Watch Edmen Shahbazyan finish Brad Tavares with brutal head kick at UFC 244

Edmen Shahbazyan exited UFC 244 the same way he entered: undefeated.

Shahbazyan (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) made quick work of Brad Tavares at New York’s Madison Square Garden when he finished the Hawaiian at 2:27 of Round 1.

After stunning Tavares (17-6 MMA, 12-6 UFC) with a barrage of pinpoint-accurate strikes in the opening two minutes, the 21-year-old middleweight landed a massive one-two combination. The combo knocked Tavares down on all fours.

As Tavares scrambled back to his feet, he was greeted by further Shahbazyan pressure. Shortly thereafter, Shahbazyan punted Tavares’ head with a massive kick. One follow-up shot was all that was needed for referee Todd Anderson to jump in and end things.

Check out Edmen Shahbazyan’s head kick knockout of Brad Tavares in the video below:

With the victory, Glendale Fighting Academy’s Shahbazyan remains undefeated. A signee from season 1 of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” Shahbazyan has finished three out of four UFC opponents. Tavares’ joins Jack Marshman, Charles Byrd, and Darren Stewart in Shahbazyan’s list of four UFC victories.

Tavares, 31, had not competed since a July 2018 loss to future-champion Israel Adesanya. The “TUF 11” veteran went five rounds with “The Last Style Bender,” but suffered a broken foot in the process. The injury led to further, unexpected complications which delayed his return time.

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