The UFC’s middleweight division has produced some of the best MMA fighters ever. Anderson Silva, Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis, Robert Whittaker, Khamzat Chimaev, Sean Strickland, and Yoel Romero are some of the many who have entertained the masses.
A fighter looking to make a good run as a middleweight is Edmen Shahbazyan. Once a highly touted prospect, Shahbazyan has not had a good run recently. With Shahbazyan set to face Andre Petroski at UFC Atlanta, fans are eager to know more about him. Let’s take a closer look.
Edmen Shahbazyan’s Age, Height, Weight, and Reach
Shahbazyan was born on Nov. 20, 1997, in Glendale, California. His former coach, Edmond Tarverdyan, nicknamed him “Golden Boy” after he won the Desert Showdown, an amateur boxing tournament. The 27-year-old has a professional MMA record of 15 wins and four losses.
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Standing 6-foot-2, Shahbazyan is quite tall for the division, where an average middleweight is 5-foot-10. He has an arm reach of 74 inches and a leg reach of 42 inches. As a middleweight, he weighs around 185 lbs, but he will probably be bigger outside of fight camp.
Shahbazyan’s Submission and Knockout Record
Shahbazyan began his martial arts journey in Shotokan Karate, but he later trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and boxing. Striking has been his bread and butter, as evidenced by 12 of his 14 wins. Two of the 12 came by kicks, while the rest came with the hands and elbows.
Six of Shahbazyan’s seven victories in the UFC came by finish, five by KO/TKO. His most significant knockout victory was against Brad Tavares at UFC 244. He won the fight by head-kick knockout, extending his then-undefeated streak to 11.
Charles Byrd, Dalcha Lungiambula, A.J. Dobson, and Dylan Budka are the other KO/TKO victims of the 31-year-old. His only submission victory came in his previous fight against Jack Marshman at UFC 239. He won by rear-naked choke.
Notably, four of his five losses in the UFC came by finish, four by KO/TKO. Derek Brunson, Jack Hermansson, Nassourdine Imavov, and Anthony Hernandez defeated him by KO/TKO. Shahbazyan’s only submission loss came against Gerald Meerschaert, who holds the record for most submissions in the division.
Shahbazyan’s Career Before the UFC
Shahbazyan entered the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series, knocking out Antonio Jones in the first round. It was his seventh straight first-round TKO/KO win after turning professional.
All six of his fights before the Contender Series were at California Xtreme Fighting (CXF). Notably, the six fights occurred during a 14-month span from Feb. 25, 2017, to Apr. 21, 2018.
Shahbazyan fought one amateur MMA bout, defeating Sibar Mahmoudi on Oct. 21, 2016. He has also won two amateur boxing tournaments, the PAL Tournament and the Desert Showdown.