Volkan Oezdemir is moving from the main event of UFC Fight Night Hamburg and will now face Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 227 according to a report from Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
Mauricio Rua is still expected to headline the Hamburg event, as UFC officials are seeking a replacement for him to fight.
Oezdemir (15-2-0) is competing for the first time since losing a title bout to UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 220. Oezdemir has earned two wins in the UFC in less than a minute, with those coming over Jimi Manuwa at UFC 214 and Misha Cirkunov at UFC Fight Night 109. Oezdemir also competed twice in Bellator MMA, with his only win in the promotion coming over Josh Lanier at Bellator 105.
Gustafsson (18-4-0) enters the contest on the strength of a two fight winning streak, defeating the duo of Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira. Gustafsson hasn’t competed in over a year now, with his last bout taking place at UFC Fight Night 109 in May of 2017. Gustafsson has previously challenged twice before for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title, losing to former champion Jon Jones at UFC 165 and to current champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 192.
UFC 227 takes place on Saturday, August 4 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California with TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
