UFC returned to London with their second Fight Night card of the year. The light heavyweight bout between Paul Craig and Volkan Oezdemir opened the card with an intriguing contest.

Official Result: Volkan Oezdemir defeats Paul Craig via unanimous decision (30-27 x3).

Oezdemir pressured his opponent early, however, Craig was relentless with his submission attacks. ‘Bearjew’ quickly brought the bout on the mat and had ‘No Time’ in various leg locks. The 32-year-old, though, stayed calm and kept escaping all the attacks from the 34-year-old Scottish fighter.

Kung Fu style representative was on a five-fight winning streak coming into this bout against the Switzerland-born athlete with a two-fight losing skid. However, the former light heavyweight title challenger looked composed and didn’t let Craig get any submissions.

Oezdemir looked a class apart from his counterpart on the feet. And even on the ground, he made sure not to give the top position to Craig.

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That said, the Scottish fighter was dangerous from the bottom, but Oezdemir knew about it. Thus, he didn’t deflect from the game plan and kept the basics throughout the contest.

The striker vs. grappler contest went to the Fight Move Academy standout, Oezdemir. However, it was the ref and his looks that had fans reacting.

MMA world reacts to light heavyweight showdown at UFC London

The Paul Craig and Volkan Oezdemir light heavyweight showdown had the MMA Twitter jumping on the social platform to pour on their emotions.

The resemblance between Oezdemir and the ref had some fans making a light moment out of it, while some others were disappointed with Paul Craig’s performance.

In the bout, however, the former light heavyweight title challenger appeared as his old self when he was putting on brilliant performances one after the other.

Craig was on a big win streak, a momentum that had a young and talented fighter like Jamahal Hill on it. ‘Bearjew’ was having the best phase in his UFC career, yet Oezdemir proved he is still a threat in the division.

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What do you make of this matchup between Paul Craig and Volkan Oezdemir? Share your thoughts in the comments.