oezdemir is required to appear.
Despite having to appear in court, Oezdemir has been steadfast in his confidence that he will be fighting on Jan. 20 and he will defeated Cormier to become the UFC’s next light heavyweight champion.
UFC 220 is headlined by Stipe Miocic putting his heavyweight title on the line against fast-rising star Francis Ngannou.
