The UFC returns to American soil this coming weekend, as a UFC Fight Night event is scheduled to happen at UFC’s Las Vegas APEX facility. Headlining the event is a bout between the veteran Derek Brunson and the up-and-coming Edmen Shahbazyan. Which fighter will extend his winning streak? Check out our preview of this fight now.
Brunson has won his last two fights, so he has some measure of momentum going for him when he gets inside the Octagon this coming Saturday night. In his most recent bout, Brunson defeated Ian Heinisch via unanimous decision. Before that, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Earl Theodorou. Those two fights were quite a left turn for Brunson when it comes to duration. Heading into the fight with Theodorou, Bruno engaged in four-straight bouts that did not go past the first round, a stretch in which he went 2-2. Bruno is a striker who’s won 10 fights by way of knockouts, and he’ll be looking to add Shahbazyan to his list of victims with the help of his reach advantage. Brunson has a 77-inch reach, while Shahbazyan’s is 74 inches. It could be remembered that the 36-year-old Brunson once stitched together four wins in a row via first-round knockouts from 2015-2016.
Don’t ask Shahbazyan how it feels like after a loss, as he has yet to taste a single one in his career, thus far. Shahbazyan is on a roll with 11-straight wins to start his MMA career. In his last fight, he scored a TKO win against Brad Tavares last November in the undercard of UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz. A dangerous striker, Shahbazyan, and his devastating power have been largely responsible for his nine knockout victories since beginning his pro career three years ago. He also seems to have more confidence with his technique on the mat, as he had his first submission victory in July of last year when he defeated Jack Marshman in the first round. Shahbazyan owns a 60 percent significant striking accuracy, landing 2.24 significant strikes per minute. He is especially dangerous striking in clinches in which he’s landed 51 percent of his strikes.
