# Edmen Shahbazyan (Էդմեն Շահբազյան)
**Edmen Shahbazyan** (born 1997) is an American middleweight mixed martial artist competing in the [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship) (UFC), known by the nickname "The Golden Boy". He entered the UFC as an undefeated 20-year-old signing from [Dana White](https://www.edgepedia.org/dana-white)'s Contender Series, reached the middleweight top 10 by age 22, then endured a three-fight losing skid before rebuilding his career in Las Vegas.[1](https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/fighter/50037202/edmen-shahbazyan/) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/news/edmen-shahbazyan-simple-is-best-ufc-320)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1997, USA; 6'2", 74" reach, orthodox stance[1](https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/fighter/50037202/edmen-shahbazyan/) |
| Division | Middleweight (185 lbs)[1](https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/fighter/50037202/edmen-shahbazyan/) |
| Record | 17-6-0 professional; 10-6-0 in the UFC[3](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/edmen-shahbazyan/) |
| Path to the UFC | Six first-round stoppages in his first six pro fights, then a 40-second Contender Series finish that earned a contract[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/edmen-shahbazyan-has-had-his-rise-planned-all-along) |
| Peak ranking | Top 10 middleweight after a head kick knockout of Brad Tavares at UFC 244[2](https://www.ufc.com/news/edmen-shahbazyan-simple-is-best-ufc-320) |
| Finishes | 12 wins by knockout or TKO, 1 by submission, 12 first-round finishes, as of February 2025[1](https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/fighter/50037202/edmen-shahbazyan/) • [12](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/edmen-shahbazyan) • [13](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/edmen-shahbazyan-just-getting-started-ufc-vegas-96) |
| Post-2023 results | First-round TKO of Dylan Budka (Feb 2025); decision win over Brunno Ferreira at UFC 331 (Sept 2026); losses to Brendan Allen and others in between[5](https://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2025_Results/02-15-25MMA_REDACTED.pdf) • [1](https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/fighter/50037202/edmen-shahbazyan/) |
## Early career and the Ronda Rousey connection
Shahbazyan trained out of the Glendale Fighting Club in California, and as a teenager he was a frequent training partner of [Ronda Rousey](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronda-rousey), then the UFC women's bantamweight champion. He was the person Rousey tossed around at the open workouts before her UFC 157 fight with [Liz Carmouche](https://www.edgepedia.org/liz-carmouche), and he has said watching her rise through the media and training grind showed him what the top level of the UFC would be like.[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/edmen-shahbazyan-has-had-his-rise-planned-all-along) • [6](https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/2/5/21123812/edmen-shahbazyan-has-come-a-long-way-from-being-ronda-rouseys-open-workout-partner-at-ufc-157)
**A rapid start.** Two months after Rousey's final UFC appearance, Shahbazyan turned professional and won his debut in 43 seconds. Over the next 17 months he added five more victories, all by first-round stoppage, which put him on Season 2 of Dana White's Contender Series. There he stopped Antonio Jones in 40 seconds and earned a UFC contract with a 7-0 record.[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/edmen-shahbazyan-has-had-his-rise-planned-all-along)
## UFC rise
Shahbazyan signed at age 20 and made his promotional debut at 21, taking a gruelling split decision over the veteran Darren Stewart. Finishes of Charles Byrd and Stewart set up a bout with middleweight fixture [Brad Tavares](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-tavares) at [UFC 244](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-244) at [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden), where Shahbazyan won by head kick knockout midway through the opening round. The win over Tavares, who had just gone the distance with then-champion Israel Adesanya, carried the young Californian into the middleweight top 10.[2](https://www.ufc.com/news/edmen-shahbazyan-simple-is-best-ufc-320)
## Setbacks and rebuild
**The losing skid.** Shahbazyan's first main event ended in a third-round TKO loss to [Derek Brunson](https://www.edgepedia.org/derek-brunson) in October 2020, after which public perception of him shifted quickly from elite prospect to overhyped contender. Knockout losses to [Nassourdine Imavov](https://www.edgepedia.org/nassourdine-imavov) and Anthony Hernandez followed, and Hernandez stopped him via strikes at 1:01 of the third round in May 2023.[7](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/5/22/22444766/edmen-shahbazyan-didnt-want-unranked-opponent-loss-not-here-to-show-up-paycheck-here-to-be-the-best) • [8](https://www.ufcespanol.com/athlete/edmen-shahbazyan)
**A change of scenery.** After the third straight loss, and with new management, Shahbazyan left the Glendale camp, describing his last fights there as carrying "a bit of a toxic feeling and stressful with my surroundings." He relocated to Las Vegas and began training full-time with Xtreme Couture, and on advice he took roughly a year away from competition before returning.[9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/6/23492946/edmen-shahbazyan-left-toxic-feeling-behind-after-leaving-former-team-ready-for-a-fresh-start-ufc-282) • [10](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/24/23511439/edmen-shahbazyan-praises-advice-received-take-a-year-off-fighting-before-returning-with-win-ufc-282)
**The return.** At UFC 282 in December 2022 he stopped Dalcha Lungiambula, and he later added wins including a first-round TKO of Dylan Budka at 1:35 at the UFC APEX on February 15, 2025, and a decision over Andre Petroski in Atlanta in June 2025, before facing Andre Muniz at [UFC 320](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-320).[10](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/24/23511439/edmen-shahbazyan-praises-advice-received-take-a-year-off-fighting-before-returning-with-win-ufc-282) • [5](https://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2025_Results/02-15-25MMA_REDACTED.pdf) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/news/edmen-shahbazyan-simple-is-best-ufc-320)
## Recent record
In June 2026 Shahbazyan lost a three-round unanimous decision to top-5 middleweight [Brendan Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/brendan-allen) at UFC Fight Night, a bout that earned both men Fight of the Night.
## Fighting style and statistics
Shahbazyan is a striker with knockout power. His career UFC numbers show 3.93 significant strikes landed per minute against 3.85 absorbed, 50 percent significant strike defense, and 67 percent takedown defense, with 7 knockout wins, 1 submission win, and 7 first-round finishes.[1](https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/fighter/50037202/edmen-shahbazyan/) Advanced tracking places his distance striking at 4.36 landed per minute with a +0.81 differential and 60.5 percent distance strike defense, but also records a third-round pace of 0.71 times his first-round pace, a quantitative marker of the fading that has defined his losses.[3](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/edmen-shahbazyan/)
**The cardio question.** Commentators and analysts have repeatedly identified his gas tank as the dividing line in his career: he is described as an extremely dangerous striker while his cardio holds, and his takedown defense drops off sharply past the first round.
## References
1. [Edmen Shahbazyan - UFC Record, Stats and Profile, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/fighter/50037202/edmen-shahbazyan/)
2. [Edmen Shahbazyan: "Simple is Best", UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/edmen-shahbazyan-simple-is-best-ufc-320)
3. [Edmen Shahbazyan UFC Stats & Fight History, FightingData](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/edmen-shahbazyan/)
4. [Edmen Shahbazyan Has Had His Rise Planned All Along, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/edmen-shahbazyan-has-had-his-rise-planned-all-along)
5. [State of Nevada Athletic Commission, MMA Show Results, February 15, 2025](https://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2025_Results/02-15-25MMA_REDACTED.pdf)
6. [Edmen Shahbazyan has come a long way from being Ronda Rousey's open workout partner at UFC 157, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/2/5/21123812/edmen-shahbazyan-has-come-a-long-way-from-being-ronda-rouseys-open-workout-partner-at-ufc-157)
7. [Edmen Shahbazyan didn't want unranked opponent after first loss, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/5/22/22444766/edmen-shahbazyan-didnt-want-unranked-opponent-loss-not-here-to-show-up-paycheck-here-to-be-the-best)
8. [Edmen Shahbazyan | UFC (Spanish athlete page)](https://www.ufcespanol.com/athlete/edmen-shahbazyan)
9. [Edmen Shahbazyan had to get away from 'toxic feeling' with former team, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/6/23492946/edmen-shahbazyan-left-toxic-feeling-behind-after-leaving-former-team-ready-for-a-fresh-start-ufc-282)
10. [Edmen Shahbazyan praises advice to take year off before returning at UFC 282, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/24/23511439/edmen-shahbazyan-praises-advice-received-take-a-year-off-fighting-before-returning-with-win-ufc-282)
11. [Edmen Shahbazyan, Bout Scout](https://www.bout-scout.com/fighters/edmen-shahbazyan)
12. [Edmen Shahbazyan, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/edmen-shahbazyan)
13. [Edmen Shahbazyan Is Just Getting Started](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/edmen-shahbazyan-just-getting-started-ufc-vegas-96)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › Welterweight and middleweight fighters › Middleweight fighters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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