Following a three-round action, Edmen Shahbazyan returned to the win column with a convincing unanimous decision victory over Brunno Ferreira at UFC 331. However, the Nevada-based fighter’s otherwise successful night was briefly overshadowed by controversy after he protested knee strikes mid-fight.
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After a lackluster first round, Shahbazyan took control of the fight, picking apart the Brazilian with precise striking. The 28-year-old even scored a vicious knockdown in the third round. Ferreira did have his moments, landing a couple of shots in brief flurries, and knee strikes were among them. Shahbazyan believed those strikes were illegal and complained to the referee at one point, only to learn they were within the rules.
At the UFC 331 post-fight press conference, Shahbazyan referenced Jon Jones, explaining that he had assumed such strikes were illegal before admitting he was mistaken.
“Yeah, so I guess I was mistaken. I didn’t know you can directly hit straight on the knee, and I thought it was a legal move just from prior days. I remember Jon Jones would do it, and they would say it’s an illegal move, but I guess it’s not. So it was my fault. I mean, the fight didn’t stop either way.”
This is a developing story…