Oezdemir-Krylov rebooking joins loaded UFC 280 lineup

Nikita Krylov is getting his wish.

Krylov is set to face Volkan Oezdemir in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 280 on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the promotion announced Friday.

"The Miner" called out Oezdemir after knocking out Alexander Gustafsson in a career-best performance at UFC London on July 23. Oezdemir defeated Paul Craig by unanimous decision earlier on that card.

Oezdemir and Krylov were initially scheduled to meet at a UFC Fight Night event in October 2020, but Oezdemir withdrew due to a knee injury.

Oezdemir, a former title challenger and the No. 8-ranked light heavyweight, snapped a two-fight skid with the victory over Craig. However, that streak included losses to stiff competition in Magomed Ankalaev and current champ Jiri Prochazka.

No. 11 Krylov had also lost two in a row before beating Gustafsson. He dropped a decision to Ankalaev and then was submitted by Craig at another UFC London event in March.

UFC 280 stands to be one of the most stacked events of 2022, with Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev facing off for the vacant lightweight title in the main event. The card will also feature Aljamain Sterling's bantamweight title defense against TJ Dillashaw, as well as a pivotal bout between Petr Yan and Sean O'Malley.