It was saddening to hear that an outstanding middleweight bout would be rescheduled after falling out of the main card for UFC 262, we found out in quick time that we would only have to wait a week, however. Jack Hermansson vs Edmen Shahbazyan is set and with both men looking to bounce off of losses, these fighters are more motivated than ever to prove themselves as the division’s elite!
Both athletes have been in the top 10 for a year or longer, and the winner of this bout solidifies their position in the deep end of the world’s best middleweights. Let’s discuss the abilities and techniques possessed by both men heading into this bout and see how each man can win.
A Look At the Fighters
Jack Hermansson is 3-2 in his last five. “The Joker” stepped up and defeated Brazilian legend Jacare Souza via unanimous decision to start a row of bouts against top 10 middleweights, he would next run into Jared Cannonier and suffer a TKO defeat. Hermansson rebounded facing former interim title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum, where he would win with a quick heel hook. Most recently he lost to the champion Israel Adesanya’s next opponent Marvin Vettori on a short notice change of opposition.
With all these ups and downs “The Joker” is finally ready to show his pure heart, power and excellence in the octagon. Standing across from him this time, a “Golden Boy” who was on the fast track to the title until Derek Brunson stepped up and shocked the youngster with a third-round TKO.
Edmen Shahbazyan is looking to get his hype train back on track, with the young prodigy scoring three first-round finishes before his setback, “The Golden Boy” has a lot of hard work to do to jump into the top five. The main key in Shahbazyans game is his lateral movement, he can control his opponents so well and uses his pressure to its full advantage. His prime example of this came against Brad Tavares. Shahbazyan cut off every angle and Tavares resulted in clinching where he would barely avoid a knee to the face but ultimately take a beautiful head kick which put him unconscious.
Jack Hermansson vs Edmen Shahbazyan Breakdown
Using the knowledge we have just gained, we can break down the upcoming middleweight bout and see how either man can come out on top. Jack Hermansson vs Edmen Shahbazyan is such an interesting matchup stylistically, the relentless grappling of “The Joker” could lead this to be a similar fight to “The Golden Boy’s” last time out.
Hermansson can use the pressure of the young prodigy to cut angles of his own and secure a single leg, although Shahbazyan won’t go down without a fight. “The Golden Boy” hides his leg kicks so well and instead of throwing feints, he fully extends his strikes but doesn’t use his full power until he wants to. Jack Hermansson vs Edmen Shahbazyan is set to be one of the division’s most important matchups, and now, let’s discuss one of the biggest factors heading into this fight!
One of the biggest factors heading into this bout is the angles, Shabazyan loves to cut them whereas Hermansson loves to quickly exit the back foot and will sacrifice a failed takedown just to get to safety on the feet. Jack Hermansson vs Edmen Shahbazyan shows two men with amazing momentum, speed, and power. The winner will be solidified as a top 10 contender whereas the loser might just find himself with double digits next to his name!
Jack Hermansson vs Edmen Shahbazyan is going to be a very interesting matchup, with so many different styles either fighter can utilize in this bout, but only one man will be victorious. Thank you for joining me in this Jack Hermansson vs Edmen Shahbazyan breakdown and preview!
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