Edmen Shahbazyan (born November 20, 1997) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background

Edmen Shahbazyan fights out of Glendale, California. His older brother, Leon, is also a professional fighter. Edmen started training in martial arts at the age of 9 and trained at his former gym Glendale Fighting Club since the age of 12. As a teenager, he served as a training partner for

Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women� ...

. Shahbazyan initially attended Glendale High School, but transferred to Herbert Hoover High School from where he graduated. During his time in Hoover High, he wrestled and reached the

CIF Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...

State Wrestling Championship tournament.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Shahbazyan made his professional debut in mixed martial arts on February 25, 2017 at CXF 6. He faced Selah Williams and won by technical knockout in the first round. Edmen continued fighting for mixed martial arts promotions in California and compiled a 6–0 record, winning all fights by first-round knockout. Shahbazyan was invited to participate on Dana White's Contender Series 13 of

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been move ...

. Edmen faced Antonio Jones, winning by technical knockout only 40 seconds into the first round. His performance led to White offering him a contract to fight in the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Edmen was formerly managed by Ronda Rousey's One Fight Management.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Shahbazyan debuted in the UFC on November 30, 2018 at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale against

Darren Stewart Darren Erdley Stewart (born 30 December 1990) is an English mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2013, he competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Cage Warriors. Background Stewart was b ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Shahbazyan's next fight was against Charles Byrd at

UFC 235 ''UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on March 2, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background A UFC Light Heavyweigh ...

. He won the fight by first-round knockout. Shahbazyan faced Jack Marshman on July 6, 2019 at

UFC 239 ''UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on July 6, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background A UFC Light ...

. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Shahbazyan was expected to face Krzysztof Jotko on November 2, 2019 at

UFC 244 ''UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 2, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. It was the UFC's 5 ...

. However, Jotko withdrew from the bout and was replaced by

Brad Tavares Bradley Kaipo Sarbida Tavares (born December 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Tavares currently competes in the middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2007, Tavares foug ...

. After initially knocking Tavares down via a punch, Shahbazyan won the fight via a head kick KO in the first round. Shahbazyan was expected to face

Derek Brunson Derek Brunson (born January 4, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of September 5, 2022, he is #5 in the UFC middleweight ran ...

on March 7, 2020 at

UFC 248 ''UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 7, 2020 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. B ...

. However it was announced on February 20 that the bout had been rescheduled and would take place on April 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the event was postponed and eventually scheduled for August 1, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan. Shahbazyan lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. During the walkout Shahbazyan carried a flag of

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (),, is a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Artsakh controls a part of the former N ...

, an internationally unrecognized regime. This was done in support after minor clashes took place in the area during that time. After the bout, the Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev sent a protest regarding the incident to the UFC. As an outcome Shahbazyan apologized to the UFC for breaking the rules and causing controversy, and also lost his Reebok sponsor money. Shahbazyan was scheduled to face Jack Hermansson on May 15, 2021 at

UFC 262 ''UFC 262: Oliveira vs. Chandler'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 15, 2021 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Lightweight Championship b ...

. However, for unknown reasons the bout was postponed and took place at UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt on May 22, 2021. He lost the bout via unanimous decision after being dominated by Hermansson's grappling in rounds 2 and 3. Shahbazyan faced Nassourdine Imavov on November 6, 2021 at UFC 268. He lost the fight via TKO due to elbows from crucifix position in round two. Shahbazyan face Dalcha Lungiambula on December 10, 2022, at

UFC 282 ''UFC 282: Błachowicz vs. Ankalaev'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It took place on December 10, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** Performance of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shahbazyan, Edmen 1997 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American people of Armenian descent Sportspeople from Glendale, California Mixed martial artists from California Mixed martial artists utilizing Shotokan American male karateka