Edmen Shahbazyan

says he won't bet this one, plans to 'drink a root beer'

Described as dangerous and clean in the first round, with a full striking arsenal and an accurate jab, but his takedown defense is said to hold up early and then fall apart if the fight is extended past round one.

He states a pick-vs-bet split outright and says he might back the opponent's round-one knockout price, even while predicting Allen -- a hedge on the win itself, not just the route.

Dangerous and finish-capable early, carrying the kind of standup that has put opponents away before the first round ends -- strong kicks, sharp combination punching, a busy jab and legitimate pop -- plus a clinch game he can run either judo-style or Thai-style. What happens after that opening window is far less predictable. His wrestling is decent, and he stops takedowns well at first, though that fades noticeably the longer the fight runs.

Explicitly calls this the smallest amount of confidence he could put on a pick and names it the card's biggest stay-away fight, putting nothing on it himself.

A solid striker with power, good kicks, good combinations and an accurate jab, who the analyst says should not lose a striking match to Muniz. His grappling is decent, including a decent cage push, and his takedown defense is explicitly said to be improving -- his own stated development rather than a settled grade. Cardio is a real concern on his side.

Opens by saying flatly he has no idea who wins, calls the matchup 'a mess of a fight,' and admits he is struggling to commit -- but still lands on 'we're going to take Edmond... for now,' making this the most heavily hedged named pick on the card.

A genuinely strong striker early who is said to fade noticeably once the opening burst ends. Good power, really solid kicks and nice combinations give him a real finishing chance before things get physical in close. His grappling is not his strength: a good clinch game that is actually risky here since it can let his opponent initiate a takedown, decent grappling with the ability to push against the cage and get his own takedowns when truly needed -- but once the fight is on the floor, he is read as unable to work back upright and stays controlled for the duration.

He explicitly calls this 'minimal confidence,' adding he isn't confident 'whatsoever' and would rather bet the draw for value.

A solid striker with good power, combinations and strong clinch work, his kicks rated his best weapon. His grappling is decent - decent takedowns and cage push - but his cardio is the defining concern, repeatedly said to fall off a cliff after the first round. As of 2025-02-11.

A reasoned, repeated pick -- he commits to Shahbazyan and expects an early finish -- but capped afterward by the root-beer idiom alone (he jokes about cracking a root beer and calls the fight loaded with 'red flags') -- per the standing rule the idiom by itself caps conviction even without added stay-away advice.

Only 26 despite feeling like a UFC veteran, he is a solid striker carrying real power, very good kicks and combinations, plus a good clinch and decent, underused wrestling/cage-push. His cardio has been a historical weakness, but the analyst explicitly floats that it may be improving after a recent comeback win, and projects continued improvement from here forward.

The analyst opens by disclosing he struggles to read either fighter's skill set, telling the viewer to take his read here 'with a grain of salt', repeats a near-pass at the pick, and gives momentum/psychology rather than a skills edge as his stated reason -- a direct, repeated hedge on the win itself, the clearest coinflip case on the card alongside the main event.

Edmen Shahbazyan is read as a solid striker overall with decent power, particularly as a kicker, and decent wrestling with a usable cage push, plus a pretty good clinch/judo game. His clearest weakness is struggling badly off his back once taken down, and his cardio is flagged as prone to fading in higher-pace fights. His recent run of losses is explicitly attributed by the analyst to facing tougher competition, not to declining ability.

says he feels pretty good about this pick

The better striker of the two -- a solid striking profile with real finishing upside on the feet, and his kicks are his best weapon. Decent offensively on the wrestling side but his defensive wrestling is a real problem; he can get stuck and controlled on the mat if taken down. A knockout early is seen as his clearest path to winning.

Gives decisive comparative language for several areas (better grappling, better striking, faster) and the only real hedge is that the price is too short to be worth a bet, not doubt about who wins.

A 25-year-old who entered the UFC as one of its most hyped prospects, looking sharp and picking up wins early, but has since stalled -- this fight is framed as a real must-win for his own roster spot too, just less dire than his opponent's. Clean, fast, powerful striking with functional wrestling in reserve, plus an incidental Judo exposure from training alongside a well-known former champion for years. His stated problem is cardio and volume, with real fade risk if the pace climbs.