Edmen Shahbazyan was originally scheduled to fight Jack Hermansson at UFC 262 before the fight got re-booked for UFC Vegas 27.
While UFC middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan misses the energy that comes with fighting in front of a crowded arena, his approach remains the same heading into his fight with Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 27 at the UFC Apex.
During his fight week media availability, Shahbazyan was asked about his preference of fighting in front of fans vs. an empty arena and remains laser-focused on what he plans to do to Hermansson in the octagon.
“I wouldn’t say it changes my fighting inside the Octagon, but at the end of the day when the cage door locks, the crowd doesn’t make a difference to me,” Shahbazyan said. “I kinda zone out the fans whenever I’m in the cage and only hear my coaches and corner.”
Shahbazyan will fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for the second time since the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns. He fell in his last bout against Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 5.
Edmen Shahbazyan remains one of the most intriguing prospects in the UFC middleweight division
Shahbazyan’s most recent loss to Brunson is his sole defeat during his time in the UFC. The 23-year-old had won his first three bouts before the defeat and holds an overall record of 11-1 in his Mixed Martial Arts career.
Shahbazyan began his emergence in the UFC through his time on Dana White’s Contender Series 13, knocking out Antonio Jones before earning a contract with the promotion.
Hermansson enters the fight coming off a tough loss to middleweight title contender Marvin Vettori at UFC Vegas 16. Before that, Hermansson was widely considered as one of the most dangerous men in the middleweight division and a potential matchup nightmare for champion Israel Adesanya.
Shahbazyan and Hermansson come into UFC Vegas 27 with plenty to prove, and the winner has a chance to enter himself in the title contender discussion after Adesanya and Vettori fight at UFC 263 next month.