Edmen Shahbazyan Decisions Brunno Ferreira in Hometown UFC 331 Win
Edmen Shahbazyan took a unanimous decision over Brunno Ferreira and then said the third round almost ended earlier.
The middleweights met on the early prelims of UFC 331 on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 for Shahbazyan.
The Glendale product controlled the first two rounds with range and calf kicks, then had to survive a late push before dropping Ferreira twice in the final minute.
Speaking with Joe Rogan after the decision, Shahbazyan said he felt his gas tank was there. He added that a little more time in the third would have been enough to finish the fight.
That tracked with how the last round looked. Ferreira finally closed the distance and forced Shahbazyan backward. Shahbazyan answered with wrestling, then poured on strikes before the horn.
He said the calf-kick plan came from camp at Xtreme Couture. The idea was simple. Ferreira leans on that lead leg, so the Golden Boy and his coaches spent the weeks before Los Angeles chopping it.
The tactic showed early. Shahbazyan took the center, kicked low, and made Ferreira reset every time the Brazilian tried to walk him down.
Ferreira still made it a fight. The former Contender Series standout pressed in the third and landed his best combinations of the night before those late knockdowns closed the scoring.
Shahbazyan entered 16-6 overall and 9-6 in the UFC. The win moved him to 17-6 and 10-6 inside the promotion.
It also snapped the skid that started with a unanimous-decision loss to Brendan Allen on June 6. That bout earned Fight of the Night. This one was about getting back in the win column at home.
Before Allen, Shahbazyan had won three straight. He knocked out Dylan Budka in February 2025, decisioned Andre Petroski that June, and stopped Andre Muniz in the first round at UFC 320.
Ferreira fell to 15-5. It was his second straight decision loss after dropping a unanimous verdict to Ikram Aliskerov on June 27.
Shahbazyan is 28 now. He told Rogan he has grown since arriving in the UFC as a 20-year-old in 2018, when the prospect label still followed every finish.
The kid who stopped Brad Tavares in 2019 is a veteran working through the middle of the 185-pound depth chart. Saturday was another reminder that the power is still there if the fight lasts long enough for him to find it.
A decision win at home, two late knockdowns, and a clear kick strategy give the UFC an easy case to keep him active.
Shahbazyan already said what he thought of the third round. He wanted more time. The scorecards did not need it.