Edmen Shahbazyan fights Anthony Hernandez in the co-main of UFC Vegas 73. The event will feature some good fighters such as Mackenzie Dern, Angela Hill, Michael Johnson, and Joaquin Buckley. However, the co-main event bout between Shahbazyan and Hernandez is the most intriguing contest of them all, mostly due to the former’s progression.
Shahbazyan had a meteoric rise through the UFC ranks between July 2018 to November 2019. In that period, Edmen beat Antonio Jones in the Dana White‘s Contender Series (DWCS) to earn an opportunity to make his main roster debut on “The Ultimate Fighter” season 28 finale. In the contest, Shahbazyan fought Darren Stewart and won via split decision.
SHAHBAZYAN vs HERNANDEZ! #UFCVegas73 is LIVE TOMORROW on @espn+! pic.twitter.com/itDRKYwjdb
— danawhite (@danawhite) May 19, 2023
Afterward, he beat Charles Byrd, Jack Marshman, and Brad Tavares successively. With a 5-0 record inside the Octagon, Edmen earned a chance to fight Derek Brunson in October 2020. Despite having a brilliant first round, Derek’s experience came through and he manhandled Edmen for the rest of the fight and TKO’ed him in round 3.
Shahbazyan’s misery did not end there either as he went on to lose to Jack Hermansson and Nassourdine Imavov as well. But thankfully for him, Edmen managed to snap his 3-fight win streak against Dalcha Lungiambula at UFC 282. After parting ways with Ronda Rousey and Edmond Tarverdyan, Edmen is currently with Xtreme Couture and has a new outlook on his fighting career.
UFC Fight Night: Edmen Shahbazyan vs Anthony Hernandez, Stats
Stats | Edmen Shahbazyan | Anthony Hernandez |
---|---|---|
Wins | 12 | 10 |
Losses | 3 | 2 |
Height | 1.88 m | 1.83 m |
Division | Middleweight | Middleweight |
Reach | 190.5 cm | 190.5 cm |
Age | 25 | 29 |
Shahbazyan vs Hernandez: Fight Breakdown
Anthony Hernandez, Edmen Shahbazyan’s opponent this weekend, has an MMA record of 10-2-1. He knocked out Jordan Wright at a DWCS event in June 2018. However, the result was overturned into a no-contest after Anthony tested positive for marijuana. While he has lost to Kevin Holland and Markus Perez, Hernandez has beaten fighters like Park Jun-Yong and Marc-André Barriault.
According to UFC Stats, Hernandez has an average of 4.03 strikes per minute and secures an ungodly 6.49 takedowns per 15 minutes! Shahbazyan, on the other hand, has 2.31 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands 3.59 strikes per minute. But, Shahbazyan’s striking defense needs work as he absorbs 3.87 strikes, which is more than his landing rate.
While they both have the same reach, Edmen has the height advantage as he stands at 1.88 m compared to Hernandez’s 1.83 m. Shahbazyan is also the younger fighter with a higher potential. Although he is not quite as active as Anthony Hernandez, Edmen is much more sophisticated with his defense and more dynamic with his offense. Hence, Shahbazyan will be the favorite to win this weekend and continue to rebuild his career.