Edmen Shahbazyan

Darren Till tore his MCL at UFC Fight Island 3

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Top UFC middleweight Darren Till suffered a tear of his MCL in his fight with Robert Whittaker last weekend at UFC Fight Island 3.

During the middle rounds, Till could be heard telling his corner that his knee was gone. He told his corner that he had no bounce. Till said in the post-fight press conference that he believe he tore his ACL.

Till’s head coach told ESPN today that The Gorilla tore his MCL. “Torn MCL, doctors are amazed he was able to stand up for the last three rounds. . . He is in a cast for six weeks then we’ll reassess, hopefully it will start to knit while immobilized,” Till’s coach said.

What’s next for the UFC’s Till?

The fight at UFC Fight Island 3 was razor close with Whittaker. It’s pretty astonishing how well Till fought considering he couldn’t really plant much on that knee.

Till fought fantastic and I actually scored the fight for Till including giving him the final two rounds. Even in a loss, Till proved that he is one of the very best in the UFC‘s middleweight division.

Obviously it’s going to take some time for Till to heal. We don’t have an exact timeline on when he’s coming back. Once he returns, there are a couple of options that I have in mind for his next contest.

One option is he could fight the winner of Edmen Shahbazyan and Derek Brunson who fight this weekend. Another option is he could fight the winner of the Yoel Romero – Uriah Hall matchup that takes place later in August.

If those are not options for the UFC another great option would be fighting the loser of the Adesanya – Costa title fight in September. No matter what, Till needs a top level opponent whenever he’s healthy and ready to go. Who do you think the Gorilla should fight next?

UFC: Is Edmen Shahbazyan the next big thing?

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The UFC is always out looking for their next big superstar. They are looking all over the world for young prospects who have superstar written all over them.

In the world today, MMA is becoming more of a mainstream option for kids as they grow up. Instead of traditional martial arts, parents are enrolling their kids into MMA classes where they are learning everything.

As a result, more and more talent is going to be coming out of this next generation as fighters who can do everything. One fighter that epitimizes that is 22-year old phenom, Edmen Shahbazyan.

Shahbazyan will make the walk for his fifth UFC fight this Saturday, months before he turns 23. Shahbazyan is wanting to beat Jon Jones record as the youngest fighter to become a UFC champion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gue7–IUr7M

The next UFC star from the Glendale Fighting Club?

Shahbazyan trains out of the Glendale Fighting Club. The gym was the home of Ronda Rousey during her career. Rousey actually is Shahbazyan’s manager.

Shahbazyan started hitting the mats when he was really young. There is actually footage of him working with Rousey at an open workout when he was just sixteen. Shahbazyan has been brought up to be good at everything.

Shahbazyan already possesses a smoothness and patience that you usually don’t see from fighters that are so young. His striking and killer instinct are already near the top of the division.

When Shahbazyan hurts his opponents, he’s so patient and calm about looking for the finishing blow. Most UFC fighters go all out aggressively, but Shahbazyan continues to strike with force and precision.

Shahbazyan could really be the next big thing in the UFC. He headlines his first card this Saturday night against Derek Brunson. A win over Brunson would likely get Shahbazyan an opponent in the top five of the UFC‘s middleweight division.

Realistically if Shahbazyan wins impressively Saturday night, he might only be one more win away from a title shot. If Shahbazyan is able to get his hands on the title in the year he turns 23, we might see him reign for a long time.

UFC: Holm – Aldana is off; Shahbazyan – Brunson will headline Aug. 1 card

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The UFC has lost it’s main event for their return to Las Vegas. It was reported today that Holly Holm (13-5) vs Irene Aldana (12-5) is off after Aldana had to pull out.

As referenced in the tweet, the UFC has promoted the middleweight clash between Edmen Shahbazyan (11-0) and Derek Brunson (20-7) to the main event.

UFC’s new main event is a fan favorite

When it was first announced that the UFC would return to Vegas with Holm-Aldana as the headliner, there was a lot of criticism from fans.

The fight was not sexy at all when it comes to a main event. The fight rivaled Calvillo-Eye in lack of popularity among the MMA fans.

This new main event is an absolute banger. Shahbazyan is arguably the most exciting prospect in the UFC. At just 22-years old, Shahbazyan already looks like a future world champion.

Every test that has been thrown his way, he’s passed with flying colors. He had a massive challenge against Brad Tavares at UFC 244, and Shahbazyan knocked him out in the first round.

Brunson is a tough out for anyone in the middleweight division. If Shahbazyan can get passed Brunson, you can be assured he’s only a fight or two away from getting a shot at UFC gold.

 

 

UFC: Holly Holm and Irene Aldana to headline 8/1 Event

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Things are fast and furious in the UFC right now. Another Fight Night is coming to the APEX on August 1st, and a former champion will be headlining the card.

Another chance to climb the ladder for Holly Holm

Holly Holm (13-5) and Irene Aldana (12-5) will be going head to head in a women’s bantamweight matchup that will headline the UFC‘s 8/1 card. Holm, the former UFC bantamweight champion, bounced back after a loss to Amanda Nunes with a win over Raquel Pennington back at UFC 246. Holm has consistently been one of the best in the world over the last five years, and has appeared in five UFC title fights. For Holm, a win in this matchup could get her closer to a sixth title fight. Holm is just 1-4 in her championship fights, but she remains confident that she could capture UFC gold again one day.

Aldana can prove she’s one of the best in the world

Aldana will be making her ninth appearance in the UFC‘s bantamweight division. Aldana got off to a rough start in her UFC career losing her first two fights, but since then, she’s gone 5-1 with her lone loss being a split decision loss to former title challenger, Raquel Pennington. Aldana won her last fight by first round knockout, and a win over Holm could mean a title shot for Aldana. If you look at the landscape of the bantamweight division, there is no clear challenger for champion, Amanda Nunes. If Aldana can come out and impressively beat the former champion, she has just as good of an argument as anyone for the next shot at Nunes.

Brunson/Shahbazyan to finally fight

In addition to announcing the Holm/Aldana main event, it was revealed that Derek Brunson (20-7) and Edmen Shahbazyan (11-0) would also be fighting on the August 1st card. This is the third time that this anticipated middleweight contest has been booked. Shahbazyan is a very exciting 22-year-old prospect who is coming off of a head kick knockout over Brad Tavares back at UFC 244. Brunson is a big test for Shahbazyan. Brunson has been in there with the best in the world from champion, Israel Adesanya, to former champion, Robert Whittaker, to the great Anderson Silva. A win over Brunson would be massive for Shahbazyan, but a win for Brunson would inch him closer to a title shot after three consecutive wins.