Volkan Oezdemir pleads not guilty but could face 5 years in prison
UFC light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir will still have his opportunity to challenge champion Daniel Cormier for the title at UFC 220 on January 20.
Today, Oezdemir pleaded not guilty to a felony battery charge and requested a jury trial. He was initially charged with a aggravated battery charge after his arrest in November. He posted a $10,000 bond for the arrest stemming from an August bar fight in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he allegedly knocked out a man named Kevin Cohen.
Cohen allegedly went to the hospital with concussion symptoms and lacerations.
Oezdemir was arraigned in Broward County at the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court where he entered his formal plea.
His attorney, Bruce A. Zimet, told MMAjunkie the fighter will not miss his title shot next weekend at the TD Garden in Boston.
He remained free after Zimet successfully reversed a request from the state prosecutor’s office to issue a no-bond arrest warrant.
Prior to his arraignment, Oezdemir’s assault charge was downgraded from an aggravated battery charge to felony battery, which carries a potential prison sentence of five years instead of 15 years.
