Free Fight: Brunson Hands Shahbazyan First-Ever Loss

Derek Brunson will attempt to hand Kevin Holland his first loss inside the Octagon when the two talented Middleweights headline UFC Vegas 22 this Sat. night (March 20, 2021) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Before then, let’s look back at Brunson’s most recent win inside the Octagon. In Aug. 2020, Brunson was tasked with facing Edmen Shahbazyan. Coming into the fight, Shahbazyan was being touted as one of the hottest prospects in mixed martial arts (MMA) after winning his first 11 fights, including his first four under the UFC banner.

In Brunson, however, he was facing a 16 UFC fight veteran. And that experience showed because Brunson mixed up his attack well, using his wrestling and striking to stifle “The Golden Boy” throughout the first 10 minutes. In fact, if Brunson had a few seconds left at the end of round two, he would have put an end to the fight because he was raining down bombs on Shahbazyan, who was ultimately saved by the bell.

A visibly exhausted and hurt Shahbazyan decided to come out for round three, only to get pummeled once again in the first 20 seconds, this time putting an end to the contest. Now, Brunson hopes to upset “Trail Blazer” in order to crack the the Top 5.

To see the entire UFC Vegas 22 fight card click here.