Edmen Shahbazyan is back in the winner’s circle.
The middleweight scored a pivotal victory at UFC 282 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, knocking out Dalcha Lungiambula in the second round to snap a three-fight skid and pick up his first victory in over three years.
Watch the furious finish above.
Shahbazyan and Lungiambula both entered Saturday’s event in dire need of a win and it was Shahbazyan who was the sharper fighter from the start as he avoided Lungiambula’s power shots while patiently looking for his own offense. After a low-pace first round, Shahbazyan turned up the heat.
A knee up the middle hurt Lungiambula, which led to Shahbazyan backing him up to the cage with a flurry. Lungiambula fell to the canvas with Shahbazyan punching away, his arms covering his head as he tried to cover up and make it to the round buzzer. However, Shahbazyan continued to pick his shots and do damage until the bout was waved off. The official time of the stoppage was 4:41 in Round 2.
“It feels amazing,” Shahbazyan said in his post-fight interview. “I’m at a loss for words. I’m so thankful for everything. I’m glad I took that time off to improve, move to Vegas. I guess I’m ‘Vegas Edmund’ now.”
This was Shahbazyan’s first fight since parting ways with his team in Glendale, Calif. After starting his UFC career with four straight wins, including three first-round finishes, the 25-year-old struggled in his next three contests. He improved his pro record to 12-3.
Lungiambula loses for the fourth straight time and is now just 1-4 since dropping to middleweight.
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