Athletes
Edmen Shahbazyan Is Going One Step At A Time
The 26-Year-Old Edmen Shahbazyan Isn’t Looking Further Than March 23 When He Faces AJ Dobson At UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas
In hindsight, Edmen Shahbazyan knows he might have gotten ahead of himself earlier in his career. It’s hard not to when you’re young, undefeated, and building a highlight reel to rival anyone on the roster as he was through the end of 2019.
By that point, Shahbazyan was 11-0 and fresh off a first-round, head-kick knockout of Brad Tavares in Madison Square Garden. “The Golden Boy” was considered the next champ-in-waiting, but four losses in his next five halted that momentum.
Now, at 26 years old, Shahbazyan is staying present as he readies to fight AJ Dobson at UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas.
“Whenever you're constantly winning, you always want to be looking ahead,” Shahbazyan said in his interview with UFC.com. “But, with losses, you learn and get better. Taking it one fight at a time is the way to go, especially where I'm at.”
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Despite the tough run of form, Shahbazyan continues to flash brilliance, even in losses. His last time out, a third-round TKO loss to Anthony Hernandez, Shahbazyan rocked Hernandez early and hunted for the finish.
The cast-iron tough Hernandez was able to weather the early storm and make the fight the kind of gritty affair he prefers before getting the stoppage. That said, Shahbazyan threatened a couple of submissions in the second round when Hernandez had momentum, showing much better grappling in the fight. With the skillset rounding out a bit, Shahbazyan turned his attention to exhibiting patience over the course of a 15-minute affair.
“I feel like certain things in that fight, I jumped the gun,” he said. “I rushed a little bit in certain areas, but I just worked on areas that I noticed in that fight that I made mistakes in and just got better and worked on myself. My whole craft just got better.”
Main Event Spotlight: UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas
After losing three consecutive fights, Shahbazyan made the move to Las Vegas two years ago to get easy access to the UFC Performance Institute. He also made Xtreme Couture his new home, and he was able to bounce back with a knockout win over Dalcha Lungiambula, earning his first performance bonus.
He hoped it was the start of a new era, one of “Vegas Edmen,” as he deemed it. The loss to Hernandez his next time out slowed that down, but he is still reaping the benefits in the desert. Namely, Shahbazyan has a plethora of bodies with whom to work, including former middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Shahbazyan was one of Strickland’s main sparring partners before Strickland’s bout with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 and served as a cornerman in Toronto. The Glendale, California native said the experience was “awesome,” especially the walkout. He also lauded the physical and mental benefits of working regularly with Strickland, Chris Curtis and the other similar-sized fighters at Xtreme Couture.
“The intensity of training got a lot higher, sparring with Sean all the time, sparring with a lot of guys at Xtreme,” Shahbazyan said. “It's just them pushing me harder, sparring the way I fight, basically.”
He also mentioned a “smarter” approach to camp, specifically being more mindful of how often he is pushing himself to the limit without burning himself out by the time the fight arrives.
Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas
Maintaining composure and managing his gas tank will come in crucially against Dobson, a gritty fighter with a good wrestling base. Shahbazyan was originally scheduled to fight Dusko Todorovic, but an injury to him forced the change. Dobson earned his contract via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 as an undefeated fighter, and after dropping his first two UFC bouts, he bounced back with a good decision win over Tafon Nchukwi in August 2023.
“I think he is a good fighter,” Shahbazyan said. “He's talented, he is strong, but I feel like I have the experience, and my skill set is a lot better.”
It’s funny hearing Shahbazyan tout his experience level, given that he was once considered the remarkably young contender in the making. That description still rings true, but mixed martial arts is an unforgiving teacher like no other, and riding the ups and downs of the sport’s rollercoaster forces one to learn quickly.
UFC gold is still the goal for Shahbazyan. It always will be. But first, he has business to take care of on March 23, and he hopes to do so in his preferred fashion.
“I'm ready to go there and dominate,” he said. “I want to go perform and put my skills to the test.”
UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas took place on March 23, 2024 live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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