UFC Atlanta star looked set for greatness after knocking out middleweight who pushed Dricus du Plessis to the limit

At the age of just 21, a fighter set to compete at UFC Atlanta established himself as one of the top middleweight prospects.

Following the UFC 316 pay-per-view in Newark, MMA’s top organization has stayed on the road to host a UFC Fight Night event in Atlanta.

Headlining at State Farm Arena on June 14 will be a key welterweight contest, as former champion Kamaru Usman returns against Joaquin Buckley. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is tasked with stalling the rise of ‘New Mansa’ and recording a first victory since 2021.

Before that, a couple of other ex-champions and prominent names will be in action. Among them is a once-highly regarded prospect who was touted for big things after brutally stopping a mainstay of the middleweight division.

Edmen Shahbazyan stayed an unbeaten top UFC prospect by starching Brad Tavares in one round

Saturday’s main card will include the return of Edmen Shahbazyan, who broke onto the scene as a 21-year-old prospect managed by the legendary Ronda Rousey.

After three wins in his first eight months in the promotion, ‘The Golden Boy’ received a step up in competition against veteran contender Brad Tavares.

The pair shared the cage at UFC 244, headlined by Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz’s BMF battle, and Shahbazyan walked away with the biggest win of his career.

The Glendale native needed less than three minutes to put his Hawaiian counterpart away. Shahbazyan dropped Tavares with a head kick before landing a few brutal ground strikes to put the 37-year-old out cold.

Shahbazyan’s performance drew high praise, including on commentary from Joe Rogan, who branded the then-21-year-old a “sensational” prospect.

The win has aged pretty well. Not only had Tavares already taken Israel Adesanya to a decision in 2018, but he went on to provide the toughest test of Dricus du Plessis’ rise up the UFC ladder.

Tavares gave the South African all he could handle at UFC 276, playing his part in a three-round war at the T-Mobile Arena.

Edmen Shahbazyan has lost five of eight fights since knocking out Brad Tavares

Unfortunately for Shahbazyan, he’s been unable to live up to his potential in the years since.

After moving to 11-0 with his victory over Tavares, ‘The Golden Boy’ has gone on a difficult run, losing five of his last eight fights.

A three-fight losing skid immediately followed the UFC 244 triumph, with Derek Brunson spoiling his main event debut via TKO, Jack Hermansson getting the nod on the scorecards, and Nassourdine Imavov brutally stopping Shahbazyan with elbows.

The 27-year-old has exchanged wins and losses since, most recently scoring a TKO over Dylan Budka in February to earn his second post-fight performance bonus.

ResultOpponentMethodEventWinDylan BudkaTKOUFC Vegas 102LossGerald MeerschaertSubmissionUFC Vegas 96WinAJ DobsonKOUFC Vegas 89LossAnthony HernandezTKOUFC Vegas 73WinDalcha LungiambulaTKOUFC 282LossNassourdine ImavovTKOUFC 268LossJack HermanssonDecisionUFC Vegas 27LossDerek BrunsonTKOUFC Vegas 5

Shahbazyan will now look to achieve back-to-back wins and begin his first win streak since staying unbeaten against Tavares in 2019.

To do so at UFC Atlanta, ‘The Golden Boy’ must get the better of Andre Petroski, a winner on The Ultimate Fighter who has emerged victorious from his last three outings.