Moncton, Canada – UFC® will debut in Moncton, New Brunswick with a battle of light heavyweight contenders between No.2-ranked Volkan Oezdemir and No.9 Anthony Smith. UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: VOLKAN vs. SMITH goes down Saturday, October 27 from Avenir Centre and will air live on FS1. The event will broadcast in Canada on TSN and RDS.
A former 205-pound title challenger, Oezdemir(15-2, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla., USA by way of Fribourg, Switzerland) tore through the UFC ranks following his arrival in early 2017. After earning a short-notice decision win against Ovince Saint Preux, he scored rapid-fire knockouts over Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa. He now aims to stop a surging contender and stake his claim among the division’s elite.
Previously a middleweight mainstay, Smith(30-13, fighting out of Omaha, Neb., USA) has wasted no time since moving up to light heavyweight this June. Over the course of a seven-week span, he delivered spectacular first-round knockout wins over former champions Rashad Evans and Mauricio Rua. With momentum on his side, he now aims to continue his ascent up the light heavyweight ranks.
Additional bouts on the card include:
Light heavyweight contenders collide when No.10-ranked Misha Cirkunov (13-4, fighting out of Toronto, Canada by way of Riga, Latvia) faces No.13 Patrick Cummins (10-4, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla., USA)
In a clash of dangerous finishers, Gian Villante (16-10, fighting out of Bellmore, N.Y., USA) takes on Ed Herman (24-13 1NC, fighting out of Portland, Ore., USA)
Artem Lobov (14-14-1 1NC, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland by way of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) returns to action against Zubaira Tukhugov (18-4, fighting out of Grozny, Chechen Republic, Russia)
Atlantic Canada’s Gavin Tucker (10-1, fighting out of Halifax, Canada) moves down to bantamweight against Andre Soukhamthath (12-6, fighting out of Lake Worth, Fla. USA)
Nordine Taleb (14-5, fighting out of Montreal, Canada by way of St. Tropez, France) meets Sean Strickland (19-3-1, fighting out of Corona, Calif., USA) in a welterweight bout
No.14 women’s bantamweight Sarah Moras (5-4, fighting out of Kelowna, B.C., Canada) squares off with Talita Bernardo(5-2, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Thibault Gouti (12-4, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M., USA by way of Roulouse, France) locks horns withNasrat Haqparast (9-2, fighting out of Montreal, Canada by way of Hamburg, Germany)
Alex Garcia (15-4, fighting out of Montreal, Canada by way of Santiago, Dominican Republic) battles Court McGee (19-6-1, fighting out of Orem, Utah, USA)
Stevie Ray (21-7, fighting out of Fife, Scotland) welcomes Jessin Ayari (16-4, fighting out of Nuremberg, Germany) to the lightweight division
Indo-Canadian heavyweight Arjan Bhullar(7-1, fighting out of Vancouver, Canada) looks to defend home soil against fellow prospect Marcelo Golm (6-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Calvin Kattar (18-3, fighting out of Metheun, Mass., USA) looks to rebound against UFC newcomer Chris Fishgold(17-1-1, fighting out of Liverpool, England)
Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series contract winner Te Edwards (6-1, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz., USA) will make his UFC debut against Don Madge(7-3-1, fighting out of Cape Town, South Africa)
Fight Game Asia 