Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan set for UFC 248

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

After signing a new six-fight deal with the UFC, Derek Brunson will look to hand Edmen Shahbazyan the first loss of his career as the middleweights are expected to clash at UFC 248 on March 7.

The UFC announced the new fight on Wednesday.

Brunson recently touted his new contract signing with the UFC after amassing a 11-5 record inside the Octagon thus far including two wins in a row over Ian Heinisch and Elias Theodorou in his past two appearances.

Brunson has been a mainstay of the middleweight top 10 for the past few years and now he’ll look to continue his climb while facing one of the brightest young prospects in the division.

The 22-year-old Shahbazyan joined the UFC roster following a win on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series and he’s looked incredibly impressive ever since.

While he went to a split decision in his first fight in the UFC, Shahbazyan has since rattled off three more wins, all coming by knockout or submission, including a blistering first round finish against Brad Tavares in his most recent appearance.

Shahbazyan will look to keep his perfect record intact when he faces Brunson in March as part of the card headlined by middleweight champion Israel Adesanya facing Yoel Romero as well as the strawweight title fight between reigning champion Weili Zhang and former title holder Joanna Jedrzejczyk.