Brunno Ferreira seeks rebound against Edmen Shahbazyan

Brunno Ferreira is looking to get his career back on track when he takes on Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC 331. After suffering two straight losses in 2026, the Brazilian middleweight is hoping to rediscover the aggressive mindset that helped him earn a UFC contract and start a three-fight winning streak in 2025. Ferreira and Shahbazyan will meet on the preliminary card in Los Angeles on Saturday, with both fighters looking to return to the win column.

Brunno Ferreira Wants to Bring Back his DWCS Mindset

Ferreira earned his UFC contract after stopping Leon Aliu in the first round at Dana White's Contender Series in 2022 before making his promotional debut the following year. After going 3-2 in his first two years in the UFC, "The Hulk" had a strong run in 2025, winning all three of his fights and submitting two opponents.

However, things changed the following year. In March, Ferreira suffered a first-round knockout loss to Gregory Rodrigues at UFC 326 before losing a unanimous decision to Ikram Aliskerov three months later.

With his recent setbacks in mind, Ferreira believes he needs to rediscover the mentality that helped him make a strong impression at DWCS. Speaking to Ag Fight, the Brazilian explained that he intends to bring an aggressive approach to his fight with Shahbazyan.

"For me, in my mindset, it's like Contender Series in my life," Ferreira said. "That's it, let's go out there and fight and put on a show for the fans. There's no other word for it, man. I came here to fight."

However, Ferreira does not want his aggression to lead to the same mistakes he made in his recent performances. The Brazilian revealed that his training camp focused on controlling his aggression and avoiding unnecessary attacks against Shahbazyan.

Brunno Ferreira Worked on his Aggression

Ferreira is also aware that simply being aggressive will not be enough to beat Shahbazyan. The Brazilian said he studied his opponent's game and worked on avoiding the mistakes that have affected his own performances. Rather than recklessly chasing his opponent or throwing strikes without a clear purpose, Ferreira believes he can have more success by maintaining his aggression while fighting with greater discipline.

"We saw where there is room to work, what not to do against him," Ferreira said. "I mainly worked on avoiding mistakes, on my style and aggression, so I don't go crazy trying to chase him or throwing strikes into the air. We corrected that, and I believe this way of visualizing the fight will give me more success."

While the Brazilian enters the matchup riding a two-fight losing streak, Shahbazyan is also looking to bounce back after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Brendan Allen, which snapped a three-fight winning streak. The 28-year-old American holds a 16-6 professional record.