LAS VEGAS – Eight fights, and eight straight first-round knockouts. Between his short amateur career and his start as a pro, Edmen Shahbazyan is doing a pretty good job of following in the footsteps of his manager, Ronda Rousey.

Now, the 20-year-old Shahbazyan (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is the owner of a new UFC contract after stopping Antonio Jones (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) with a 40-second win at Dana White’s Contender Series 13, which took place Tuesday at The Ultimate Fighter Gym in Las Vegas.

Trained by Edmund Tarverdyan at Glendale Fight Club, the gym that turned Rousey from judo expert to MMA phenom, Shahbazyan has some big shoes to fill. But he’s confident he’ll find the same success as his famous mentor.

Grinning wide after his knockout, Shahbazyan told MMAjunkie, “I believe history repeats itself, and we’re going to be a world champion.”

Rousey wasn’t there when Shahbazyan put the smackdown on Jones; she’s got her hands full with a professional wrestling career in the WWE. Shahbazyan, though, didn’t need any extra encouragement to do his job.

The young upstart said he’ll fight anyone the UFC puts in front of him; all they have to do is ask.

For complete coverage of Dana White’s Contender Series 13, check out the UFC Events section of the site.