Oezdemir banned for EPO after a wild confession

A loaded combat-sports Saturday sits ahead — UFC Oklahoma City, a PFL interim middleweight title, and Ben Askren's wrestling return at RAF 11 — but the day's hardest news came off the doping desk, as ranked light heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir revealed a 16-month EPO ban. Irene Aldana quietly retired and was pulled off the UFC roster, and ONE Fight Night 45 produced a brutal Bangkok knockout.

Volkan Oezdemir accepts 16-month ban after EPO positive

Former light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir (21-8), ranked No. 8 at 205 pounds, revealed he tested positive for EPO in out-of-competition tests on Feb. 16 and March 5 and accepted a 16-month CSAD suspension, backdated to Feb. 16 and running through June 17, 2027. In a lengthy statement he said a self-described healthcare professional he met on Instagram after ankle surgery handed him a vial he called safe and undetectable; Oezdemir injected it and took full responsibility. He last fought in November 2025, stopping Alonzo Menifield in Qatar.

Why it matters: EPO is a serious endurance-booster — the same drug that ended T.J. Dillashaw's title reign — and losing a top-10 light heavyweight until mid-2027 thins an already shallow 205-pound contender pool.

Du Plessis meets Usman in Oklahoma City with a title shot in play

UFC Fight Night 281 lands at Oklahoma City's Paycom Center on Saturday, headlined by former middleweight champ Dricus du Plessis against former welterweight king Kamaru Usman at 185 pounds — Usman's first middleweight bout with a full camp after his short-notice loss to Chimaev in 2023. Both made the 186-pound limit, and the winner is positioned for a shot at champion Khamzat Chimaev. Jared Cannonier vs. Christian Leroy Duncan is the co-main.

Why it matters: A du Plessis loss would scramble the middleweight picture further, while a Usman win would complete one of the stranger late-career pivots in the sport.

Eblen and Kasanganay rematch for interim PFL middleweight title

PFL Austin runs Saturday at Austin's Moody Center on ESPN2, headlined by Johnny Eblen (17-1) against Impa Kasanganay (20-6) for the interim middleweight title, a rematch of their 2024 split decision. Eblen stepped in after champion Costello van Steenis withdrew injured from a planned unification, and the winner is slated to face van Steenis to unify. Both made weight. UFC champ Sean Strickland cornered Eblen and has floated an eventual UFC crossover fight between them.

Why it matters: With van Steenis shelved, this interim belt keeps PFL's deepest division moving and teases the unification bout fans have wanted.

Askren wrestles again a year after a double lung transplant at RAF 11

Real American Freestyle's RAF 11 goes down Saturday in Milwaukee on Fox Nation, headlined by UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan against retired Colby Covington for a crossover title. The co-main marks Ben Askren's return to competition versus former UFC welterweight champ Belal Muhammad, roughly a year after the double lung transplant that followed a coma and multiple resuscitations. Covington publicly questioned whether Askren should be back on the mat so soon. Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida also wrestle on the card.

Why it matters: It's a freestyle-wrestling card, not MMA, but Askren's comeback from near-death is one of combat sports' most remarkable stories of the year.

Irene Aldana retires and is removed from the UFC roster

Former women's bantamweight title challenger Irene Aldana (15-8) has retired at 38 and been taken off the UFC roster, MMA Fighting reported and ESPN Deportes confirmed. Ranked No. 12 at the time, she hadn't fought since a bloody September 2024 decision loss to Norma Dumont at Noche UFC, a bout that left a severe cut requiring multiple surgeries. Aldana challenged Amanda Nunes for the belt in 2023 and banked five UFC bonuses. Lightweight Victor Martinez was also cut.

Why it matters: Losing a durable, action-first top-15 name — amid speculation the UFC is quietly winding down 135 — further hollows out the women's bantamweight division.

Suablack elbow-KOs Stephen Irvine at ONE Fight Night 45

ONE Fight Night 45 aired from Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium on Amazon Prime Video. In the co-main, Thai veteran Suablack Tor Pran49 knocked out Scotland's Stephen Irvine with a second-round elbow — despite being dropped himself in the first — to bank a $50,000 bonus in a flyweight Muay Thai bout. Luke Lessei outpointed Mohamed Younes Rabah in the featherweight Muay Thai main event, while Antonio Cesar dominated Lito Adiwang and Lee Seung Cheol beat Bokang Masunyane to press his case for a strawweight title shot.

Why it matters: Irvine's step up to flyweight backfired badly, and Lee's win moves him toward a challenge to strawweight champ Joshua Pacio.

McGregor insists his UFC finale 'has to be' a Holloway trilogy

A week after his UFC 329 comeback ended in a 69-second TKO loss when he blew out his right knee on the opening kick, Conor McGregor said the final fight on his contract 'has to be' a trilogy with Max Holloway, rejecting calls for Michael Chandler or Dustin Poirier. He's still awaiting MRI results and expects surgery. Dana White declined to entertain any matchmaking, saying McGregor must first get healthy — 'Father Time is undefeated.' Ali Abdelaziz theorized McGregor fought hurt to tick a bout off his deal.

Why it matters: Nothing is bookable until McGregor's diagnosis and recovery timeline are known, and Holloway is unlikely to sit idle waiting for him.

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