Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan is the latest addition to March’s UFC 248.
Middleweight Derek Brunson will return to action at UFC 248, where he’ll take on a rising prospect. The Las Vegas Review-Journal was first to report the addition of Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan to the PPV card, which takes place this coming March.
Shahbazyan had announced last week that he had some big news coming. And a match-up with Brunson certainly qualifies.
Brunson (20-7), who turned 36 earlier this month, will enter UFC 248 on a two-fight win streak. He’s picked up victories over Elias Theodorou and Ian Heinisch in his last two outings. Both fights went the distance, and resulted in unanimous decision wins for the former Strikeforce fighter.
Shahbazyan (11-0), a 22-year-old prospect with Glendale Fighting Club, Ronda Rousey’s old stomping ground, has been one of the most promosing 185lb rookies in recent memory. After punching his ticket to the octagon on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, he has won all four of his UFC fights. Most impressive, however, is just how he has won them: three finishes populate those four fights, including a head-kick knockout of Brad Tavares at UFC 244 back in November.
UFC 248 takes place March 7, 2020 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is headlined by another middleweight showdown, featuring Israel Adesanya making his first title defense, against Yoel Romero.
Currently booked for the UFC 248 card are the following bouts:
Israel Adesanya (c) vs. Yoel Romero – For the UFC Middleweight Championship
Zhang Weili (c) vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk – For the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
TBD* vs. Jared Cannonier
Alex Oliveira vs. Max Griffin
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Saparbek Safarov
Neil Magny vs. Li Jingliang
Emily Whitmire vs. Polyana Viana
Danaa Batgerel vs. Guido Cannetti
Sean O’Malley vs. José Alberto Quiñónez
Beneil Dariush vs. Drakkar Klose
Mark Madsen vs. Austin Hubbard
Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
*Robert Whittaker was forced to withdraw from this bout
