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UFC Las Vegas: Dern vs. Hill is live on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex as we bring you our prediction and pick for the Co-Main Event of the evening, taking place in the Middleweight (185 lb) Division. Xtreme Couture's Edmen Shahbazyan will take on California's Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez in a can't-miss scrap! Check out our UFC odds series for our Shahbazyan-Hernandez prediction and pick.
Edmen Shahbazyan is 12-3 as a mixed martial artist and has gone 5-3 inside the UFC after a contract-win on Contender Series. He's just barely sniffing the top-15 rankings and will look to get back on the winning track after three consecutive losses. He bounced back in his last fight against Dalcha Lungiambula and notched a big win, hoping he can string some more together and get back in the mix of the rankings. Shahbazyan stands 6'2″ with a 74-inch reach.
Anthony Hernandez is 10-2 overall as a professional fighter and has gone 4-2 since joining the UFC in 2019. Hernandez missed out on a DWCS contract as his fight was declared a no contest. Clearly, signing him has been a good decision as he's notched some memorable victories inside the cage. He's won his last three consecutive fights coming in and will have a ton of confidence in putting away Shahbazyan. Hernandez stands 6'0″ with a 75-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Las Vegas Odds: Edmen Shahbazyan-Anthony Hernandez Odds
Edmen Shahbazyan: +172
Anthony Hernandez: -215
Over (1.5) rounds: -148
Under (1.5) rounds: +116
How to Watch Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN App, UFC Fight Pass
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)
Article Continues Below
Why Edmen Shahbazyan Will Win
Edmen Shahbazyan has a tremendous team in his corner from Xtreme Couture. He also has the physical size and athleticism to be a force in the division. However, he went on a bad three-fight losing streak and lost a ton of stock after being ranked #9 at one point. He fought a very smart fight his last time out and countering the power of Lungiambula with a lot of finesse. Shahbazyan also looked very strong and in-control on the cage and in the clinch. It looks as though he's hurdled his mental blockage and will look to get back to the form that earned him a 3-0 UFC start.
To win this fight, Shahbazyan will have to once again be patient in the striking and wait for Hernandez to make mistakes. He should have an advantage in the wrestling department, but he'll have to be mindful of the submission capabilities of Hernandez. Shahbazyan can win this fight by working behind his jab and being more aggressive in the clinch. He won't stay an underdog for much longer if he can get this win over a streaking fighter.
Why Anthony Hernandez Win
Hernandez surprised a ton of people when he submitted Jiu Jitsu Champion Rodolfo Vieira, but he answered once again with a submission win over Marc-Andre Barriault in his last fight. He also gets it done with his slick and fast hands, to which he lands 4.1 significant strikes per minute. Hernandez does a very good job with his arm guard and uses a lot of head movement to slip out of range. Look for him to have the faster hands in the boxing exchanges.
Where Hernandez really shines is in his jiu jitsu. He has a ton of creativity on the ground and can force submissions from the weirdest positions. He utilizes rubber guard from the bottom and can do a ton of damage from his back. He lands takedowns at a 66% clip and should look to be aggressive with his grappling against Shahbazyan. While it may be hard to counter the wrestling, Hernandez is confident and creative enough to force this one to the ground and once again force a tap.
Final Edmen Shahbazyan-Anthony Hernandez Prediction & Pick
Edmen Shahbazyan looked very good in his last fight and it's good to see him find the right mindset after a string of bad losses. He can certainly win this fight if he's the more disciplined fighter and doesn't put himself in bad positions. His size could play a huge part in the wrestling and Hernandez could have trouble bringing him down initially. However, the right side here is to play Hernandez as he's just too hot right now. This seems like a perfect way for him to propel himself into the top-15 and establish himself as the next submission threat at 185, a division that lacks high-level jiu jitsu.
Final Edmen Shahbazyan-Anthony Hernandez Prediction & Pick: Anthony Hernandez (-215); Win by Submission (+210)
