Edmen Shahbazyan returned to the middleweight win column earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 15, 2025) at UFC Vegas 102 LIVE on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when “Golden Boy” put a vicious stop to Dylan Budka with a first-round TKO (punches).
Despite coming off a submission loss to Gerald Meerschaert his last time out, Shahbazyan entered this main card clash with Budka as a huge betting favorite. That’s because Shahbazyan has proven to be as dangerous as anyone at 185 pounds when he’s on his game and stays off his back. Fortunately for him, that’s how Saturday’s middleweight contest played out.
Budka looked to get his striking going in the early going and actually landed a few good shots. That didn’t last long, though, once Shahbazyan found his range. He slipped a Budka jab and countered with a perfectly-timed right hand. Budka fell to the canvas in pain and Shahbazyan followed up with a few heavy ground-and-pound shots before the referee jumped in for the stoppage.
Check out the finish in the above video player.
Shahbazyan, 27, hasn’t quite lived up to the hype he possessed when he burst onto the UFC scene back in 2018. Still, the talented knockout artist remains young enough to patch some holes in his game and make another run at the top 15. This was a great start to 2025 and a reminder of what “Golden Boy” can do when he’s operating at full capacity.
For complete UFC Vegas 102 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.