UFC Vegas 73: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez Odds, Predictions, and Best Bets

The UFC is heading back to the Apex for a fight night event that is headlined by two straweight contenders in No. 8 Mackenzie Dern and No. 14 Angela Hill. These two were set to faceoff last weekend but seeing as this weekend’s event needed a main event they made the switch giving them a bump in salary and more time to prep.

In the co-main event, we have a fight in the middleweight division as two surging contenders take the octagon as Edmen Shahbazyan takes on Anthony Hernandez. With that said, let’s take a look at the odds and our predictions, and best bets for this weekend’s main event fight between Edmen Shahbazyan and Anthony Hernandez.

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez Odds

Anthony Hernandez has been on a tear as of late winning three straight against some good opposition like Rodolfo Vieira and Marc-Andre Barriault. This would be the biggest name on his resume if he is able to get it done this weekend against Edmen Shahbazyan.

Edmen Shahbazyan finally got back on track in his last fight against Dalcha Lungiambula after dropping his previous three fights albeit against elite competition. On his rise up the rankings Shahbazyan was finishing everyone in his path and he is looking to get back into that title contention this weekend with a big win over Anthony Hernandez.

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez

Edmen Shahbazyan was deemed the next big thing coming out Glendale Fighting Club when he got 10-0 with a brutal knockout of Brad Tavares. Then he took a big step up in competition and was drowned with a wrestling onslaught against Derek Brunson and then consecutive losses came afterwards. It was once he made the necessary gym change to Xtreme Couture is when he looked like his old self. When Shahbazyan is on he is hard to beat and he needs to be the best version of himself to get Hernandez out of there.

Anthony Hernandez has used his grappling onslaught to drown his opponents during his current winning streak. That is certainly something he will need to utilize to full effect against a dangerous striker in Edmen Shahbazyan. Also Hernandez does have some sensational cardio to push a pace that most can’t keep up with, so Shahbazyan certainly has his work cut out for him.

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez Best Bet

Anthony Hernandez has exceed my expectations every time he steps foot inside the octagon but I believe he has met his match here against Shahbazyan. We know that Shahbazyan has had his troubles with grappling in the past but the change of gyms should have helped him shore that up. Ultimately, Hernandez will attempt to get Shahbazyan to the mat early but Shahbazyan will stuff the takedowns and punish Hernandez on the feet to a a mid to late finish.