The UFC middleweight prospect vows to come back stronger after his second straight loss.
Edmen Shahbazyan knows he has work to do before he makes his next appearance in the Octagon. The No. 10 ranked middleweight contender suffered his second straight loss on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 27, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Jack Hermansson.
The first round was solid for Shahbazyan, who found a lot of success early with his striking and takedown defense. The second round was where the tide began to turn as Hermansson was able to secure a takedown and keep Shahbazyan planted on his back for a good amount of time. Shahbazyan did show signs of improvement on his ground game, however, with him being able to reverse position and search for his own submission before the end of the round.
Hermansson really took over in the third round as he dominated Shahbazyan from top position on the ground and earned a 10-8 for his efforts. The fight was ultimately scored a 29-27 for ‘The Joker’ and Shahbazyan found himself on the first losing streak of his professional career.
On Sunday morning, Shahbazyan shared his first post-fight comments on social media. He promised to work harder and come back stronger the next time he fights.
“Thank you all for your love and support!!” Shahbazyan wrote on Instagram. “I know I’m capable of better. In this fight game, small mistakes or decisions can change the whole fight. I’m gonna work harder and be back the best version of me. Never quit, I will always put my heart and soul out there all the way.”
Shahbazyan was previously defeated by Derek Brunson, by technical knockout, at UFC Vegas 5 in August of last year. He was open about using that loss as a motivating factor to return to true form when he met Hermansson and hoped to get back on track with a win.
Prior to the losses to Brunson and Hermansson, Shahbazyan was on a four-fight win streak that saw him defeat the likes of Darren Stewart, Charles Byrd, Jack Marshman and Brad Tavares over the span of a year.