Undefeated middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan sees his upcoming bout with Derek Brunson as a key part of his greater plan to be UFC champion.
Brunson (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) has been a relevant name in the middleweight division for much of the past five years, and it only takes a scan of his resume to see Brunson doesn’t lose to nobodies. Many of those to get past him have gone on to do great things, and if Shahbazyan (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) can keep his winning streak going in the Aug. 1 matchup, he thinks he can follow that trend.
Shahbazyan sees a win over Brunson getting him a top-five opponent. If he emerges on top in that, he said he’d warrant a title shot.
“(That’s my plan) if everything goes good,” Shahbazyan told MMA Junkie. “Not overlooking anything, that’s about the way I would envision it.”
There are a solid batch of potential contenders at 185 pounds that Shahbazyan is jockeying position alongside. Champion Israel Adesanya is expected to defend against Paulo Costa in the fall, while Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till is set for July 25 and Yoel Romero vs. Uriah Hall is booked for Aug. 22.
It won’t be easy for Adesanya to defend against all the rising contenders, but Shahbazyan said he’d like to see “The Last Stylebender” keep the strap until he gets his chance.
“I hope (he’s still holding the belt),” Shahbazyan said. “I think me and Adesanya would be a good fight in the future, so that would be a fun, fun fight.”
Although he’s not looking past his fight with Brunson, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Shahbazyan sees the potential in a title showdown with Adesanya. Both men would have unblemished records in the hypothetical scenario, and Shahbazyan thinks that makes for a sellable fight.
“Battle of the undefeated,” Shahbazyan said. “That has a cool hype to it.”
