Jack Hermansson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan is on the main card for UFC Fight Night betting on Saturday, May 22 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
This fight was originally scheduled for UFC 262 before being pushed back a week and should be a terrific bout between a pair of Top-10 middleweights looking to bounce back from losses.
UFC betting lines have Hermansson installed as a -154 favorite while Shahbazyan comes back at +126.
We bring you our best free Hermansson vs. Shahbazyan picks and predictions for UFC Fight Night on May 22.
Hermansson vs Shahbazyan fight odds
| Method of Victory | Jack Hermansson | Edmen Shahbazyan |
|---|---|---|
| Win Outright | -150 | +122 |
| Win by KO/TKO | +230 | +240 |
| Win by Points | +440 | +550 |
| Win by Submission | +500 | +1,600 |
| Draw | +5,000 | +5,000 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook as of May 18.
Hermansson vs Shahbazyan betting preview
Jack "The Joker" Hermansson is currently No. 7 in the UFC middleweight rankings and is fresh off a unanimous decision loss to Marvin Vettori in December. The 32-year-old is 5-2 in his last seven fights.
Hermansson is an excellent grappler, with three of his last four wins coming via submission, but he's also a crafty striker that likes to switch stances and set up combinations with feints.
Edmen "The Golden Boy" Shahbazyan is the No. 10-ranked middleweight and is coming off the first loss of his career when he was knocked out by Derek Brunson last August. He's now 11-1 with an incredible 10 of those wins coming by way of a first-round finish.
The 23-year-old Shahbazyan is a prodigy that began training in MMA at the age of nine. He's a polished technical striker with speed and explosive power.
Hermansson vs Shahbazyan tale of the tape
| Jack Hermansson | Edmen Shahbazyan | |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Age | 23 |
| 6-foot-1 | Height | 6-foot-2 |
| 185 lbs | Weight | 185 lbs |
| 77 inches | Reach | 74 inches |
| 21-6-0 (11 KO) | Record | 11-1-0 (9 KO) |
Hermansson vs Shahbazyan UFC prediction and betting pick
PREDICTION: Hermansson to win (-154) - Sometimes you can learn more about fighters from their defeats than from their wins. In Hermansson's loss to Vettori, he proved that he could eat some big shots, take damage and keep banging for 25 minutes. In Shahbazyan's loss to Brunson, we saw that he could get overpowered by physical wrestlers and has a poor gas tank.
Shahbazyan is still very young and with ten months since that previous fight, he has hopefully worked on those shortcomings. But until I see improved defensive wrestling and cardio, I can't back him in this matchup.
Expect Hermansson's toughness and clinch-work to help him survive the early onslaught from Shahbazyan before his superior grappling and cardio wear down the younger fighter.
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