MMA Preview – Edmen Shahbazyan vs Anthony Hernandez at UFC Fight Night 224
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
EDMEN SHAHBAZYAN VS ANTHONY HERNANDEZ FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 224? Saturday May 20th March, 2023 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 224? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 224? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 224 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 224? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
EDMEN SHAHBAZYAN VS ANTHONY HERNANDEZ LOWDOWN
Edmen Shahbazyan (12-3) finally got that winning feeling back last December. He ended 2019 sitting pretty on a perfect record with four UFC fights in the bank, but then experienced the step-up in competition too quickly. He got mauled and pounded out by Derek Brunson (2020), outpointed by Jack Hermansson (2021) and TKO’d by Nassourdine Imavov (2021). He was then handed a kinder match-up in Dalcha Lungiambula (2022) and put on a ‘Performance of the Night’ knocking him out in the second round.
He now takes on Anthony Hernandez (10-2(1)) who responded to getting knocked out by Kevin Holland (2020) with three-straight wins. He handed the jiu-jitsu world champion Rodolfo Vieira (2021) his first MMA loss upsetting him with an unforgettable submission of his own. He then outpointed Josh Fremd and submitted Marc-Andre Barriault last year.
EDMEN SHAHBAZYAN VS ANTHONY HERNANDEZ PREDICTION
Shahbazyan got found out by grapplers, but his three losses were against the elite. Hernandez is not on that level, but he represents another tough match-up for the 25-year-old.
Hernandez has exceptional jiu-jitsu and averages more than six takedowns per fight. We can fully expect him to call upon his grappling skills to exploit Shahbazyan’s weaknesses.
It would be a good idea as Shahbazyan is an extremely dangerous striker. Hernandez can also bang so if he has the ego to trade on the feet, Shahbazyan has every chance in finding the knockout.
However, we expect Hernandez to play it smart and chain takedowns together to drain the gas tank. Depending on how fatigued Shahbazyan gets, a submission is on the cards.
Prediction: Hernandez via Submission
Value bet: Shahbazyan via KO/TKO
