Ronda Rousey’s former understudy Edmen Shahbazyan earned a wild knockout at UFC Vegas 102.
UFC middleweight contender Edmen Shahbazyan is beginning to live up to the immense hype he entered the promotion with after a highlight-reel knockout at UFC Vegas 102.
Shahbazyan and Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Dylan Budka clashed on the UFC Vegas 102 main card at the Apex. After trading wins and losses in his recent UFC performances, Shahbazyan was looking to make a statement against Budka, and he needed just under two minutes to send a message.
Shahbazyan floored Budka with a huge right hand in Round 1 that sounded like a baseball bat on the UFC Vegas 102 broadcast. He finished the fight with brutal ground-and-pound to make a strong case for a post-fight performance bonus.
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Edmen Shahbazyan made a huge statement on the UFC Vegas 102 main card
Shahbazyan earned a shot in the UFC as an undefeated prospect on DWCS in 2018. After finishing Antonio James to secure a UFC contract, Shahbazyan won his first four UFC fights, including a head-kick knockout of Brad Tavares.
Shahbazyan’s quick climb up the middleweight ranks ended with his first career loss to Derek Brunson in Aug. 2020. He would lose three straight fights before returning to the win column at UFC 282.
Shahbazyan split his previous four UFC fights entering UFC Vegas 102, featuring an impressive knockout of DWCS alum AJ Dobson last March. He fell to Gerald Meerschaert by second-round submission in August.
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Before making his way to the UFC, Shahbazyan was a top protege of Ronda Rousey and coach Edmond Tarverdyan at Glendale Fighting Club. Shahbazyan credited Rousey for helping him reach the peak of MMA and eventually earn a spot on the sport’s biggest platform.
Rousey retired from MMA after back-to-back title losses to Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm. Before the Nunes and Holm fights, Rousey was considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC, amidst a dominant bantamweight title reign.
Rousey entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018 and transitioned to professional wrestling after her legendary MMA career. Since leaving combat sports, Rousey has revealed brain damage she suffered during her career after a startling amount of concussions.
After briefly teasing a UFC return against Gina Carano, Rousey has opted to stay retired. Rousey set the stage for women’s MMA to blossom, headlining the first women’s UFC title fight at UFC 157.
As for Shahbazyan, he’s a top middleweight to watch in 2025 and will look to get on a winning streak to get into the middleweight title conversation.