Edmen Shahbazyan has always understood the fickle nature of the fight business.
After starting out his career with a perfect 11-0 record including four straight wins in the UFC, the now 23-year-old Contender Series veteran was touted as the future of the middleweight division division. Then he stumbled in his first main event as Shahbazyan suffered a third-round TKO loss to Derek Brunson this past October and suddenly he was an overhyped prospect who wasn’t ready for higher ranked competition.
Of course, Shahbazyan fully expected that reaction, which is why he’s rarely paid attention to anything said about him — good or bad.