Edmen Shahbazyan turned the tables on AJ Dobson in a big way at UFC on ESPN 53, and it resulted in a knockout win.
After Dobson (7-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) found a home for his punches in the opening minutes of the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex, Shahbazyan (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) turned the tide courtesy of a clean punch that put his opponent on skates. He followed up with some violent ground-and-pound to put his opponent out cold at the 4:33 mark of Round 1.
Check out the replay of the finishing sequence below (via X):
EDMEN SHAHBAZYAN TURNED THE TABLES 💥 #UFCVegas89 pic.twitter.com/s1DIrLZuIf
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 24, 2024
Shahbazyan started his career on an undefeated run, but had run into a 1-4 skid over his past five contests. He got back on track with a highlight-reel finish, and hopes to carry momentum moving forward.
“He hit me with a good shot, I’m not going to lie,” Shahbazyan said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “It buzzed me for a second. I kept telling myself I would battle through adversity. … I tried to show my full skillset today.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 53 results include:
- Edmen Shahbazyan def. AJ Dobson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:33
- Payton Talbott def. Cameron Saaiman via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:21
- Youssef Zalal def. Billy Quarantillo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:50
- Fernando Padilla def. Luis Pajuelo via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 2:45
- Trey Ogden def. Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Julian Erosa def. Ricardo Ramos via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:15
- Miles Johns def. Cody Gibson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jarno Errens def. Steven Nguyen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Darya Zheleznyakova def. Montserrat Rendon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Andre Lima def. Igor Severino via disqualification (biting) – Round 2, 2:52
- Mick Parkin def. Mohammed Usman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.
