Tag: Edmen Shahbazyan

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC on ESPN+ 31, where Motley Crue met AC/DC

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

See what the fighters from UFC on ESPN+ 31 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

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Derek Brunson def. Edmen Shahbazyan via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:26

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]: “Victory Lap” by Nipsey Hussle feat. Stacy Barthe

[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: “Use This Gospel” by Kanye West

Jennifer Maia def. Joanne Calderwood via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:29

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: “TNT” by AC/DC

[autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag]: “Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue

Vicente Luque def. Randy Brown via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:56

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: “Baby Baby” by Troopkillaz

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: “Dela Move” by Chronixx

Bobby Green def. Lando Vannata via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: “White Friday” by Yo Gotti

[autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: “On The Road” by Post Malone feat. Meek Mill & Lil Baby

Jonathan Martinez def. Frankie Saenz via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 0:57

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: “El Papa De Los Pollitos” by Los Tucanes De Tijuana

[autotag]Frankie Saenz[/autotag]: “Calm Like A Bomb” by Rage Against The Machine

Nate Maness def. Johnny Munoz via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: “Real” by NF

[autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag]: “El Rey” by Vincente Fernandez

Jamall Emmers def. Vincent Cachero via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: “Florida Boy” by Rick Ross

[autotag]Vincent Cachero[/autotag]: “Ooh LA LA” by Run The Jewels

Chris Gutierrez vs. Cody Durden ends in a unanimous draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: “Bandolero” by Don Omar feat. Tego Calderon

[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: “Hail Mary” by Tupac

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Dana White unhappy with cageside doctor in UFC on ESPN+ 31 main event

Dana White didn’t have any beef with Herb Dean’s main event stoppage, but the cageside doctor was another issue.

LAS VEGAS – UFC president Dana White had no issues with referee Herb Dean’s stoppage of Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 main event between [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] and [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag], but he wasn’t too crazy about the cageside doctor.

The doctor assigned by the Nevada Athletic Commission received criticism from White about how he handled his interaction with Shahbazyan (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) just before the fighter was cleared to go out for what turned out to be a TKO loss 26 seconds into the third round.

Brunson (21-6 MMA, 12-4 UFC) nearly finished Shahbazyan with vicious ground-and-pound in the closing seconds of the second round of the middleweight fight, but Shahbazyan was saved by the horn.

“Shahbazyan looked like he was out at the end of that round,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the post-fight news conference. “I think that the doctor could have stopped … first of all, the doctor’s obviously inexperienced. I don’t know anything about the doctor, but I’ve never seen him before.”

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After the one-minute rest period between rounds, Shahbazyan stood in his corner, waiting for the call to start the third. But Dean signaled a timeout and called in the doctor. Then a relatively long conversation occurred before Shahbazyan was given the green light, which White thought was a disservice to Brunson.

“You’ve got Brunson, who ends that round strong, many could argue that fight could have been stopped there at the end of the round. I’m sure the ref thought that the guy would have time to go back,” White said. “What you don’t do is talk to the guy for (expletive) 10 minutes while he’s hurt. You know what I mean? Either stop the fight or let him continue, but go.”

At the end of the day, it was all moot, as Brunson went out and finished the job in short order for his third consecutive victory. But that doesn’t mean White likes the way things were handled.

“You’re letting the kid recover while you’ve got Brunson who did that work while he’s waiting for the bell to ring so that he can go in and finish the fight. Pull the trigger one way or the other. Stop the fight or don’t.”

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UFC on ESPN+ 31 results: Derek Brunson shines, hands Edmen Shahbazyan first loss

Edmen Shahbazyan learned a tough lesson from a grizzled veteran in Derek Brunson on Saturday night.

[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] is a young prospect with a bright future. But on Saturday night, he learned a lesson at the hands of one of the middleweight division’s toughest veterans.

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] went toe to toe with Shahbazyan (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in the opening round of their UFC on ESPN+ 31 main event, pulled away in the second, and finished things early in the third round at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The time of the TKO stoppage was 26 seconds of the third as Brunson (21-6 MMA, 12-4 UFC) won his third consecutive fight, all of which have come since he moved his base of operations to Sanford MMA in Florida.

“All the people on social media, minus-300 underdog, so many people against me,” Brunson said in his post-fight interview. “(Coach) Henri Hooft believes in me, ‘You’re not a gatekeeper, show him you want the title.'”

In the early going, the 22-year-old Shahbazyan showed why he’s such a highly regarded prospect, mixing punches that were delivered with authority and kicks thrown from all over.

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While the Glendale Fight Club competitor likely won the opening round, Brunson still had his moments, particularly in the grappling department, which portended what was to come.

Things picked up in the second after a timeout due to an inadvertent Brunson eye poke. He picked up the pace, pushed forward, took his opponent to the mat, and began to administer devastating ground-and-pound. Brunson very nearly finished the fight with nasty elbows as Shahbazyan was saved by the bell.

Referee Herb Dean called the cagside doctor in to check Shahbazyan before the start of the third round. He was cleared, but Brunson wasted little time finishing the job.

The victory marked Brunson’s third career stoppage, which Shahbazyan dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten in what was just his second career fight to go outside the first round.

Complete UFC on ESPN+ 31 results:

Twitter reacts to Derek Brunson’s upset TKO of Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC on ESPN+ 31

See the top Twitter reactions to Derek Brunson’s TKO win over Edmen Shahbazyan in the UFC on ESPN+ 31 main event.

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] proved there’s levels to the middleweight elite as he handed [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] his first loss in the UFC on ESPN+ 31 main event.

Brunson (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) was pegged by many as Shahbazyan’s (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) stepping stone to become youngest UFC champ in history. However, there were other plans in place on Saturday. Brunson scored the third-round TKO victory at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, putting him back

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Brunson’s victory over Shahbazyan at UFC on ESPN+ 31.

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https://twitter.com/EllenbergerMMA/status/1289759703052857345

UFC Fight Night featuring Brunson vs. Shahbazyan Live Stream, UFC Fight Night Card, How to Watch UFC

UFC is back at the Apex in Las Vegas, tonight we have Derek Brunson taking on Edmen Shahbazyan in the main event, stream UFC action here!

The UFC is back on home soil after a month in Abu Dhabi and four live fights from Fight Island. Dana White was able to give his international fighters a shot to fight with the pandemic still going on throughout the world.

Fights have been happening with shorter notice than usual and that’s what tonight looks like with the main event featuring Derek Brunson and Edmen Shahbazyan with UFC Fight Night at The Apex in Las Vegas.

UFC Fight Night

Derek Brunson  (-264) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (+210)

  • Date: Saturday, August 1
  • Location: APEX Center, Las Vegas
  • Prelims: 7:00 pm ET
  • Main Card: 9:00 pm ET
  • Live Stream: ESPN+ (Sign Up Now)

Main Card (9 PM ET)

  • Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • Joanne Calderwood vs. Jennifer Maia
  • Vicente Luque vs. Randy Brown
  • Lando Vannata vs. Bobby Green
  • Ed Herman vs. Gerald Meerschaert
  • Kevin Holland vs. Trevin Giles

Prelims (7 PM ET)

  • Frankie Saenz vs. Jonathan Martinez
  • Johnny Munoz vs. Nathan Maness
  • Jamall Emmers vs. Vincent Cachero
  • Chris Gutiérrez vs. Cody Durden

UFC Odds and Betting Lines

UFC odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds last updated Saturday at 11:05 a.m. ET.

Derek Brunson (+275) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (-358)

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UFC on ESPN+ 31 play-by-play and live results (7 p.m. ET)

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN+ 31 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 event, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results beginning at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).

The event takes place at the UFC Apex and streams entirely on ESPN+.

In the main event, rising middleweight prospect [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] looks to make a name for himself with a signature win against [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]. And in the co-headliner, [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag], who is forgoing a title shot, takes on [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] in a women’s flyweight bout.

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET for the prelims and 9 p.m. ET for the main card.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC on ESPN+ 31 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site video editor Ken Hathaway on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

****

Results

Cody Durden vs. Chris Gutierrez

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Vince Cachero vs. Jamall Emmers

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Nate Maness vs. Johnny Munoz

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Ed Herman vs. Gerald Meerschaert

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Jonathan Martinez vs. Frankie Saenz

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Trevin Giles vs. Kevin Holland

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Bobby Green vs. Lando Vannata

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Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque

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Joanne Calderwood vs. Jennifer Maia

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Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan

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UFC on ESPN+ 31 faceoffs video highlights, photo gallery

Check out all the fighter faceoffs ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 31.

ABU DHABI – After the UFC on ESPN+ 31 weigh-ins took place Friday, so too did fighter faceoffs, and MMA Junkie was on the scene.

In the main event, rising middleweight prospect [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] looks to make a name for himself with a signature win against [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]. And in the co-headliner, [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag], who is forgoing a title shot, takes on [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] in a women’s flyweight bout.

Those four fighters made weight, but there was one miss, as well as one fight canceled from the card.

Afterward, everyone came face to face. You can watch the faceoffs in the video above, as well as check out our photo gallery below.

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UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams entirely on ESPN+.

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UFC on ESPN+ 31 predictions: Who’s picking Derek Brunson to halt Edmen Shahbazyan’s charge?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 31 main card in Las Vegas.

Brunson
vs.
Shahbazyan		 Calderwood
vs.
Maia		 Brown
vs.
Luque		 Green
vs.
Vannata		 Giles
vs.
Holland
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2020: 71-46		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan (76%)		 calderwood2020
Calderwood (72%)		 luque2020
Luque (90%)		 vannata2020
Vannata (53%)		 holland2020
Holland (86%)
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2020: 84-33		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2020: 83-34		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2020: 82-35		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2020: 80-37
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 giles2020
Giles
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2020: 79-38		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Simon Head
@simonhead
2020: 78-39
trophy copy 2019 Champion*		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2020: 78-39
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2020: 77-40
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
Dave Doyle
@davedoylemma
2020: 76-41		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 jennifermaia2020
Maia		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2020: 75-42		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2020: 73-44		 brunson2020
Brunson		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2020: 72-45		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2020: 72-45		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2020: 49-68		 brunson2020
Brunson		 maia2020
Maia		 rbrown2020
Brown		 bgreen2020
Green		 giles2020
Giles

The UFC returns home to Las Vegas with a pair of ranked middleweight contenders at the top of the bill, looking to catapult themselves toward the top of the division with a statement victory.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is the clear favorite to defeat [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC), with 12 of our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts selecting the undefeated prospect to continue his surge up the middleweight division. He’s also the favorite with our readers, too, with 76 percent backing him to get the win.

In the co-main event, Scotland’s [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) received similar backing from our panel, with 12 of the MMA Junkie team picking “JoJo” to get the victory over [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC).

Brazilian welterweight [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (18-7-1 MMA, 11-3 UFC) is the most popular fighter on the card with our voting readers, with a whopping 90 percent picking him to prevail in his main card clash against [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC). Thirteen of our 14 panelists also sided with Luque in their staff picks.

A fascinating striking battle is in prospect as lightweights [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (25-10-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) and [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] (10-4-2 MMA, 3-4-2 UFC) face off, and the vote is suitably split, with Vannata edging the fan poll with 53 percent of the vote. The pair also split our staff picks panel, too, with each man receiving seven votes each.

The middleweight main card opener offers an interesting clash, too, but the panel and the fans seem much more unified in their assessment, with 86 percent of readers, and 12 of our panelists, picking [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) to take the victory over [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Shahbazyan (76 percent), Calderwood (72 percent), Luque (90 percent), Vannata (53 percent), and Holland (86 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.