UFC Employee Fired for Allowing Edmen Shahbazyan to Enter the Ring with Artsakh Flag

A UFC employee with 20 years of experience was dismissed for allowing Edmen Shahbazyan to enter the ring with the Artsakh flag, leading to financial penalties for the organization, as we were deprived of sponsorship funds provided by the UFC's sponsor. Turkish and Azerbaijani embassies from various countries have achieved their objectives regarding this issue.

This was stated by Edmond Tarverdyan, Edmen Shahbazyan’s personal coach and manager, who is also the head of the Glendale Fighting Club, in an interview with NEWS.am Sport from the USA. Shahbazyan's entrance with the Artsakh flag during the UFC Fight Night 173 event held on August 2 in Las Vegas faced dissatisfaction from the Turkish and Azerbaijani embassies in several countries.

Earlier, Martin Berberian, a European champion in freestyle wrestling and Shahbazyan's wrestling coach, had informed NEWS.am Sport that several countries, notably Turkey, had lodged complaints regarding Shahbazyan's appearance with the Artsakh flag.

Tarverdyan commented on the complaints lodged with the UFC: “On August 4, I received a call from the UFC. I should note that last year the organization was sold to large Chinese companies, and everything changed there. Although Dana White remains the head of UFC, he is not involved in matters of rule enforcement. There are changes in the organization’s leadership, and prominent figures are now at the helm.”

He elaborated, “I was informed that the Turkish embassy in Russia and other Turkish representatives had complained that Armenians are 'terrorists' and that they had no right to enter the octagon with the Artsakh flag. Complaints were also lodged from Azerbaijani embassies in Turkey and Russia. Were we only warned that a complaint was made? As of August 5, no penalties had been imposed on us.”

Tarverdyan continued, “I had indicated during the call that we are trying to show support for our country and stand with Armenia, representing our nation. We aim to express our outrage regarding the recent tensions in Tavush, and to assert that Artsakh is part of our nation, inhabited by Armenians whom we must protect. Our team’s goal in the USA is to represent the Armenian people, our country, in all major competitions. Edmen's entrance with the Artsakh flag had that mission.”

In response to a question about whether any complaints had come from Azerbaijani and Turkish embassies in the USA, Tarverdyan replied, “No, no complaints have come from the embassies here. Initially, complaints originated from Russia and Turkey, but developments have since taken a negative turn.”

On August 6, I received another call, this time personally from UFC’s president, White, who informed me that the number of complaints had increased, with over 10 countries reporting discontent from Turkish and Azerbaijani embassies. According to White, the UFC decided to terminate its 20-year employee responsible for overseeing fighters’ apparel and flag usage before they entered the octagon. UFC maintains strict regulations where even the slightest logo on an athlete's attire can be a serious infraction.

Tarverdyan explained, “The major bouts in UFC are sponsored by Reebok. Athletes are required to enter the octagon only wearing Reebok brands. Any other logo on their clothing, even on underwear, would get marked out by the UFC personnel, who was that same 20-year employee, before allowing them to enter.” He noted that the employee was let go because he failed to perform his duties and did not notice that Shahbazyan had the Artsakh flag on his shoulders, rather than the Armenian flag.

Regarding the penalties imposed on Edmen Shahbazyan's team, Tarverdyan stated: “We were also penalized financially. As I mentioned earlier, the sponsor of the UFC events is Reebok, and they provide significant financial rewards to the main participants of each event, depending on the athlete's level, which can range from $20,000 to $50,000. We have been cut off from Reebok funding as a penalty. Our punishment was due to a clause in the contract that prohibited entering the ring with the flag of another country.”

He expressed regret that the Turkish and Azerbaijani embassies had achieved their aim, stating, “I want everyone to know about this. I regret that an employee of the UFC suffered because of us; there was never any intention to harm the UFC. I do not feel bad about the financial penalty; I feel worse that someone else was affected because of us.”

He concluded by extending an apology to the UFC executive, stating, “I assured him we were not careful, we did not know the issues this could cause, and we never wanted to create a problem for anyone; we had no personal conflict with anyone. We do not regret our actions. If necessary, we will find a way to get permission and enter the ring with the Artsakh flag once again. We are prepared to face our punishment. We have not given up, as Edmen has been my student since he was 10; he is also undeterred. I, along with Ronda Rousey, am also Edmen's manager and continue to support him in this endeavor.