Ronda Rousey’s Old Teammate Was UFC’s ‘Golden Boy’ Before Suffering Slew Of Nasty Defeats

Ronda Rousey’s Old Teammate Was UFC’s ‘Golden Boy’ Before Suffering Slew Of Nasty Defeats

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Over the past 20 years, countless up-and-coming UFC fighters have been touted as future faces of their divisions – arguably none more so than Edmen ‘The Golden Boy’ Shahbazyan.

When former title holder and bonified MMA superstar Ronda Rousey promoted her star pupil as a future UFC champion, many believed her.

However, a string of nasty defeats left ‘The Golden Boy’ in a trick spot; continue training under Rowdy’s tutelage or pave his own path at Xtreme Couture? Edmen Shahbazyan chose the latter.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Edmen Shahbazyan was UFC ‘Golden Boy’ before string of brutal losses

Shahbazyan began training with Rousey at just 15 years old and by the time he entered the UFC in 2018 with a perfect professional record, many were expecting ‘The Golden Boy’ to quickly work his way into title contention.

His UFC tenure got off to a flying start with three first-round finishes in his first four fights – including a sensational high-kick KO over Brad Tavares in 2019.

Unfortunately, Rousey’s exceptional student was pushed too far, too quickly.

First, he was knocked out by Derek Brunson, then he was outclassed by Jack Hermansson, before being stopped by Nassourdine Imavov with truly vicious ground-and-pound.

It was at that point that Shahbazyan decided a change was needed.

In 2022, he opted to cut ties with Rousey and moved out to Las Vegas – a move that he described to MMA Fighting as “long overdue.”