“Let’s just say the first few years and moments [in the UFC], everything was really good. I was flying, everything was perfect and then it was like the way to hell,” Oezdemir said. “Some losses, some injuries, some troubles with different things. After that, you have to rebuild, you go through the highs and the lows. Then you really find out it’s an unforgiving sport. There’s momentum in the winning streaks and momentum in the losing streaks. Also, you have to get rid of it to find something else, something new to shake it off of you, and that’s some stuff you have to find out.”
He needed those tough times and the big victories to get to the perspective he has today.
MORE UFC PARIS: Fighters On The Rise | The Focus Of Serghei Spivac | Paris Main Event Breakdown
“The thing is, you got to go through life to realize things yourself,” Oezdemir said. “Sometimes a lot of people tell you things already, but you don’t listen. It’s really true to live those moments and find out. If I had to tell my young self, it would be to realize what I was lacking things in my fights, even in my winning moments, that way I could correct this before the rest happened.”
On Saturday, Oezdemir is confident that his hard-earned maturity will play a factor against Guskov. One of the biggest steps that he’s taken from tough losses and wins altogether was how his cardio has played a factor in his career thus far.
