UFC middleweight Sean Strickland is looking to take some credit for his teammate Edmen Shahbazyan’s recent return to the win column.
A number of fighters walked away from UFC 282 this past weekend as victors, from the promotion’s youngest-ever fighter Raul Rosas Jr. to rising 185lber Dricus du Plessis, who stopped Darren Till in the pay-per-view’s Fight of the Night.
But not many secured a victory that was as needed as Shahbazyan’s.
“The Golden Boy” rose into the rankings after knocking Brad Tavares out at UFC 244 in 2019. With that, the then-22-year-old boasted an unblemished 11-0 record and what appeared to be a destined surge to the top in his future.
Unfortunately, that rise came too soon, as he proved to be outmatched by Derek Brunson and Jack Hermansson before Nassourdine Imavov sent him on a three-fight skid last November courtesy of some brutal elbows.
Having spent over a year away from the Octagon and reinvented himself at Las Vegas’ Xtreme Couture gym, Shahbazyan returned to action at UFC 282 looking to make a statement.
And with a TKO finishing sequence against Dalcha Lungiambula that began with a flying knee, the 25-year-old did just that.
The layoff paid off, @EdmenShahbazyan is back in the win column! #UFC282 pic.twitter.com/9WtpykOpGT
In the aftermath of his long-awaited rebound performance, Shahbazyan thanked the coaches who’d helped him bounce back. One name that was missing from the Glendale native’s post-fight shoutouts, though, was Strickland.
During a recent interview with The Schmo ahead of his own fight this weekend at UFC Vegas 66, Strickland looked back on this past Saturday’s action, which saw Shahbazyan, Chris Curtis, and Magomed Ankalaev enter the cage as Xtreme Couture affiliates.
When it comes to Shahbazan and his first victory since 2019, Strickland believes he played an important part in rebuilding the middleweight prospect’s confidence. In typical “Tarzan” fashion, he described the Shahbazyan who arrived in the gym earlier this year as a “soft virgin.”
“I’ll tell you what about Edmen, you guys. Edmen came to me, this soft virgin… came to me a soft virgin little f*cking p*ssy, you guys,” Strickland said. “I took my big old metaphorical d*ck and I f*cked him every day, bloody. And now, after four months, Edmen’s doing the f*cking.”
Strickland went on to address his absence from Shahbazyan’s post-fight show of gratitude.
“I would like to take all the credit for that win. That was all me. That was f*cking all me. You’re welcome, Edmen. And by the way, I didn’t get a shoutout, I didn’t get one personal thank you, ‘Hey Sean, thank you for taking me under your wing and beating me into a man.’ No, not f*cking one, Edmen, so f*ck you,” Strickland added.
Having seen both Shahbazyan and Curtis fly the gym’s flag with standout knockouts at UFC 282, the onus is now on Strickland to continue that success this Saturday when he headlines opposite Jared Cannonier at the Apex.
Work work work pic.twitter.com/NugxOBaGl8
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