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The UFC has been trying to book a middleweight fight between Edmen Shahbazyan and Derek Brunson for quite some time but has failed to execute their plans for the bout so far.
However, according to an initial report from ESPN, the UFC has reportedly re-booked the Shahazyan and Brunson bout for the third time, this time for their UFC Fight Night event on the 1st of August, 2020.
Edmen Shahbazyan vs Derek Brunson in the works for UFC Fight Night on 1st August
The UFC initially tried to book a middleweight clash between Edmen Shahbazyan and Derek Brunson for the UFC 248 fight card in March, however, the fight was canceled in the lead-up to the pay-per-view.
Eventually, the UFC booked the fight once again for UFC Fight Night 172: Overeem vs Harris but the bout was once again postponed after Shahbazyan announced his removal from the fight card but in doing so, he also confirmed that the fight would take place at a later date.
It now looks the later date is finally upon us, as ESPN's Brett Okamoto took to Twitter and confirmed that the UFC is reportedly working on booking the Shahbazyan vs Brunson bout for the third time for the UFC on 1st August event.
Okamoto tweeted out the following:
Shahbazyan made his UFC debut two years ago at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale against Darren Stewart, in a fight that he ended up winning via split decision. 'The Golden Boy' is currently on an undefeated run in the UFC, compiling wins over the likes of Charles Byrdd, Jack Marshman, and Brad Tavares.
The 22-year-old middleweight last competed in the Octagon at UFC 244 when he defeated Tavares via a brutal head-kick KO in the very first round of the fight. If Shahbazyan continues his winning run come August 1, then he would definitely be in the conversation to get a shot at a Top 10 from the middleweight division.
On the other hand, Derek Brunson last fought at UFC 241 when he defeated Ian Heinisch via unanimous decision and the former is currently on a two-fight winning streak, having previously beaten Elias Theodorou via unanimous decision in 2019.
Last year, Brunson also signed a six-fight contract with the UFC and will aim to extend his winning streak in the promotion by taking out Shahbazyan, once the duo steps together in the Octagon, in early August.
As of now, the UFC is yet to confirm the fight.
