Edmen Shahbazyan is a young prospect with a bright future. But on Saturday night, he learned a lesson at the hands of one of the middleweight division’s toughest veterans. Derek Brunson went toe to toe with Shahbazyan (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in the opening round of their UFC on ESPN+ 31 main event, pulled away in the second, and finished things early in the third round at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The time of the TKO stoppage was 26 seconds of the third as Brunson (21-6 MMA, 12-4 UFC) won his third consecutive fight, all of which have come since he moved his base of operations to Sanford MMA in Florida. “All the people on social media, minus-300 underdog, so many people against me,” Brunson said in his post-fight interview. “(Coach) Henri Hooft believes in me, ‘You’re not a gatekeeper, show him you want the title.’” In the early going, the 22-year-old Shahbazyan showed why he’s such a highly regarded prospect, mixing punches that were delivered with authority and kicks thrown from all over
Read the original here:
UFC on ESPN+ 31 results: Derek Brunson shines, hands Edmen Shahbazyan first loss – MMA Junkie