Anthony Hernandez is the UFC Vegas 73 fighter to watch
Anthony Hernandez is the fighter to watch at UFC Vegas 73.
Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez is looking to build on his UFC-best three-fight win streak when he takes on Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 73. Hernandez was 6-0 with five first-round finishes and Legacy Fighting Alliance's middleweight champion (beating current No. 13-ranked middleweight Brendan Allen) before appearing on Dana White's Contender Series. Hernandez would finish former UFC fighter Jordan Wright like clockwork in the first round, but the fight was overturned to a no-contest after Hernandez tested positive for marijuana.
Hernandez would still receive a contract and make his debut nine months later at UFC Fortaleza against another former LFA champion Markus Perez. Hernandez would go 1-2 to start his UFC career but has won three straight by beating Josh Fremd, Marc-Andre Barriault, and submitting BJJ ace Rodolfo Vieria.
Anthony Hernandez is looking to stop the resurgence of Edmen Shahbazyan and enter the middleweight rankings
Shahbazyan was a former ranked UFC middleweight who made his debut on DWCS after six straight first-round knockout wins. Shahbazyan would win four straight and get a main event slot against veteran Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 5. Shahbazyan would lose three straight, two by knockout, before getting back on track at UFC 282 against Dalcha Lungiambula. Shahbazyan switched camps last year, moving on from Edmond Tarverdyan, and settling with Xtreme Couture.
Hernandez and Shahbazyan are scheduled as the co-main event, the first of Hernandez's career. The two young fighters, Hernandez 29, and Shahbazyan 25, will be mostly identical as Hernandez has a slight reach while Shahbazyan has a slight height advantage. While fighting to get into the middleweight rankings, we could very much see a fight of the night between these two finishers.
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