Ronda Rousey's old teammate was UFC's 'Golden Boy' before suffering slew of nasty defeats
02/14/2025 07:07 AM
Over the past 20 years, countless up-and-coming UFC fighters have been touted as future faces of their divisions – arguably none more so than Edmen 'The Golden Boy' Shahbazyan.
When former title holder and bonified MMA superstar Ronda Rousey promoted her star pupil as a future UFC champion, many believed her.
However, a string of nasty defeats left 'The Golden Boy' in a trick spot; continue training under Rowdy's tutelage or pave his own path at Xtreme Couture? Edmen Shahbazyan chose the latter.
Edmen Shahbazyan was UFC 'Golden Boy' before string of brutal losses
Shahbazyan began training with Rousey at just 15 years old and by the time he entered the UFC in 2018 with a perfect professional record, many were expecting 'The Golden Boy' to quickly work his way into title contention.
His UFC tenure got off to a flying start with three first-round finishes in his first four fights – including a sensational high-kick KO over Brad Tavares in 2019.
Unfortunately, Rousey's exceptional student was pushed too far, too quickly.
First, he was knocked out by Derek Brunson, then he was outclassed by Jack Hermansson, before being stopped by Nassourdine Imavov with truly vicious ground-and-pound.
It was at that point that Shahbazyan decided a change was needed.
In 2022, he opted to cut ties with Rousey and moved out to Las Vegas – a move that he described to MMA Fighting as "long overdue."
"Going off my past two fights, I feel a change was definitely needed and it was long overdue. I looked at my options to see where I can be that I feel I can unleash my full potential, and I believe Vegas had the best thing.
"I needed to change, it was time, [and] it was definitely time for me," Shahbazyan explained.
"It could have been done sooner but now I'm just happy to be here and get the new work in. I have not talked [to them] since I left.
"From my end, I have a good relationship [with them]. I don't have any problem. All respect because I respect what they've done for me but on my end, I'm good."
Shahbazyan won his next fight via second-round TKO.
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Edmen Shahbazyan returns to action at UFC Vegas 102 this weekend
After securing the return KO win in late-2022, Shahbazyan would go on to lose his next fight, then defeat AJ Dobson inside the very first round, and most recently, suffered a second-round submission to Gerald Meerschaert.
His return to the octagon is set for this coming weekend when he takes on Dylan 'The Mindless Hulk' Budka on the main card of UFC Vegas 102: Cannonier vs Rodrigues.
Budka is currently 0-2 under the UFC banner, with back-to-back defeats to Cesar Almeida and Andre Petroski in 2024.
Whilst it's by no means a 'lay-up' for Shahbazyan, fans are expecting 'The Golden Boy' to make quick work of his hulking opponent – with around 94% of Tapology users siding with Rousey's former training partner.
UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Rodrigues goes down live from The Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, February 15.
