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UFC's Volkan Oezdemir issues statement on arrest following 'bar room altercation'

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UFC fighter Volkan Oezdemir has issued a statement through his management team following his recent arrest.

As MMAjunkie reported earlier today, Oezdemir was arrested Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.

Oezdemir’s manager, Frederic Englund, sent a statement to MMAjunkie in which the fighter and his team claim it’s the result of a “bar room altercation” in August in which the UFC light-heavyweight contender was “not the aggressor.”

Here’s the full statement:

“Volkan Oezdemir appeared in a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida courtroom Sunday morning in response to allegations from an incident in a Ft. Lauderdale bar on August 12, 2017. Mr. Oezdemir was accompanied by his attorney Bruce A. Zimet. Following a brief hearing (before) a Broward County Circuit judge, Mr. Oezdemir was granted a $10,000 bond during the pendency of his case. Mr. Zimet, a former federal prosecutor, described the incident that formed the basis of the case as nothing more than a bar room altercation in which Mr. Oezdemir, who was not the aggressor, was totally justified in all of his actions pursuant to Florida law.

“Mr. Oezdemir expressed his faith in the America judicial system and looks forward to all of the facts involved in the August 12, 2017 incident being made public. Mr. Oezdemir has full confidence that when the full picture is presented that he will be totally vindicated.”

Oezdemir (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), a 28-year-old Switzerland native, has been training in South Florida with Combat Club, a team that formed in the wake of the general dissolution of the Blackzilians.

Earlier this month, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) told MMAjunkie that he and Oezdemir, who’s No. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, were close to finalizing a title fight. At the time, Cormier said the title bout likely would happen in early 2018.

In a statement, UFC officials said they’re aware of Oezdemir’s arrest and looking into it.

Check back with MMAjunkie for more details as they become available.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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