Anthony Smith continued to impress in his run at light heavyweight, as he submitted No. 2-ranked Volkan Oezdemir in the third round of their UFC Moncton main event at Avenir Centre to improve to 3-0 in the 205-pound weight class.
Smith threw a wrench into the works almost immediately with a takedown attempt, but Oezdemir reacted well and reversed position as the two locked up against the fence. In the second minute, the two broke and Oezdemir landed some hard shots on Smith. Smith soon settled into an offensive rhythm, but an inadvertent eye poke by the Nebraskan brought a momentary halt to the action with a little over 90 seconds left. When the fight resumed, Oezdemir scored well, capping off a solid first round.
Smith bloodied Oezdemir in the early going of round two, but Oezdemir nullified that offensive charge with a takedown in the second minute. Smith tried to lock up a leg, yet Oezdemir fought free and fired off strikes as he tried to take his opponent’s back. And though he didn’t get his wish, Oezdemir kept Smith grounded until the horn.
Oezdemir and Smith took turns testing each other’s chin in round three, and it appeared that Oezdemir was finally slowing down. That was all that Smith needed to see, and he took Oezdemir to the mat. From there, it was all Smith, as he took his foe’s back and sunk in the rear naked choke that forced Oezdemir to tap out at the 4:26 mark of the third round.
With the win, the No. 10-ranked Smith moves to 31-14. Switzerland’s Oezdemir falls to 15-3.
