Anthony Hernandez earned his fourth-straight win at 185 pounds earlier tonight (Sat., May 20, 2023) at UFC Vegas 73 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when “Fluffy” stopped former contender Edmen Shahbazyan with a vicious third-round TKO (elbows and punches).
Shahbazyan looked good in the early going as the rangy middleweight was able to control distance and stay off his back when he did get taken down. Things changed in the second, though, as Hernandez turned up his wrestling and scored three takedowns with ground-and-pound. It was a complete wash.
Hernandez continued his efforts in the third round with another takedown along the cage. That’s when “Fluffy” unloaded heavy elbows from top position that rattled a bloodied Shahbazyan. The referee eventually saw enough and stepped in for the stoppage.
Check out the final moments above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
Hernandez, 29, is now 5-2 as a member of the UFC’s middleweight division and has three impressive finishes in his last four Octagon appearances. A win over Shahbazyan doesn’t hold the same worth that it once did, but this performance could land Hernandez in the top 15 come next week.
For complete UFC Vegas 73 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.