While prepared for a fifteen minute battle, Edmen Shahbazyan entered UFC 239 with a game plan to end Jack Marshman’s night much sooner — and it worked.
Las Vegas, NV — A rising prospect in the UFC middleweight division, Edmen Shahbazyan lived up to the hype Saturday at UFC 239 in Las Vegas. Shahbazyan, fighting out of Glendale Fighting Club, Ronda Rousey’s stomping ground, picked up his third UFC win on the night. It was a one-sided drubbing of Jack Marshman that ended in a rear-naked choke just over a minute into the very first round.
3-0 in the UFC, after winning his way into the promotion on the Contender Series. 10-0 in his career overall following UFC 239. And did we mention he’s just 21 years old?
The budding young star was clearly thrilled following the win Saturday. “You can’t ask for more,” he told reporters including Cageside Press. “Going in there untouched and leaving untouched, it’s the best feeling, getting a first round finish.”
Shahbazyan was a sizeable favorite heading into the fight, but he paid that no mind. “I looked at them, but I don’t really care about the odds. Because you know, underdogs could beat the big favorites too,” he pointed out. “So I don’t really care about the odds.”
On the game plan against Jack Marshman, Shahbazyan said that he “was prepared for a fifteen minute fight.” But that said, “our game plan was to come in there, strike with him a little bit, see if he over-commits to a shot.” Which he did.
“He kind of over-committed, once I landed a shot, he over-committed, that’s when we took the shot,” said Shahbazyan. “On the ground, that’s something I haven’t really presented, my jiu-jitsu game. You guys got to see that today.”
Marshman’s past fight with Antonio Carlos Junior served as a good blueprint. “I studied him a good amount with my coaches,” Shahbazyan said of his opponent, admitting that the Carlos Junior fight came up.
As for what comes next, the prospect said that he’d “let my management handle that, but I usually like getting 3 to 4 fights a year. It’s the summer, I’m going to enjoy it. I take usually a week off after my fights, then I’m back to training. I’m never off for a long time, you know. I’m constantly in the gym, so I’m improving every time.”
Meanwhile, he’ll celebrate with friends, and a little bit of Fortnite. After that, it’s back to work — and maybe another big card down the line.
“I love fighting these big events you know,” Shahbazyan explained. “Especially when you fight in a big event, the vibes are different. Big fighters, big names. When you go out there and you fight and you perform good, it’s a different experience.”
Watch the full post-fight press scrum with Edmen Shahbazyan from UFC 239 above!
