Oezdemir wants to fight Gustafsson to determine Jones' next challenger
A battle of the Europeans could be coming to the UFC's light heavyweight division, and the prize could be a shot at Jon Jones.
Following his spectacular 42-second knockout of Jimi Manuawa at UFC 214 on Saturday, Volkan Oezdemir called out Alexander Gustafsson in an Instagram post on Sunday:
The second-ranked Swede and Oezdemir are two of the obvious candidates to face the newly crowned light heavyweight champion in his first title defense.
Related: Ranking Jon Jones' 4 best options after reclaiming his title
However, with Jones gunning for a superfight with Brock Lesnar, the two contenders will likely have to wait for a title shot.
As such, a No. 1 contender fight between Gustafsson and Oezdemir could be the UFC's best option while Jones is occupied.
"The Mauler" lost to Jones during his first run as champ. However, it's widely acknowledged that he gave "Bones" the toughest test of his career in a five-round war in 2013. Gustafsson last fought in May, scoring an impressive knockout win over Glover Teixeira.
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