Top-ranked UFC contender Oezdemir not ‘that impressed’ with Jon Jones’ win over Cormier

Volkan Oezdemir assesses Jon Jones’ performance against Daniel Cormier at UFC 214.

Jon Jones returned to the Octagon in fine form at UFC 214, knocking out arch rival Daniel Cormier to reclaim the light heavyweight title.

‘Bones’ became the first man to stop ‘DC’, finishing the former Olympian in the third round with a head kick and follow-up punches, but No. 3 ranked LHW Volkan Oezdemir wasn’t too impressed with his overall performance.

Oezdemir, who starched Jimi Manuwa in the first round on UFC 214’s main card, wanted to see ‘new weapons’ from the pound-for-pound great.

“That was Jon Jones, that was his style, he was doing his stuff, but I didn’t see any new weapons,” Oezdemir said per MMA Fighting’s Danny Segura. “Of course, he probably didn’t get to display everything and yeah the fight was dominant, but DC had some good moments too. So you know, I wasn’t that impressed.”

The Swiss-born Oezdemir was entertained by the fight but wanted to see Jones show an evolution to his game.

“The fight was great, of course, but I was waiting to see Jon Jones fight different,” he said. “D.C. is also one of the best pound-for-pound fighters ever, so it was also a fight between two of the best guys, so that’s why I guess.”

Cormier, who also lost to Jones in 2015 at UFC 182, knocked out Jones’ mouth piece with an uppercut in the first round but didn’t manage to stagger the JacksonWink product.

Oezdemir has a slew of knockout victories and says he would have put Jones in trouble had he landed the same punch.

“I think it’s very different power, D.C.’s stance is not made for striking,” he explained. “The way he stands, he’s not going to be able to generate a lot of power in his striking, so this would’ve been different. I have another style, I offer another style for Jon Jones, so when my punch lands, it’s going to be different.”

Oezdemir extended his win streak to five against ‘Poster Boy’ and could soon face off against the No. 2 ranked Alexander Gustafsson in a number one contender’s bout.