A pair of middleweights feature as the main event of UFC Fight Night on ESPN tonight when Derek Brunson takes on undefeated Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas.
NOTE: Even though this is the main event, this will only be a three round fight as it wasn’t originally scheduled as the featured bout.
Brunson is ranked #8 at middleweight, with an 11-5 mark in the UFC. He’s an active fighter with 3.39 strikes per minute and 2.80 takedowns per 15 minutes in 16 fights in the promotion. At 36 years old he’s looking to get in the title picture, and will move up with a victory. He’s been in big fights before with the likes of #1 Robert Whittaker and legends like Anderson Silva, but has never fought for a title in the UFC.
Shahbazyan is 11-0, and 4-0 in four main roster UFC fights with a decision win in his first appearance, then three straight first round stoppages; one by TKO, one by submission, and one by knockout. In those three fights, he’s spent a total of 4:17 in the octagon, landing 40 significant strikes and absorbing only four. “The Golden Boy” served as a training partner for Ronda Rousey as a teenager, and fights out of Glendale, California. He’s ranked #9 in the division at just 22 years old, and is considered one of the rising stars of the sport.
Here are the betting odds at DraftKings Sportsbook for Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Fight Night from Las Vegas on August 1st:
Betting splits
Derek Brunson: +250 (18% of action, 16% of bets)
Edmen Shahbazyan: -335 (82% of action, 84% of bets)
Here are the DraftKings DFS salaries for Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan tonight:
DraftKings DFS Salaries
Derek Brunson: $7,100
Edmen Shahbazyan: $9,100
If you think the increase in class won’t affect Shahbazyan, his ability to get early stoppages makes him a strong DFS candidate. But in those three wins, he didn’t face anyone that was ranked as high as Brunson either, who makes a strong case himself for DFS rosters via his elite activity numbers.
This could be a fight you split across rosters as it’s one that could feature across a winning slate of fighters. One of the tougher decisions on tonight’s roster for sure.
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