Jack Hermansson Takes on Edmen Shahbazyan in UFC 262 Middleweight Clash

UFC 262 Adds Smiling Swede Jack Hermansson and ‘Golden Boy’ Edmen Shahbazyan

Jack Hermansson (21-6), who fights out of the Team Hellboy in Oslo, has firmly established himself amongst the UFC’s middleweight elite in recent years, with impressive wins over Kelvin Gastelum and Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza. He is currently ranked #6 in the division.

Hermansson suffered a setback in his most recent fight against Italy’s Marvin Vettori in December 2020, but the submission specialist delivered a gritty performance on the feet that earned him “Fight of the Night” honors. Returning to the win column would likely put him within one fight of the title conversation in a division with one of the deepest talent pools on the UFC roster.

Edmen Shahbazyan (11-1) is the latest contender fighting out of California’s well-known Glendale Fighting Club gym, and Shahbazyan, at just 23-years of age, has been tipped for the top. The confidence behind the young striker is backed by plenty of evidence inside the cage – with nine of ten wins coming via stoppage, and three finishes in the UFC. Shahbazyan is ranked #12 in the middleweight rankings.

His last fight saw him suffer his first professional loss to experienced veteran Derek Brunson. Despite the loss, Edmen remains one of the most exciting prospects on the UFC roster. However, it speaks volumes to his self-belief that Shahbazyan is willing to bounce back from this first loss against one of the elite fighters in the division.

In short, the fight represents a highly-touted prospect making the step up to fight top-caliber competition in the form of Jack Hermansson. The fight doesn’t quite constitute a “striker vs grappler” contest – both fighters possess a complete martial arts skillset – but one may expect that Hermansson may be more comfortable on the ground against Edmen’s dangerous striking technique.

The UFC 262, set for May 15 in Houston, Texas, is shaping into an exciting card already, headlined by the highly anticipated lightweight showdown between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveria. The scheduled fights include:

• Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira
• Beneil Dariush vs. Tony Ferguson
• Jamie Pickett vs. Jordan Wright
• Priscila Cachoeira vs. Gina Mazany
• Viviane Araujo vs. Katlyn Chookagian
• Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell
• Andrea Lee vs. Antonina Shevchenko
• Edson Barboza vs. Shane Burgos
• Jack Hermansson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan

Can Shahbazyan handle the step up in competition? Or is Hermansson too skilled and experienced? Let us know your thoughts!

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