Volkan Oezdemir became the first person to beat Misha Cirkunov in the UFC and didn’t waste any time in doing so Sunday at the Ericsson Globe during an event in Stockholm, Sweden.
Switzerland’s Oezdemir connected with a right hand behind Cirkunov’s left ear 28 seconds into the first round of their light-heavyweight bout and Cirkunov couldn’t recover.
Oezdemir (14-1) was ranked as the No. 5 contender in the 205-pound division after beating Ovince Saint Preux in his UFC debut back in February. His win over a rising star like Cirkunov cements him as a contender.
“That’s the second time people were not thinking of me but I’m here,” Oezdemir said after the bout.
The Latvian-born Cirkunov (13-3) trains out of Xtreme Couture Toronto and was ranked No. 7 heading into the bout. He falls to 4-1 in the UFC. This marks the first time Cirkunov has been finished with strikes.
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