New UFC Fighter Jean-Paul Bosnoyan: “I Am Proud of My Armenian Heritage”

On August 3, during Episode 4 of Season 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), American welterweight Jean-Paul Bosnoyan (Lebosnoyani) made a strong statement by knocking out Jack Congdon and earning a UFC contract.

After the fight, at the press conference, Bosnoyan answered a question from Armenian Sports News journalist Alec Shirvanian
 about his Armenian heritage:

“Yes, I am half Armenian, half Romanian, but I was born in the USA. I am very proud to represent both sides of my heritage and I look forward to meeting my fans.

My father is my foundation. He was the one who brought me into sports. It was his dream, and he passed it on to me. I’m grateful that he pushed me down this path. As a kid, I wanted to play basketball and slack off, but my father was very strict, and that’s what brought me to where I am today. Of course, now it’s my own dream, but I’m proud to carry his last name.”

Jean-Paul and his sister Bianca began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from a young age at their father Nerses “Nono” Bosnoyan’s gym. Nerses, an Armenian born in California, once trained with members of the legendary Gracie family. Today, Jean-Paul holds a black belt in BJJ, while his sister Bianca holds a brown belt.

Thus, Bosnoyan has joined the UFC welterweight roster, and fans from Armenia and the diaspora now have a new fighter to cheer for on the global stage.

That same evening, another fighter with ties to Armenia, Yazidi David Mgoyan, also competed at DWCS, but lost a hard-fought battle to Tommy McMillan by decision.