"There is no easy fights" - Daniel Cormier thinks young fighters like Edmen Shahbazyan can't handle the step up in competition
Daniel Cormier believes young fighters like Edmen Shahbazyan really need to start preparing themselves for the call-up to fight at the top of the division. Shahbazyan's latest loss to #7 ranked Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 27 meant that the former has now lost two fights in a row.
During the first main card fight of UFC Vegas 27, Edmen Shahbazyan looked sharp against Hermansson. However, in the later rounds, Shahbazyan struggled to keep up with his opponent's terrific ground game and eventually lost via decision.
While discussing Edmen Shahbazyan's latest loss, Cormier said young up-and-coming fighters need to prepare themselves for the Top 10. DC also mentioned Shahbazyan's fellow middleweight Kevin Holland, who has lost two fights in a row and is almost in a similar situation. He said:
"Now you find yourself in a situation with Shahbazyan where the dude's lost two in a row. He's so young that you don't know if those young guys can ride the ship, man. Look man, there is no easy fights in the UFC and when you're in the Top 10, you're gonna get somebody difficult. We've seen this though, we saw it with Kevin Holland, who's now lost two in a row or three in a row. And now we've seen it with Shahbazyan, so it's a matter of these young guys being ready when they get the call to go into the Top 10. Because you only got so many of those fights where you get to look like a rockstar before you really gotta start to earn your way up to the top of the division and we've seen it recently where guys just haven't been able to handle the step up in competition."
Edmen Shahbazyan suffered his second consecutive loss at UFC Vegas 27
At UFC Vegas 27, Edmen Shahbazyan lost to Jack Hermansson. The former's loss to 'The Joker' was his second in the UFC and was also Shahbazyan's second defeat in a row.
Nine months before his return to the octagon at UFC Vegas 27, Edmen Shahabazyan lost to the veteran Derek Brunson in a three-round main event. While 'The Golden Boy' did look sharp in his fight against Hermansson, the necessary changes he made weren't enough to get his hand raised on the night.